Browse policies
Tax the rich to save the planet
I'm proposing a new wealth tax to help fund the transition to renewable energy and reduce carbon emissions. We need this because climate change is already having a devastating impact on our planet and it's only going to get worse if we don'
Seriously, another 'growth at all costs' budget? Bristol needs investment, not just more debt.
I was walking through Old Market the other day and saw the most heartbreaking sight. A family, probably on their way home from school, queuing outside a food bank. It’s utterly grim, isn’t it? We’re told the economy is doing well, yet I see
Red Tape Reform for People Not Profits
I've seen firsthand the impact of bureaucracy on the NHS, where we're drowning in paperwork and targets, rather than focusing on patient care. It's the same for small businesses and entrepreneurs, who are stifled by regulations and forms. B
Scrap the pointless apprenticeship schemes already
I'm so fed up with the government's apprenticeship schemes, they're just a waste of money if you ask me. My son's friend did one and it was just a cheap way for a company to get free labor, he didn't learn anything useful and now he's strug
Why do we let party leaders parachute anyone they want into seats?
So, this Nigel Farage chap has picked someone to lead his party in Wales. Does she actually live there, or is she just someone he knows from somewhere else who fancies a go? It seems mad that we end up with politicians representing areas th
Stop Ladling Out Cash for Empty Schemes – Fund Bristol Businesses Directly Instead!
Bristol First proposes a direct grant scheme for small and medium-sized local businesses that have been operating successfully for at least three years and can demonstrate a clear need for funding to expand or maintain operations. This isn'
Enough of this 'levelling up' crap. Why are we still sending jobs overseas?
Why are we still letting companies offshore their manufacturing and then begging for them to come back with tax breaks? It’s madness. We’ve got perfectly capable people here who’d jump at the chance to build things. They just need the inves
Why should years of careful saving be wiped out just because you get old? Let's protect family nest eggs.
It really makes you wonder, doesn't it, why someone who’s worked hard all their life, paid their taxes, and put a bit aside for a rainy day, ends up having their entire life savings stripped away just because they need a bit of help in thei
Devolution needs proper funding and actual local control, otherwise it's just more Whitehall bureaucracy with a different postcode.
We should establish truly independent Regional Economic Development Agencies across the UK, drawing inspiration from successful models in federal European countries. Current devolution efforts often amount to little more than moving central
Give Local Councils Control Over Regional Funds
We should give local councils more control over how regional development funds are spent in their areas. This is needed because too often we see money being allocated from the top down without a real understanding of what's actually needed
Unions only care about themselves, not the working man. Time to change the rules.
Why should these union bosses get to decide who speaks for working people? They trot out the same old lines, saying nobody like Farage is a "friend of the workers", but when was the last time they actually delivered anything real for the bl
Scrap VAT on repairs to boost small trades
I was out on a job the other day, fixing a boiler for a customer in Mapperley, and they were moaning about the cost of the repair, and I'm thinking, it's not just the parts and labour, it's the VAT on top that's killing them. This got me th
Tax the rich to fund our schools
I think we should introduce a wealth tax to fund our public schools, it's about time the rich paid their fair share to ensure every kid gets a decent education. This is needed because our schools are struggling to make ends meet, with teach
Let's Cut the Bureaucracy That's Strangling Small Businesses, Not Argue With Old PMs
We need a radical simplification of business regulations to truly boost the economy. The current system is a tangled mess that disproportionately burdens new and small enterprises, stifling innovation and job creation. My proposal is for a
Scrap Business Rates for Small Shops and Cafes - It's Killing Our High Streets!
We need to get rid of business rates for independent shops and cafes entirely. This is crippling small businesses, especially in my industry. I've seen so many good places close down because the rates are just unsustainable, even when they’
Time to actually invest in NI businesses, not just talk about it
We need a dedicated Northern Ireland Investment Fund, managed locally and focused on sustainable growth rather than just speculative ventures. This fund would be seeded with a significant portion of the money currently allocated to various
Cut the Red Tape Already
I was talking to a mate who's trying to start his own cafe in Sheffield, and he's at his wit's end with all the forms and permits he needs to fill out. It's taking him months just to get the council to approve his plans, and that's before h
Let's actually invest in local businesses, not just talk about it.
I was chatting with Sarah last week, you know, the owner of the little bookshop down by the canal? She’s brilliant, really knows her stuff, but she was telling me how hard it is to keep going with all the rising costs and big online retaile
Enough with the Capital Gains Tax raid, it's killing investment!
It absolutely drives me mad seeing the constant tinkering with Capital Gains Tax. Every time the government needs a quick bit of cash, they look at CGT as if it's some sort of magic money tree. It’s just a tax on success, on people who’ve t
Stop letting companies rip us off
I was talking to my neighbour the other day and she was fuming about being charged for a music streaming service she didn't even use anymore. She'd signed up for a free trial and then forgotten to cancel it, so they'd been taking money out