My big political wish (well one of them) for 2024

Dream on ladies, no matter who wins the next election nothing much will change. Cromwell believed in a 'commonwealth' and look what happened there.

I must admit that where think tanks are concerned I would rater have Citizens. Juries. That way we all learn.

Independence for Scotland or for Wales will just split the country further…look at what Brexit has done already.
The solution has to be at the top…and yes there needs to be a radical change in government. Tho nothing like the way countries have been heading to the extreme right! I was ill during the ‘Trump’ riots Jan 6 watching all on tv from my sick bed hourly, since then I have avidly followed the disintegration that he and others have brought to the US….it’s not just the UK….! The solution…?? I haven’t a clue! Just find some SENSIBLE people to run things… women perhaps?

I would like to see more devolution As I see it from "up north" there is Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland England and London.
I still think the best governments we have had have been coalitions which reduced the extremes of opinion .
The PR we were offered was badly thought out, There should have been only one transferable vote, Would PR be the way forward to remove extremism?

Reading these posts reflect so much of what is going on in our American political system - lots of division. There are many nations undergoing elections (free or not) this year.

Democracy is on the ballot.

Within our government(s) is a strain of corruption, grifters, religious zealots, authoritarian personalities and totally unqualified seat holders. They have to be voted OUT. The key to change is to get out the vote! Make sure your friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc all get to the polls this year.

Everyone is wary of what might happen this year. There’s potential for violence in my country as we approach national election, so we are dealing with unhinged unelected persons, along with those already in Congress.
Oh, what country to escape to?
USA Gundy

You're right, Gundy, getting people out to vote is crucial. I'm worried that a lot of people might think that a Labour victory is inevitable here, and so might assume that it will happen even if they don't bother to vote, and then we'd end up with the awful Tories AGAIN! It happened with the Brexit referendum, when it was wrongly assumed that Leave could never win...

I think most people here are very concerned about what might happen in your election in the US, as if Trump gets back, we're all buggered in trouble

I think we need a second chamber for some balance but agree it is in dire need of reform. I would get rid of hereditary peers and also bishops and I'd also stop the PM honours list. I'd also get rid of any HOL members who only attend to sign in in order to collect their allowance and then take no part at all in the procedures. We need intelligent people who have a strong commitment to the good of the country and not just to themselves, people from a wide range of businesses and backgrounds the problem is, of course, how to achieve this.

Scottish Independence is my one wish For those of you ignorant enough to believe Westminster gifts Scotland money just be aware we Scots are contributing to capital projects that don't benefit us and Westminster are just giving us our own money back !!

GrauntyHelen
Unfortunately, the lies told by both Westminster and Scotland mean I don’t believe either of their claims.
But if Scotland want independence, they should go for it!
The only problem is who should decide? How should it be decided? Will those who lose support the decision or will it be like the last vote?
It costs a lot of money to arrange a vote. Who will pay?

7.7% of total HMRC tax receipts came from Scotland in 2018-19,.

The population of the UK in mid-2018 was estimated to be 66,436,000.
In mid-2018, the population of Scotland was 5,463,300

I leave it to someone else to work out whether the Scots paid their fair share of the taxation levied on the whole country, proportionate to their share of the population. it looks about right to me.

That was from assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5dfa039340f0b6094e25ac94/Disaggregated_tax_and_NICs_receipts_-_methodological_note.pdf There is more detail there about how much was received by HMRC in that year from each of the countries from each of the various sources of taxation. there may be more up-to-date reports, but that one was easy to find.

GrauntyHelen

Scottish Independence is my one wish For those of you ignorant enough to believe Westminster gifts Scotland money just be aware we Scots are contributing to capital projects that don't benefit us and Westminster are just giving us our own money back !!

Doesn't most of the UK pay for London and the South-East?

Until we have a law saying each area must receive the same amount, this will continue. Under current rules, investment made by the government is done according to the best return they will get. This is bound to be areas where a great deal of previous investment has been made.

And so the vicious circle continues.

I have read this thread with interest. Go Scotland! The following tells us the SNP story. Looks like Scottish voters should vote SNP. Who would vote otherwise.
www.snp.org/scottish-taxpayers-get-the-best-value-in-the-uk/

It’s a blind alley to wish for independence for Scotland in 2024 surely? I thought the thread was about about political events that we wished for 2024, not longer term aspirations.

Practically, I think we will have a change of government, but if the election doesn’t take place until the autumn there will be no time for anything to change for any of us this year - other than a sense of relief that we will be rid of the worst period of government the UK has known in our lifetimes.

Because this Givern

I'm pinching this wish from elsewhere:

1. A good Goverment
2. A robust media that holds Government to account.
3. A well informed public.

(One out of three would help)

The Scots can pay for their own referendum and benefit from the result. If they benefit from independance the best of luck to them. With a proper land border they can join the EU then they will be bound by EU rules instead of the evil English rules.

Mollygo

I find it very depressing. I agree with the sweeping away of cronyism and undemocratic practices, which have been, and will continue to be, much more evident since the proliferation of the use of the internet.
Thirteen years of Labour, who started by blaming the Conservatives for the mess they had to clear up, but then did things which were detrimental to my DH’s pension on retirement, and we are obviously not totally satisfactory, resulting in their losing the next election.
Followed by 13 years of Conservatives which haven’t done anything to improve things and some things which definitely didn’t.
Brexit- for which I hold the Tories and all those who voted for it or didn’t bother to vote against it responsible.
Covid-not so much. There is no evidence that a Labour government would’ve managed it any better or not been just as guilty of mismanagement of orders and payments.
The next government, which I hope will be Labour will as always have to sort out the mess left by the previous government, but my wish is that the sorting out solves the housing crisis, the national health service crisis, and the small boats crisis.
Sorting out the House of Lords, whilst important, comes lower down my list than all those three

Though I am French and live with my Spanish husband 32 years in The Madrid Capital, I do read The Guardian as well as other English newspapers and magazines. Also, there are approx. 500.000 British people living in Spain either on Pensions or teaching English or who are married to Spaniards or other E.U. citizens.

Johnson reminds me of Trump ! They could pass for brothers. Both are repulsive.

The present Prime Minister of Indian heritage and his buddy Bravermann and their plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanada, Africa is simply sadistic cruelty. If the U.K. does not want to provide Asylum, they could deport to their own countries. NOT a 3rd country in Africa.

I know the British people I know, are 100% against Brexit and it has made their lives more complicated. NOT impossible however, alot more complicated with bureaucratic issues and travelling to visit families.

It is very sad.

I would definitely vote for the Labour Team (though I cannot obviously as I am not British).

This present government called The Tories are use-less and dysfunctional.

As you can see from my photo attached, I think the Tories and Trump are cut from the same cloth !!! Time to flush them out of the political arena and have them serve time behind bars for lies, corruption, racisim, cruelty to migrants, ruining the health care system, illegal activites against the population amongst other crimes against humanity.

All our best wishes ..

DaisyAnneReturns

Because this Givern

I'm pinching this wish from elsewhere:

1. A good Goverment
2. A robust media that holds Government to account.
3. A well informed public.

(One out of three would help)

I like them DAR
I’d certainly like my idea of a good Government, but whether that would match anyone else’s . . .
A robust media that holds itself and the government to account without more leaks than NW Water.

A well informed public? How will that be decided?
The public thought they were well informed about the need for leaving the EU so they voted to do just that.
Others members of the public thought they were so well informed about the outcome of that referendum, that they didn’t bother to vote.
The public thought they were well informed about Covid-and still made up their own minds to wear/ not to wear masks.

Well I formed public

Most voters get their information from the media, that is exaggerated, dramatized and biased, it’s certainly not balanced so a distorted view of issues gets established in their minds.

Katie59

Well I formed public

Most voters get their information from the media, that is exaggerated, dramatized and biased, it’s certainly not balanced so a distorted view of issues gets established in their minds.

Indeed

Katie59

Well I formed public

Most voters get their information from the media, that is exaggerated, dramatized and biased, it’s certainly not balanced so a distorted view of issues gets established in their minds.

Exactly. So where is this well informed public going to come from?

Those that look further than the latest scare story in the Guardian, Daily Mail or even the BBC.

Those that look further . . . than Google. There are so many lies, exaggerations, and truths which may vary, around at the moment that there is no guarantee than anything you read will make you “well informed”.

Google is very useful it makes it easy to find factual and historic information as background, it’s only then you can see how badly the UK has been governed in recent decades.

Logic kills unrealistic aims, for instance Brexit, those who wanted to leave EU they campaigned that the UK could dictate terms and “cherry pick” the agreement and other countries would flock to our shores.
Voters believed that.

If you leave a club or any other partnership you don’t ask them to give you special concessions, you leave and paddle your own canoe. There is no logic in giving up an agreement with 50% of your customers, the EU called our bluff we got nothing

Well done Brexiteers.

Less than one week into the new year, and already I never want to hear 'delivering for the British people' again.