Help Is On The Way: Labour 2012
"Ladies and gentlemen, the time since the recession has been extremely trying for all of us. We have heard the cries of the unemployed, the hungry, the homeless. We have seen those whose rights to fair treatment by their employers trodden upon by corporate fat cats, desperate for help. We have seen mothers struggling to care for their children because they cannot afford to leave their work. The recovery from the crash has been marked, but many are still suffering. To those who have been left behind, to the forgotten man, I have a simple message: help is on the way."
- Prime Minister John McDonnell
1. Fair Work: We pledge to ensure that all workers have their interests represented at the highest levels of Government by:
- Protecting labourers from firing if they engage in collective bargaining, to protect their right to have their voices heard by their employer..
- Expanding paid paternity leave to four weeks, while increasing pay for mothers during this time, so that no mother has to juggle working and caring for a child simply because they cannot afford it.
- Creating a Ministry of Labour, to provide proper oversight and ensure that corporations obey the laws that protect their employees.
2. Better Pay: To address the crisis presented by income inequality, we will:
- Bring the minimum wage fully in line with the living wage (£10 per hour by 2015), because nobody should have to toil away at a menial job only to live in poverty.
- Cap the ratio of highest-paid employee to lowest-paid employee at 25:1 in all companies receiving government contracts -- to keep the playing field level and facilitate a pay raise for Britons.
- Providing other programs outlined here to improve conditions for the many, by ensuring that the rich pay their fair share of tax.
3. Smarter Better Faster Stronger: In order to improve the quality of education for Britons, Labour will:
- Expand the Free Hours entitlement towards two-year-olds while simultaneously expanding childcare entitlements, to eliminate the gap between paternity leave and the start of government-provided care.
- Ensure that the current entitlements are adequately funded, to correct the issues with patchiness facing the programs today.
- Move towards the creation of a National Education Service -- one which will provide point-of-use training for employment, protecting education for Britons' entire lives.
4. A Healthier Britain: The National Health Service is an essential fixture of Britain's healthcare system, and it must be strengthened to ensure that all people have adequate care. We will:
- Provide £30 billion through taxes on the wealthy and private medical insurance, to expand the care that the NHS can provide for the people.
- Set a concrete goal of reducing wait the median wait time to eight weeks, so that no more have to die while waiting for treatment.
- Further expand options for care at home and private care, to ensure a more personal and more flexible experience for all patients.
5. Modernize Our Infrastructure: In order to remain competitive in today's economy, Britain must have access to today's infrastructure. We will invest £250 billion in:
- Rebuilding our transportation networks, such as roads, railways, and airports, to make it easier and faster for people to go about their daily business.
- Modernizing our energy sources by subsidizing solar power, wind power, and bio-energy, with a goal of producing 85% of energy via renewables by 2030.
- Ensuring that every household in the United Kingdom, from Northern Ireland to Scotland, is able to connect to the internet with speeds of 12.5 MBPs or above by the end of the Parliament in 2017, through subsidizing the expansion of telecom facilities into underserviced areas.
6. Keeping Britain Safe: Britain's role on the world stage is critical. Labour will ensure that we maintain our position by:
- Conducting a comprehensive review of our military spending and operations, to ensure that Britain is being strongly defended without bureaucratic inefficiencies.
- Preserving our strong relationships with the US and our allies in Europe, in order to ensure a sound economy for Britons and to better share intelligence to protect from terrorist threats.
- Addressing climate change, the defining international issue of our time, both with action at home and by promoting agreements abroad.
