Policy Details of the Coalition: the Good, the bad, and the ugly
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 12:51 am![[personal profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
miss_s_b
I should say up front that none of this is confirmed, but this list agrees with what was read out on the BBC. From the Graun's Live Blog comes this list of policy agreements of the coalition:
• £6b in year cuts in non frontline services subject to the advice from the treasury and the bank of england (Tory)
- I think this one was inevitable
• Scrapping of national insurance rises (Tory)
- agreed with this one anyway
• A substantial increase in the personal tax allowance from April 2011 with a focus on low and middle income earners, with a "long term goal" of a £10,000 personal tax allowance. There is no a timetable for this, but there is a promise to make further real term steps each year towards this objective. This is described as a "funded increase". It will be funded by taking the money the Tories had planned to use to increase the employee threshold for national insurance, and by an increase in capital gains tax for non business assets to bring it closer to the level of income tax.
- sad that this is not going to be immediate, but glad it's been adopted.
• Marriage tax allowance. The liberal democrats have agreed to abstain on this, which gives the Tories a "real chance" of getting that through.
- furious about this. Commitment to equality is on the back of the membership card, FFS. We should not be making judgements on relationships.
• Tax relief for higher rate pensioners will not be pursued
• Mansion tax dropped
- sad about these two, but again, see them as inevitable if agreement to be reached with tories.
• Raising the threshold on inheritance tax dropped, described as "unlikely to be achieved in this parliament".
- Hurrah!
• Referendum to bring in some form of alternative vote system. Coalition members will be subject to three-line whip to force the legislation for a referendum through, but they will be free to campaign against the reforms before referendum.
- "some form of alternative vote system"? So STV COULD be inserted. This is better than I was hoping for.
• New pupil premium to be introduced, steering more funding to schools for every child they take from poor homes. Both parties back this policy, but the Lib Dem version attaches more money to it.
- this is amazing.
• Reducing the tax burden on low earners. This could go some way towards the Lib Dem aim of lifting tax threshold to £10,000.
- I hope it does.
• A wholly or mainly elected house of Lords.
- Hmmm. I was always outside of the majority of my party on this anyway. Would rather see fixed term appointments myself.
• More equal constituency sizes
- YAY!
• Fixed term parliaments, including this one. The next general election will be held on the first Thursday of May 2015. Legislation will mean such agreements can only be broken by an enhanced majority of the House of Commons.
- YAY!
• A cap on immigration and an end to child detention immigration controls (the latter was a Lib Dem proposal).
- first half bad, second half good.
• Tory Welfare reform programme to be implemented in full.
- THIS is worrying.
• School reform programme providing all schools are held accountable.
- This also worrying.
• A commitment to maintaining Britain's nuclear deterrent. Renewal of Trident will be scrutinised to ensure value for money. Liberal Democrats will be free to continue the case for alternatives.
* shrug *
• A referendum lock will ensure that any proposal to transfer new powers to the EU must by law be put to a referendum.
- unsurprising, and I agree with this. Anything that big should go to a referendum.
• A great repeal or freedom bill to scrap the ID card scheme and the national identity register and the next generation of biometric passports
- YES YES YES! YES!
• Extending the scope of the Freedom of Information bill to provide greater transparency
- Yes!
* Adopt protections of the Scottish model for the DNA database
- Voted for this myself at conference.
• Protecting trial by jury
- Oh Cthulhu, thank you for this. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, Judge Jack Straw.
• Reviewing libel laws to protect freedom of speech
- YES!!!! I hope that Simon Singh et all have seen this bit.
• Further regulation of CCTV and other items
- YES!
• Measures to boost economy in key areas such as low-carbon industries and investment in infrastructure. A green investment bank, a smart grid, retention of energy performance certificates while scrapping home information packs.
- This, also, is good.
• Lib Dems will be free to maintain their opposition to nuclear power while permitting the government to put forward the national planning statement for ratification by parliament so that new nuclear construction becomes possible.
- Fair enough
Banking reform
• A banking levy will be introduced.
• Bonuses will be tackled.
• A "more competitive banking industry".
• More credit to flow to businesses. The proposals of the respective parties will be looked at before deciding which is the better one.
• An independent commission will be set up to consider Lib Dem proposals to separate retail and investment banking and the Tories' proposals for a quasi separation. An interim report will be published within a year.
• The Bank of England could be given control of macro prudential regulation and oversight of micro prudential regulation under proposals to be put forward.
- All sounds good to me.
I can see why the MPs and Fed Exec were overwhelmingly in favour if this is all true. I would - will, if I can get my shift covered at work on Sunday - vote for this. It's not my dream, but it's close enough. I have spent my life fighting the Tories and what they stand for, and am suspicious that they will deliver on some of the aspects of this, but it's good, grown-up politics, and it's a damn sight better than the last government. Freedom Bill! Libel Reform! Referendum on Voting Reform!
I have more hope now than I did when Cam announced the coalition.
• £6b in year cuts in non frontline services subject to the advice from the treasury and the bank of england (Tory)
- I think this one was inevitable
• Scrapping of national insurance rises (Tory)
- agreed with this one anyway
• A substantial increase in the personal tax allowance from April 2011 with a focus on low and middle income earners, with a "long term goal" of a £10,000 personal tax allowance. There is no a timetable for this, but there is a promise to make further real term steps each year towards this objective. This is described as a "funded increase". It will be funded by taking the money the Tories had planned to use to increase the employee threshold for national insurance, and by an increase in capital gains tax for non business assets to bring it closer to the level of income tax.
- sad that this is not going to be immediate, but glad it's been adopted.
• Marriage tax allowance. The liberal democrats have agreed to abstain on this, which gives the Tories a "real chance" of getting that through.
- furious about this. Commitment to equality is on the back of the membership card, FFS. We should not be making judgements on relationships.
• Tax relief for higher rate pensioners will not be pursued
• Mansion tax dropped
- sad about these two, but again, see them as inevitable if agreement to be reached with tories.
• Raising the threshold on inheritance tax dropped, described as "unlikely to be achieved in this parliament".
- Hurrah!
• Referendum to bring in some form of alternative vote system. Coalition members will be subject to three-line whip to force the legislation for a referendum through, but they will be free to campaign against the reforms before referendum.
- "some form of alternative vote system"? So STV COULD be inserted. This is better than I was hoping for.
• New pupil premium to be introduced, steering more funding to schools for every child they take from poor homes. Both parties back this policy, but the Lib Dem version attaches more money to it.
- this is amazing.
• Reducing the tax burden on low earners. This could go some way towards the Lib Dem aim of lifting tax threshold to £10,000.
- I hope it does.
• A wholly or mainly elected house of Lords.
- Hmmm. I was always outside of the majority of my party on this anyway. Would rather see fixed term appointments myself.
• More equal constituency sizes
- YAY!
• Fixed term parliaments, including this one. The next general election will be held on the first Thursday of May 2015. Legislation will mean such agreements can only be broken by an enhanced majority of the House of Commons.
- YAY!
• A cap on immigration and an end to child detention immigration controls (the latter was a Lib Dem proposal).
- first half bad, second half good.
• Tory Welfare reform programme to be implemented in full.
- THIS is worrying.
• School reform programme providing all schools are held accountable.
- This also worrying.
• A commitment to maintaining Britain's nuclear deterrent. Renewal of Trident will be scrutinised to ensure value for money. Liberal Democrats will be free to continue the case for alternatives.
* shrug *
• A referendum lock will ensure that any proposal to transfer new powers to the EU must by law be put to a referendum.
- unsurprising, and I agree with this. Anything that big should go to a referendum.
• A great repeal or freedom bill to scrap the ID card scheme and the national identity register and the next generation of biometric passports
- YES YES YES! YES!
• Extending the scope of the Freedom of Information bill to provide greater transparency
- Yes!
* Adopt protections of the Scottish model for the DNA database
- Voted for this myself at conference.
• Protecting trial by jury
- Oh Cthulhu, thank you for this. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, Judge Jack Straw.
• Reviewing libel laws to protect freedom of speech
- YES!!!! I hope that Simon Singh et all have seen this bit.
• Further regulation of CCTV and other items
- YES!
• Measures to boost economy in key areas such as low-carbon industries and investment in infrastructure. A green investment bank, a smart grid, retention of energy performance certificates while scrapping home information packs.
- This, also, is good.
• Lib Dems will be free to maintain their opposition to nuclear power while permitting the government to put forward the national planning statement for ratification by parliament so that new nuclear construction becomes possible.
- Fair enough
Banking reform
• A banking levy will be introduced.
• Bonuses will be tackled.
• A "more competitive banking industry".
• More credit to flow to businesses. The proposals of the respective parties will be looked at before deciding which is the better one.
• An independent commission will be set up to consider Lib Dem proposals to separate retail and investment banking and the Tories' proposals for a quasi separation. An interim report will be published within a year.
• The Bank of England could be given control of macro prudential regulation and oversight of micro prudential regulation under proposals to be put forward.
- All sounds good to me.
I can see why the MPs and Fed Exec were overwhelmingly in favour if this is all true. I would - will, if I can get my shift covered at work on Sunday - vote for this. It's not my dream, but it's close enough. I have spent my life fighting the Tories and what they stand for, and am suspicious that they will deliver on some of the aspects of this, but it's good, grown-up politics, and it's a damn sight better than the last government. Freedom Bill! Libel Reform! Referendum on Voting Reform!
I have more hope now than I did when Cam announced the coalition.
no subject
Date: Sunday, May 23rd, 2010 12:12 pm (UTC)- Personal tax allowance increase
Undoubtedly a good thing for those at the lower end of the income scale, and should hopefully do a little bit towards encouraging more people to get a job rather than being content to live on handouts such as 'jobseekers'' allowance. But how will it affect me? I'm assuming tax on income above the new allowance will be increased to compensate, so will I notice a difference? Or will I end up seeing more of the money I earn? Or less of it? I don't consider myself to be earning a high-income, but neither am I in a particularly low-income job. I think I'm somewhere towards the high end of middle for my demographic, but I'm not sure what the average is.
- Marriage tax allowance
Utter bollocks. I don't intend to get married, yet am in a longer term and more stable relationship than many of the married folk that I know. Why, then, am I to be overlooked for this benefit on the basis of what is essentially an arbitrary bit of paper? Won't this just encourage more people to get married, including people who probably shouldn't?
- Alternative vote
I didn't realise how shockingly unfair the current system is (even though I had been told- I don't make a point of believing things just on the basis that I've been told them) until I took the time (about 2 minutes) to do some really, really basic maths with some election data. I've also been amazed by the number of people who are totally closed to the idea of changing the voting system, and even more so by the number of these people who have cited "that's how the NAZIs got in" as an argument against introducing a different voting system.
- Pupil premium
Mmmmyeah. Depends what else is done to schools around it. 'Oversubscribed' is a word that many schools proudly display in their literature, yet few seem to think about what it means: It means 'overcrowded,' 'too many kids,' and 'not enough teachers'. The way schools are funded already encourages schools to take in far more kids than they have space for, and that puts a strain on resources (yes, that includes teachers). This would be another incentive for schools to give more places that don't exist to more kids. Don't get me wrong: I think it's essential that kids form poor backgrounds are given the opportunity to go to decent schools, but it needs to be done in the right way. I know what the main argument will be- schools will get extra money for these kids which can go into resources etc. But it won't: It'll go into filling the financial void that exists in most schools. The extra cash won't make a dent; it won't even touch the sides as it goes down. The only way this will work is if the government starts to take schools and schooling seriously. The only way that will happen is if the people start taking it seriously. There are far too many people in positions of responsibility with regards to national school policy and funding who haven't set foot in a classroom and don't have the slightest clue what they're talking about.
- School reform
The bits of info I've managed to gather on this make me feel worried for the teaching profession. If half of it comes to fruition, I predict mass-walkouts by good teachers who are fed up with the trend for more work, less time to do it in and less money to do it with (without even mentioning decreasing salaries).