The Queen's Speech We Should Have Had, And Could Have

Education and After: An immediate move towards a situation in which no one is permitted to be Not in Education, Employment or Training before the completion of the school year including his or her eighteenth birthday. Restoration of O-levels in place of Thatcher’s GCSEs. Universal and compulsory – non-military, but uniformed, ranked and barracked – National Service between secondary education (i.e., up to 18) and tertiary education or training.

The Constitution: A new and powerful second chamber elected on the basis of the English ceremonial counties, Scottish lieutenancy areas, Welsh preserved counties, and Northern Irish counties, with each of those 99 units having equal representation. The Parliament of the United Kingdom to enact legislation in all policy areas for all parts of the United Kingdom, as set out in the devolution legislation, so no need for a costly English Parliament. The new second chamber to have the same revising powers in relation to the devolved bodies as in relation to the House of Commons.

Law and Order: Raising the minimum age for jurors at least to 21, and restoration of a minimum property and/or educational qualification for jurors. Restoration of the pre-1968 committal powers of the magistracy. Abolition of stipendiary magistrates. Repeal of Thatcher’s Police and Criminal Evidence Act. Restoration of the pre-1985 prosecution powers of the Police, i.e., abolition of the Crown Prosecution Service.

A return to preventative policing based on foot patrols, with budgetary sanctions against recalcitrant Chief Constables who fail to implement this. Police Forces at least no larger than at present, and subject to local democratic accountability, most obviously though Police Authorities, although with the mind by no means closed to the idea of elected sheriffs.

Each offence to carry a minimum sentence of one third of its maximum sentence, or 15 years’ imprisonment where that maximum sentence is life imprisonment.

Cannabis to be reclassified as a Class A drug, with a crackdown on the possession of drugs, including a mandatory sentence of three months for a second offence, six months for a third offence, one year for a fourth offence, and so forth.

Every effort to root out pornography of every sort, but with a recognition that there cannot be a “free” market in goods and services generally, but not in pornography, as well as alcohol, drugs, gambling and prostitution.

Making Parents Pay: A legal presumption of equal parenting. The restoration of the tax allowance for fathers for so long as Child Benefit is still being paid to mothers. Poorer mothers of small children to be paid to stay at home with them rather than to hand them over into the care of strangers.

Energy Independence: Development of nuclear power and the application of clean coal technology as at least the core around which other things (wind, wave, solar, et cetera) may operate, since it offers both the re-creation of strong working-class communities based on high-wage and high-skilled employment (as previously provided by pits, steelworks, shipyards, and so on), and independence from the affairs of the Middle East, as well as from Russian gas.

Freedom: Repeal of the Civil Contingencies Act. Repeal of the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act. Restoration of the situation whereby a Bill which runs out of parliamentary time is lost at the end of that session. No extension of detention without charge. No identity cards. No control orders. Repeal of existing erosions of trial by jury and of the right to silence, of existing reversals of the burden of proof, of provision for majority verdicts (which, by definition, provide for conviction even where there is reasonable doubt), and of provision for Police confiscation of assets without a conviction. Repeal of the Official Secrets Acts.

British Independence: Restoration of the supremacy of British over EU law. Use of this to restore Britain’s historic fishing rights. No EU law to apply in the United Kingdom without having gone through exactly the same parliamentary process as if it were a Bill which had originated in our own Parliament. The show-stopping Empty Chair Policy until the Council of Ministers meets in public and publishes an Official Report akin to Hansard.

Disapplication in the United Kingdom of any ruling of the European Court of Justice by resolution of the House of Commons, giving this country the same level of independence as is rightly enjoyed by Germany through her Constitutional Court. Non-application of any ruling under either the Human Rights Act or the European Convention on Human Rights unless and until ratified by such a resolution.

No need for a referendum on further European integration, since Parliament to do its job properly and just say no.

Transport: Renationalisation of the railways, uniquely without compensation in view of the manner of their privatisation, as the basis for a national network of public transport free at the point of use, including the reversal of bus route and (where possible) rail line closures going back to the 1950s.

Workers’ Rights: Building on the statutory right of every worker to join a trade union and to have that trade union recognised for collective bargaining purposes by giving every trade unionist so recognised the statutory right to take industrial action in pursuit of a legitimate grievance, including strike action, and including solidarity action of a clearly secondary character (such as a work to rule in support of a strike) within a single industry or corporation.

The unions to identify 10 “dream” policies and 10 “nightmare” policies, with 10% funding to any candidate (regardless of party, if any) for subscription to each of the former, minus 10% for failure to rule out each of the latter. Union and other money to fund development and delivery of a qualification for “non-graduates” with life and work experience who aspire to become MPs.

Health: Freezing of prescription charges, and restoration of free eye and dental check-ups.

The Elephant In The Room: Removal of all nuclear, radiological, chemical and biological weapons from British soil and waters. A total ban on the sale of arms abroad. Removal of foreign forces from British soil and waters. Restoration of British overall control of our defence capability. No more participation in neoconservative wars. Immediate and unconditional withdrawal from Afghanistan and Iraq.

There is only one party representing this economically social-democratic, morally and socially conservative, patriotic mainstream of British public opinion. Be part of it.