Digital literacy through choice not compulsion
I think it's a good idea to teach kids about digital literacy, but making it compulsory is not the way to go. This kind of top-down approach is exactly what's wrong with our education system, it's too prescriptive and doesn't allow for individual choice. Instead, we should be giving schools the freedom to decide how they want to teach digital literacy, and letting parents choose the kind of education they want for their children.
This way, we can encourage innovation and experimentation in the way digital literacy is taught, rather than having a one-size-fits-all approach imposed from above. We've seen time and time again that government-led initiatives like this can be slow to adapt to changing circumstances, and can stifle the kind of creative thinking that we need to tackle complex problems like online safety.
Why do we let people who don't even pay net tax decide our spending priorities?
Tell me, why on earth do we allow people who contribute absolutely nothing, or even take more out of the system than they put in, to have an equal say in how my taxes are spent? It just doesn’t make any sense. It’s like letting someone who’s never bought a share vote on a company’s dividend policy. It’s a recipe for endless promises of freebies and a complete disregard for fiscal discipline, because someone else is always paying.
My proposal is simple: you should have to be a net taxpayer to vote in general elections. This means you need to contribute more in income tax and national insurance than you receive in benefits or tax credits. It’s about having skin in the game. If you’re not contributing, why should you have an equal say in how the country’s finances are managed?
This isn’t about being cruel; it’s about aligning incentives.
What do you think?
Vote on individual policies, adapt them, or write your own alternative. Good ideas should be tested.