As part of the Fabian Society’s Next State programme, we asked a number of politicians, policy makers and Labour thinkers to suggest one idea for reforming the state that would be emblematic of Labour’s new statecraft.
You can see all of the ideas that have been submitted at http://www.fabians.org.uk/category/next-state/ and we’ll also be publishing snippets on this page below.
If you’re a member of the Fabian Society, you will also have seen our ”8 for the State” feature in this quarter’s Fabian Review, with some more policy ideas. You can read more about these on LabourList, with ideas from Vidhya Alakeson, Frank Field MP, David Blunkett MP, Sonia Sodha, Anthony Painter, Paul Goggins MP and Dan Jarvis MP.
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A new social housingg programme could reduce unemployment quickly, and also reduce the housing shortage of affordable homes in Britain. It can help alongside increased investment in infrastructure and green alternative energy projects push economic growth upwards, and generate many more jobs.
I think that we need a clear direction and end point. Without that we may travel a ” drunken walk” to no where in particular. So where do we want to get to and how will we get there?
I agree with the replies received. Taxation and housing are major issues and I believe more important than any in the list.
The way in which legislation is developed also requires change. Much legislation is based on inadequate evidence. In principal no changes should be permitted without a long period of trialling and analysis (and subsequent routine detailed review).
There are worthy ideas in the list, but they don’t deal with the fundamental problems which we face. Where, for example, is any mention of the need to reform the taxation system to ensure fairness? What about tax havens: isn’t it about time we abolished these and began to deal with tax dodging? What about corporate power, which nowadays overrides any power an individual or a community may have? And please let’s stop blaming poor people for being poor!
I strongly support Carol’s reply about shifting the tax burden to unearned land rents.
What is more, “fabian genes” include propensity for supporting “land rents for public revenue” type policies as most of the early Fabians were advocates for Lloyd George’s “Peoples Budged”.
I would have liked to see a proposal to shift the tax burden away from earned income and onto unearned land rent and profits. The incentives are all wrong with the current tax system and no one is really addressing the issue.
Too many choices which dilutes opinion. Too many local proposals which is not a national view.
Start the process again with real national appeal which may attract more voters….hmmm where have we heard that before?
Building more social housing should be a high priority of the incoming Labour government. A reduction of demand in the private rental sector would hopefully put downward pressure on rents. More badly needed construction jobs would be created. Young people would feel more secure, and more inclined to vote, in the knowledge that government cared to provide them with decent housing. We should consider funding this programme by introducing a capital transfer tax and applying capital gains tax to all property sales.
What a jumble – you could infer either creative mess or deep confusion. Take the tension running through this list between central initiative and let-it-all-hang-out localism, paralleled by the friction between pro- and anti-statists. On the catwalk we see zombies, too – ideas that had their time, failed, were buried but rise again to stalk the policy landscape. I’m not sure about how you vote for the ‘top’ of a list, half of which is incompatible with the other. Bonne chance!
The real problem is with a lack of governance within the civil service, parliamentarians, and large companies which all have a major effect on the lives of 90% of citizens. Fundamental utilities should be returned to the public sector as privatisation has only allowed foreign companies to make large profits at the consumers expence. Universities should be recognised for what they are…an economic engine for their regions. Students should not be penalised for all the hard work they put in to making the GB workforce an intelligent and useful body by being charged fees. Fees are economically unsustainable and students now have to work whilst they study. A well educated workforce is the only hope for GB in the international commercial field. A level playing field should be the norm instead of the social engineering which is operated by the public schools and the Russell group to make sure that only 2% of the population get the most highly paid jobs. Transparency in all would evidence the truth of my comments.
Power to the people can only come through “transparency”