Start rebuilding the EU relationship now, with a customs union as step one
The Conservatives spent 14 years pretending Brexit was going brilliantly while every economic indicator said otherwise. Small businesses are drowning in customs paperwork. Export volumes are down. The City has lost business to Frankfurt and Amsterdam. None of this is disputed by anyone who actually looks at the data.
Starmer has inherited this mess and yes, he is moving cautiously, but the direction of travel needs to be clear: a customs union first, then regulatory alignment, and eventually a conversation about full membership when the politics allow it.
I run a business that exports to Europe. Before Brexit it took me one form. Now it takes eleven. That is not sovereignty. That is bureaucracy dressed up in a flag. Every month we wait costs British businesses money and costs British workers jobs.
Raise taxes on high earners including me and stop pretending we can't afford public services
I earn well into six figures. I pay less tax as a percentage of my income than my employees do because capital gains is taxed lower than income. That is indefensible.
We have a country where nurses use food banks, schools hold bake sales to buy textbooks, and the army is smaller than it has been since Napoleon. And every time someone suggests raising taxes the entire right wing media machine screams that it will destroy the economy.
Raise the top rate to 50p. Align capital gains with income tax. Close the carried interest loophole. Introduce a proper wealth tax on assets above 10 million. I will personally pay more. I can afford to. And so can every other wealthy person in this country who benefits from the roads, the NHS, the legal system, and the educated workforce that their taxes are supposed to fund.
The money is there. The political courage is not.
Reform UK is a grift and its supporters deserve better than Farage's lies
I genuinely feel sorry for most Reform voters. They have been sold a story that all of their problems are caused by immigration, and that one man with a pint glass and a podcast has the answers. He does not. He has never held office. He has never delivered anything. He makes money from outrage.
The areas that vote most heavily for Reform are the areas that have been most neglected by Westminster for decades. They are right to be angry. But they are angry at the wrong people. Immigration did not close their hospital. Austerity did. Immigration did not destroy their high street. Online retail and business rates did.
We need to actually invest in these communities instead of letting populists fill the vacuum with blame. Fund the towns. Fix the services. Show people that government can work. That is how you beat Reform. Not by copying their rhetoric.
Climate Change Is Real, Stop Blaming Brussels for the Heatwave
Seriously, blaming the EU for a heatwave? That’s the kind of daft, populist nonsense that’s held us back for years. This idea about reclaiming sovereign control of the weather is frankly embarrassing. It’s not 1973 anymore, it’s the era of climate change, and we need serious policy, not nostalgic fantasy.
Instead of renaming the Met Office, we should be investing in it. We need to fund actual climate science, research adaptation strategies, and support renewable energy to tackle the root cause of these extreme weather events. Pretending we can legislate sunshine levels is a dangerous distraction from the real work needed to protect our country and economy.
This isn’t about ‘British weather’ or some imagined past. It’s about a global crisis that requires international cooperation, not isolationism.
Scrap the NHS Waiting Lists Madness
What's the point of having a national health service if you're just gonna end up waiting months for treatment, I mean it's like the system is designed to drive you mad.
The thing is, it doesn't have to be this way, we could be investing more in our healthcare system to reduce waiting times and actually provide the care people need when they need it. My proposal is to increase funding for the NHS by introducing a new tax bracket for high earners like myself, I mean let's be real, if you're earning over 200 grand a year you can afford to pay a bit more to help out the rest of society.
This extra funding would be used to hire more doctors and nurses, and to improve the infrastructure of our hospitals, so we can actually provide the level of care that people expect from the NHS. It's not rocket science, if you've got more staff and better equipment, you can treat more patients and reduce waiting times, it's just common sense.
Why are we still letting kids leave school without knowing how to actually manage money?
Seriously, what’s the logic behind marching teenagers through years of quadratic equations and Shakespearean sonnets but never a single lesson on budgeting, mortgages, or taxes? It’s madness. We're setting them up to fail financially before they even get a chance.
So here’s the plan: compulsory financial literacy modules throughout secondary school. Not just a token half-day session, but integrated into the curriculum from Year 7 onwards. Start with basic concepts like saving and spending, then move through to credit cards, student loans, and understanding payslips. By the time they’re 16, they should have a grasp of how to open a bank account, how interest works, and what a tax code means.
We’d bring in specialists to deliver this, maybe partnering with local banks or financial advisors, but crucially, it needs to be practical and relatable.
Scrap the pointless short sentences for minor crimes
What's the point of chucking someone in prison for a few weeks for shoplifting or minor assault, it's just a waste of taxpayers' money and doesn't solve anything. I mean think about it, these short sentences don't rehabilitate anyone, they just give people a taste of prison and make them more likely to reoffend.
My proposal is to replace these short sentences with community service and rehabilitation programs, it's a no brainer. If someone's stolen a load of clothes from a shop, make them work in a charity shop for a few months, that way they're paying back the community and learning a bit of discipline at the same time. And for minor assault, make them do an anger management course, that way they're addressing the root cause of their behaviour.
This approach would not only save the taxpayer a load of money, but it would also reduce reoffending rates, which is the ultimate goal of the justice system.
Let's Get Serious About Diplomacy, Not Just Patronage
I mostly agree with the sentiment here, but the focus on "accountable diplomats" misses a bigger point. It's not just about who gets appointed to ambassadorships; it's about having a coherent, strategic foreign policy that these diplomats are actually meant to implement.
Instead of just scrutinising individuals, we should be strengthening parliamentary oversight of foreign policy itself. That means giving select committees real teeth to examine the strategy behind our international engagements, not just the names on the door of embassies. We need proper debate and approval for major foreign policy decisions, not just rubber-stamping appointments.
And let's be honest, the idea of some parliamentary committee vetting every single diplomat is a bit of a distraction. The real issue is ensuring our foreign service is professional, meritocratic, and adequately funded to do its job effectively.
What do you think?
Vote on individual policies, adapt them, or write your own alternative. Good ideas should be tested.