Tax and Electoral Reform

So

Apparently Labour have spotted that electoral reform might save them at the polls. [link]

What they're talking about is probably to a certain degree what they have in France, but geared down to the local parliamentary level. This would probably work pretty well for me, because I vote tactically against the party with whom I most disagree. I say most disagree. I mean loath the principles of. But there we are. However, I don't think this goes anywhere near far enough.

Here's an idea (it's my idea, but I'd like to call it an idea)

There's 646 seats in the commons. That's pretty big.

Probably about 15 are in Northern Ireland, which is a pretty unique political environment. To be honest, I think it would be good to have a lower house in England which dealt only with English issues and had only English representatives (ie elected by the English population) and an upper house who ratified bills as legal, and dealt with national issues (I'm going to say Security, Foreign Policy... that's it).

But that won't happen, because of the electoral math that Labour uses. So let's keep the Scots and Welsh in too, but recarve the political districts. The problem with PR is that you

A - lose the local value from MPs
B - have coalition issues

But the problem with first past the post is that you have

A - local MPs lobbying for programmes which won't help the nation as a whole
B - have absentee MPs who are the party fat cats

So let's mix

636 Constituency MPs.... No use to me. Let's have 346 constituency MPs, still plenty so that a city like Leicester would have 1 MP instead of the current 3, with some spill over into the counties. Probably Charnwood would get rolled into Loughborough, for instance.

Let's also have 300 PR elected MPs. What you'll get there is probably all the front bench MPs in the PR list. Because let's face it, if you can't get 100 of these people (1/3 of the total vote) you aren't winning the election.

The party leader would be #1, your deputy leader #2 etc. This would also get rid of the farce of Lords being appointed to sit in Cabinet, or parachuting MPs into safe seats (which is just insulting, really).


And tax

Let's talk tax

All the money we pay in tax goes into the consolidated fund (let's exclude NI for the time being). This big current account type money gets cut up into all sorts of bits and bobs. But who knows where.

I think a hypothecated tax system would be a bit clearer, don't you?

Oh.

I'll explain. Hypothecation would mean (this is just an example) that you'd pay tax like this:

You earn 22 grand. 6 grand of that is tax free. You'll pay

8% on the remaining 16 grand for the NHS
3% for national defense
1% for communities
2% for benefits/pensions deficits
1% for border control/immigration
1% for education

etc

Then all the tax you pay on petrol goes to transport infrastructure

Let's get rid of VAT, because it is evil. Because you pay it regardless of your means. And I think that's immoral.

This way, of course, when governments came in and said "we're going to cut tax by 1%" you'd say: "which bits, chap? Because, if anything, I'd like to see my NHS contribution go up a bit so we could have shinier new hospitals. And do we really need those nuclear submarines? Because if we didn't have them, you could slap that money into hospitals too. Or maybe some schools. You know, for the little kids, who will then pay tax and then I can retire before my hands fall off with the rheumatiz"

Just a thought that the current system allows the politicians to lie to us, and I think certain parties are more likely to lie to us, because I just don't trust them to be honest.

Also

Arch Enemy. Disturbing how hot she is.

Susan Boyle

I'd be more impressed with her 100,000 sales if Guns hadn't sold 15m copies of Use Your Illusion.

And you know, if I weren't so bitter and cynical

Song of the day

Here's a new wiley track. I love me a bit of wiley, and his ridiculous eskibeat stylings.

Boy Better Know

I don't think it will be, but wouldn't it be amusing if this became a lesbian bar anthem? For the mean time, I can imagine dancing to this bad boy. Of course, given that despite his talent and prominence, Wiley doesn't seem to sell many records. Go figure.

Rap feud!

I'm not normally a Tim Westwood fan, but last night on the way back from training he played the latest shots in a rap feud between Eminem and... wait... Mariah Carey?

Her original diss track is: here

I think it's a pretty dangerous game to pick a public fight with a rapper who cut his teeth in battle competitions, and whose first album contained some vigorous personal attacks. Oh, and who has been feuding on and off ever since... but who am I to judge.

The Eminem response is here.

I have never heard anything as vicious as this. I don't think that this will elevate to gun play like the rap feuds of old, but I guess I prefer the awful truth of the verbal jabs.

Madonna

The "Sticky and Sweet" tour will be on Sky One HD. I can't imagine why anyone would want to see Madonna in HD. I've taken sexier shits after a night out on Hoegarden. Criminy.