The Liberal Democrat Manifesto

The Liberal Democrat Manifesto – Sam Banks

Uncategorized Mr Hodson May 13, 2017 0 Comments

The Liberal Democrats are the only party fighting to keep Britain open, tolerant and united. We want to have an open minded and forward-thinking, pro-European country and government. We want tolerance, and we seek to fight injustice in our political system as well as promoting the rights of the individual and minorities. And finally we want to be united, to reject the typical divisions in society – we are stronger living in all encompassing communities and so must break down the barriers that restrict us all.

We are the party that has not been pushed to the extremes of the political scale. The Tories (Conservatives), under Theresa May, have moved to the right of the spectrum, promoting tax breaks for the rich whilst masking huge cuts in government spending on education and healthcare with ‘austerity measures’. The Labour Party has moved to the far left under Jeremy Corbyn, and recent interviews with prominent labour figures and the leaked manifesto are enough to show the incompetent and unrepresentative nature of the party as it currently stands. We are the party that can provide for all. We are the moderate and forward thinking party. We are the party who want to represent your views.

Our ten policies represent our view on the international stage, the national stage and the local stage. We have 5 policies on national politics and 5 policies affecting you, the RHS community:

We want a second referendum on Britain leaving the European Union after the finalisation of the trade deals. This means that you, the people can have the final vote on what happens to our country in the international stage, after only a 52% majority voted on Brexit. We want to give you the chance to decide what actually happens, after the confusing political turmoil that surrounded the vote.
We wish to extend the vote to 16 year olds in elections. 16 year olds are treated as adults in so many different ways and yet are not able to have a voice on political matters. We believe that this is wrong and extending the vote may have kept the United Kingdom in the EU – many believe young people will have to pay for the consequences of the vote.
We wish to reverse spending cuts made by the Conservative party. Services such as the NHS are vital to allow all people to be able to live healthy lives no matter their economic position. Under the Tories, spending has fallen on the NHS, education, and the police service. They have prioritised debt reduction over the lives of the poorest in our society.
We want to increase the number of affordable houses for 18-21 years olds. This is an issue which will affect all the people in this school in the future. If people cannot afford houses at this age, it puts them off the housing market for life, it disenfranchises them and this could lead to the decline of a large industry in our country.
We want to implement a regulated cannabis market in the United Kingdom. This means allowing the sale of cannabis to over 18s from specialist, licensed retail stores. We also propose allowing home-cultivation for personal use and small scale licensed cannabis social clubs. This has been proven in America to reduce the size of the illegal and dangerous market that currently exists and also have significant health benefits in some cases.
At RHS we wish to implement more sport into school life. Sport has been reduced in recent years, as has our results. More sport also leads to less health and weight problems and so reduces strain on the NHS on the national scale; furthermore better wellbeing can increase academic performance also.
At RHS we wish to increase the pupil voice. Yes there are already a few councils, but we wish to implement a policy which increases the power of the pupil body hugely. Pupils will be more fairly represented with their view points and will get a say in policy decisions. It’s all about You the pupils.
At RHS, we wish to bring back the Café (Trafalgar Rooms). Although this matter could be dealt with by the previously mentioned pupil voice (see previous policy), it merits its own decision. You as pupils had the Café taken away with no chance to voice your say on it. We admit the gym is a fabulous addition but it removed an important part of pupil life at RHS, especially for the Juniors.
At RHS we wish to reduce the number of exams students have to take. The school has gone overboard with the amount of internal examinations that students have to face. Juniors are facing too many exams and this is reducing the enjoyment of education at RHS. It increases stress for everyone and although we admit they are important, they should not be the priority of new management.
At RHS we want the removal of school uniform for the Sixth Formers. Sixth formers are adults and forcing them all to wear the same uniform reduces their individuality. It also creates a harder environment to work in and one that is not suited to what people will face in work environments after school.