The SNP Manifesto – Basson du Toit

The SNP Manifesto – Basson du Toit

  1. We will invest in 4G coverage for rural communities.

This will solve all of RHS’s signal issues and give all students and teachers the opportunity to access quick mobile data anywhere on site, make calls and texts wherever they are and even allow us to access apps such as snapchat at any time (not that any of us RHS students do use snapchat because it’s against the school rules)

  1. We will increase the minimum wage to £8.70 before 2020.

We will increase the UKs minimum wage for over 25s from £7.50 to £8.70. This will benefit all RHS students in the future because it means they will earn more money to support huge tuition fees, rent, etc.

  1. We will give the vote to 16 and 17 year olds.

Students at RHS turn 18 in year 13, or for students like Dom Hallam, ‘year 12 part 2’ and this gives them the right to vote, but we believe that our students and students all around the country are mature, wise and informed enough to be able to decide their future at the age of 16, in year 11. This gives our students more freedom and helps them make an active contribution to their own futures.

  1. We will invest into the mental health fund worth £100 million over the next 5 years.

In the past week we have been endorsing mental health week at RHS and also, those of us that have watched the new Netflix series “13 reasons why” will have been reminded how important good mental health is to children and adults everywhere. As a result, we will support the UKs mental health fund to make sure that mental health, especially in schools is a priority.

  1. We will decrease tuition fees in England from £9000 maximum to £6000.

Unfortunately, going to university also means paying huge tuition fees. But we will provide a helping hand to any RHS student planning to go to university by significantly lowering these fees. This allows us to pay our fees off quicker and not have to live with debt.

  1. We will retain the ‘triple lock’ on pensions.

A policy which will benefit the older members of the RHS community, the ‘triple lock’ is an agreement to allow pensions to increase with inflation, meaning that pensions will always be suited to increasing prices.

  1. We will make sure councils have a statutory duty to lower the attainment gap in education.

The ‘attainment gap’ expresses the disadvantage of children who do not receive education early on in their lives. We will bridge this gap by giving every child equal opportunities and allowing every child to have access to an education. This will be done by providing 30-hours a week free nursery education for all 3 and 4 year olds and eligible 2 year olds.

  1. We will enforce the UK government to adopt Scotland’s carbon reduction target.

Scotland’s target is to reduce carbon emissions by 66% before 2032. This may seem ambitious but Scotland have already met a target of a 42% reduction 6 years early, showing us that such targets can be achieved. This will benefit the environment in England hugely and reduce pollution, making the world cleaner and safer.

  1. We will scrap plans for new trident nuclear weapons.

Trident, although it may one day be of some use to the UK, is a very expensive asset. It is estimated that the maintenance of the trident nuclear programme has cost Great Britain a huge £130 billion! £130 billion that could have been spent on the NHS, or accomodating the reduction of tuition fees or the increase of the minimum wage. We believe this money would go further in other areas to protect the people of the UK.

  1. We will put the ‘Great’ into ‘Great Britain’.

At one time, we believed that these policies will help us ‘Make Scotland Great Again’ but this manifesto will not just benefit Scotland, it will benefit England and the whole of the United Kingdom and all of its people. So one day, together, we will put the ‘Great’ into ‘Great Britain’!