Tagged With: fairness
Unlocking the UK
Background.
The UK needs to have a strategy for relaxing quarantine restrictions that has elements of
- Graduated / Phased unlock -some services are less/more essential than others so we need a graduated
- Balancing simplicity with detail
- Allowing flexible/dynamic lockdown/unlock as needed
Concept
There are many types of business/organizations ( and I am sure i have missed some ) I would allocate each sector a “grade” like
- A – essential for individual life
- B – good for community health
- C – nice to have
- D – luxuries that can wait
I would also define phases of lock down.
- Red = Closed
- Orange = Partial opening ( with social distancing )
- Green = Open with social distancing
People would look up which letter “their” sector is in and each week the government says which phase the different letters are in.
At the moment the ‘A’ would be green but everything else would be red. Overtime as the unlock progressed more and more sectors would go green.
I believe that sectors can be broadly split into “Services” and “Physical Goods” and that within those groups there are different types (rows) and stages ( columns )
Services
| Collages, Research & Training | Strategy & Management | Service Delivery | |
| Health / Care Services | A | A | A |
| Emergency Services( inc Police ) | A | A | A |
| Utilities | B | A | A |
| Coroner / Undertakers | B | A | A |
| Repair / Maintenance | B | B | B |
| Transport | C | B | A |
| Governments / Courts / Prisons | C | B | A |
| Finance / Insurance | D | C | A |
| News / Public infomation | D | C | A |
| Hair Dresser / Pedicures | D | C | B |
| Remote Entertainment | D | C | B |
| Construction and property sales/moves | D | C | B |
| Leisure / Sports | D | C | C |
Physical Goods
| Manufacturing/ Generation | Logistics (Storage and Distribution) | Sales / Retail | Support /Processing (Online) | WasteDisposal | |
| Food | A | A | A | A | A |
| Pharmaceutical | A | A | B | B | A |
| Clothing ( inc PPE ) | A | A | B | B | B |
| Garden items | B | B | B | B | A |
| Education and Crafts | B | B | B | B | B |
| Business items | B | B | B | B | B |
| Household items | D | C | C | C | A |
Laws and Taxation
We need to encourage businesses and society to adopt a new normal, and we need to recoup the money that has been thrown at covid. We need to balance physical health, mental health and the economy I’d make changes to taxation as follows
- I’d have a tax on “offices” designed to have companies support remote / working from home. I’d want to encourage flexible working where people could work from home or from a local hot-desk hub.
- I’d have income tax bands based on the ABCD categories listed in the tables above
- I’d say every year somebody works in the Health/Care or emergency services that the government writes off a proportion of their ( student or credit ) debt . The goal being to encourage people to work in key services for at least a few years
- I’d abolish national insurance and roll that into income tax. I’d increase VAT but ensure it did not apply to food/clothes/utilities. That way you would be taxed on “non essentials” that you purchased
National Grids – Targeting nationalization to battle climate change
Yesterday the UK Labour party suggested bringing several companies / industries into national ownership. Thinking about this i think maybe theirs is a step to far but maybe some things “should” be government owned and managed. The next 10-30 years we have to transform the economy to be more green.
I suggest the UK government should nationalize the “grid/networks” for “essentials”, but leave the delivery of services in the private market. ie set up 2 national network which would be wholly and solely owned by the government
- The “Energy and Water grid” grid ( Gas, Electric, Water )
- The “Transport grid” national grid – roads / rail / ports
This would allow…
- the government to focus on the physical infrastructure and green strategy at the national level
- re-sellers / franchise holders to deliver services to end consumers.
- private companies to supply services to the government ( ie power stations / reservoirs )
It would require a transfer of assets at market value cost so private companies did not loose out. I’d argue that would be worth it. One could alternatively do this by stricter regulations on the private companies but that would be a halfway house I believe.
Police body cameras are long overdue.
I believe that police officers on patrol should wear body cameras because we need everything out in the open. We need to see the good and the bad to show that we have balance and honesty. In moments of stress people can miss remember, so we need an independent witness. In the same way that DNA evidence has becomes invaluable in trials, so also should video evidence of things seen and heard. Of things done and said. If kids can film every moment of their lives on cameras and post it on social media then i see no reason that police offices cannot do the same for when they are out on patrol.
I believe that …
- Jury’s or judges should be able to view and release any footage because we should not hide the truth.
- Do not splice or edit footage at trial because knowing what happened before/after an incident gives context. Fast forward or rewind as needed, but maintain the integrity of each recording.
- Keep all footage for at least 6 months
- Keep footage relevant to a case brought to trial for at least 6 months after that trial
- Cameras should timestamp and geolocate footage so that archives can be searched after an event
- Cameras should be visible because we need to be open and honest.
Visa/Imigration wishlist – If we leave the EU
If we leave the EU or even if we stay I’d want to use visa and contribution rules to control our borders…
- Track exits from our borders as well as arrivals. So we know who is in the country.
- Anyone would be able to visit with a simple visitors visa for up to 90 days a year. They could work during this time if they wanted
- Anyone spending longer than that 90 days a year would need to have a work or compassionate visa.
- All visas would be only granted on the basis that the applicant was a lawful citizen. That they posed no risk to the country. Any visa could be denied or revoked if that assessment changed.
- Work visas would only be granted only if the role has previously offered for 6 months to citizens.
- There would be quotas and point systems for work and compassionate visas. Anyone applying for a work or compassionate visa would need a sponsor/guarantor. The sponsor/guarantor would be held accountable if that person overstayed or broke the law or was unable to support themselves. The sponsor/guarantor would need to be a citizen
- Benefits would only be paid to those who had paid national insurance in this country for 48 months cumulatively not continuously), or who’s parents had.
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Women covering thier faces
While watching bbc question time and the debate about women wearing veils, and hearing the two sides arguing whether it is about choice or forcing women to hide, I wonder how those sides would change if it was a debate about women feeling the need to wear make-up when they go out. Is it really right to consider legislating about one form of face covering but not another? #equality should mean having the right to be different, not the obligation to all be the same. If a woman does or doesn’t want to go out au natural isn’t that her choice? Regardless of whether that is a head covering or makeup?
False accusation
Sometimes one is falsely accused. Maybe from friend or family or stranger. I believe in almost all cases false accusations stem from misunderstandings and that the only way to resolve them it through honest communication.
Sadly the accusation itself may create an environment in which that is not possible. I believe that the best one can do is plainly state one’s case, to try and understand each other’s beliefs and to try and understand how the miss understanding might have come about. There is nothing more one can do. Too vigorous defence may inflame tensions and make the matter worse. while it may hurt one has to accept the right of another to believe something different to oneself. Though a cliché sometimes “time is the best healer”.
One may learn lessons on how to avoid future misunderstandings, but for the most part one has to live one’s life. The misunderstanding may leave scars on both sides of hurt and distrust. These scars can be covered over but will never heal completely until the issue is resolved. The required honest communication cannot be forced or finessed, only prayed for.
Feminism
Feminism was always about self respect, and about people knowing they could be themselves and be equal without having to be the same.
By this very definition it can mean very different things to other people without loosing its truth.
Make mentoring deductible for corporation tax – inspired by @Lord_Sugar
I read Lord Sugars speech at http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=159423317411506 and got to thinking.
Companies can claim capital expenses and R&D as deductibles for corporation tax. I believe that by extension companies should be able to claim a tax refund of up to 20% of the salary of a mentor who spends a minimum 20% of their time mentoring a registered apprentice.
Android OS upgrades and 18 month mobile phone contracts
Mobile network operators increasingly try to lock thier subscribers into 18 or even 24 month contracts. Why?
Is it that in order to subsidise the cost of expensive mobile phones they need longer contracts to avoid a loss? Is it that with the increasing number of attractive offers the networks are scared of customers being poached to other networks
Regardless of the reason, when I purchase a subsidised android device and am locked to a contract for 18 months then I expect during the lifetime of contract when possible that my mobile device will be upgraded new versions of android where practical. I am purchasing a service from the mobile operator and personally I believe that software upgrades SHOULD be a key aspect of that service.
What price should one place on having the latest software, and more importantly, what long-term cost to mobile operators that do not provide such upgrades.
England Soccer Manager Contracts
The English Soccer Manager job should be a 2 year contract that is renegotiated after each major tournament ( European / World cup )
England should not be stuck with a manager for 4 years after a poor performance. Do the job well or make way for somebody else to.