If you were in charge, what would be the three things you would do?

I would get rid of ALL the present taxes/duties/customs.
(That's the popular bit). Replace with one tax - a purchase tax on anything/everything you buy at just one rate. I'd set the rate to cover the government expenses for defence, education, health and income support. It would be understandable, rich people would pay more (they buy bigger houses, more stuff) it would be hard to avoid. - I'm sure there'd be problems but the present system where nobody understands it and rich people seem to avoid tax needs change.

Oh, and less importing of stuff we can easily produce here. Apples, for instance.

All schools to be brought back into public control immediately, properly regulated, and all children to go to nearest one. Extra funding and support for those in poorer areas.

More stations to be re-opened, and huge investment to be made in all public transport, making it a valid and affordable option to clogging up the roads. HS2 to be cancelled.

Public enquiries and trials to be conducted and done with within 6 months, instead of dragging on for years.

Build more social housing
Double the Council Tax on second/holiday homes
Reduce the cost of private rental to no more than 10% above social housing rental.

shysal, you obviously don't believe in democracy if you think an elected leader should only be someone you like!!
My 3 would be:
* reducing our country's population by about 20 million (last in, first out) and stop encouraging people to have children by giving financial rewards. This would solve the housing crisis in one fell swoop.
* let the punishment fit the crime e,g, if people are caught littering then the council should use their house to empty their town bins in!! All criminals should use their own funds or possession to compensate their victims and certainly no luxuries like taking degrees, sky tv etc.while in prison
* people should take responsibility for their and their families' actions and not expect the state, NHS and others to take over.

Definitely abolish ALL religion in schools.

Stop all this PC nonsense about people being offended by certain words - get a grip.

Bring back the death penalty for all terrorists, murderers, child molesters and rapists.

Ban the use of animals being used for entertainment purposes

Alter the welfare benefits system - how is it that so many unemployed people end up with more spare money than those of us who work?

That's my little rant finished

Definitely push for research and trials of medicinal applications of cannabis.
Give young parents financial support so they are in a position to stay at home with children if they want to
Remove all generational, cultural, religious etc. reasons to attack and divide our society.

I would like to see people charged for nuisance / stupid calls to emergency services, 100quid on their phone bills for each one. People who ring to ask why there is no KFC etc.

First family first, would be my mantra so that children are not stuck in the benefirs traps and inheritance minefields. People would not be so keen to bunk off with new partners if they knew their income and assets were properly committed elsewhere.

More critical thinking and perhaps more anthropological approaches, than the current sciological ones which do not seem to have served us very well. Currently need is rewarded and that generates neediness and is generally unhealthy.

1. Agree with abolish faith schools. Am sad about this though, as some of them are very good. But the downside of the ones that are problematic is just too huge to ignore, and if they are to be closed there is probably no way to pick and choose to save others :-(
2. spitting in public = immediate community service order to clean public footpaths and pick litter, plus wash mouth out with carbolic soap and water. Tuberculosis is back, and spitting's a disgusting habit anyway. I'd also fine professional footballers and rugby players who do it on the pitch, as they are role models.
3. can't think of a third. Surprisingly tolerant for this snowy Wednesday!

Get rid of the companies making a profit out of assessing those needing benefits, and fund the system properly.
Sort out the pensions (both state and occupational) debacle.
Pay qualified public servants the going rate, so we have enough nurses, doctors, teachers. (Never understood why supply and demand never improved for their salaries)

Dust off the original guidelines for benefit system when it was first introduced and use these for payments today.
Employ more triage staff at A&E with the power to send people away if they have complaints which can be dealt with elsewhere. ( Just talked to someone who was there with elderly mother who had broken her wrist and was seen after someone who had gone in with a nosebleed!!!?
All government departments with large budgets to employ a gran to check spending and source cheaper items. ?

1. Cancel HS2 It only benefits a small area of the UK and money can be better spent.
2. Abolish all faith schools and ensure that a wide and thorough curriculum is taught in schools including British History. (I know this has been said above, but I think it is important as well.)
3 Make it much easier to deport persistent criminals from overseas who have killed, raped etc. and who milk our system.

Ban the inappropriate use of the word ‘stress’. Being a Mum of small children in a bombed out high rise building in Syria is stressful NOT standing in front of a class of 30 five year olds in a warm room in the UK.
Stop implying that when small stuff happens everyone is a victim. Stuff happens. Differentiate with common sense.
Sack Laura Kounsberg

inish our local tip sorts out reusable items and gives them to the local hospice charity. Perhaps you could suggest that to yours?

I would insist that the Brexit negotiations were dealt with by a cross party group of MPs. Of course that might mean the newsreaders had to scratch around for something to get het up aboout.

I would stop people whinging about the past and insist they learned from it but planned for the future. Even if you accept that we broke the system for the millennials (and I don't) why don't they look for ways to improve their lot instead of just moaning about it?

At this point I am struggling to find something not already said!

Perhaps make the public sector accountable for its mistakes? That probably needs explanation but it would be lengthy so I won't.

Life in prison to mean life for major crimes like murder and sexual abuse of children

Reorganise the NHS so less managers, more doctors and nursing staff, and more accountability about where the money is allocated. People to pay for minor drugs themselves no paracetamol etc on prescription

More help for the homeless and the truly poor rather than healthy able bodied people who are too lazy to work all their lives

I echo what everyone's said re- faith schools. I'd also allow medically supervised euthanasia, as in Switzerland, Holland and many more countries, and actively support it.

Wow, amazing lists, that I mainly agree with. I should have written mine before I read all these!

Ban all news from America which seems to take at least half of the news allotted time every day and night. I just don't want to know what they do or think all the time.

Ban all haulage lorries, bring back freight on trains and canals.

Ban mobile phones in cars and lorries.
I could go on but that will do for now

All empty houses should be refurbished and rented out to needy people.

Milk should only be sold in glass bottles which can be returned and used again and again. Same goes for bottled water.

People should not be allowed to take items to the local dump unless the charity shop has rejected them.

Call centres
uni fees
Stamp duty
Inheritance tax
Politicians that don’t answer questions
Greedy global companies
Whoops. Got carried away.

Change the charge of causing death by dangerous driving to manslaughter when the driver has been drinking

Take organised religion out of school. Teach comparative religion including humanism and atheism giving each equal footing i.e. as an academic not spiritual subject.

Cancel Trident and put the money into the NHS/education/social care.

Start new big building/infrastructure projects that can only be contracted to British firms and all parts (unless not made here) to be from British firms. Workers to be from the local area unless a skill shortage. Proper apprenticeships to be part of the tender for contracts.

Ban chewing gum!

Get all the homeless people off the streets into proper sustainable accommodation and fine councils heavily who don't do this NOW!

End child poverty in Britain.

Get rid of all the useless, duplicitous career politicians and get some Grans in!
Then have a huge clampdown on litter bugs. The country is drowning in the stuff and no-one seems to know what to do about it.
Plus one for getting rid of faith schools and unregistered schools and colleges of any kind.

Sack Donald Trump. Not sure who the replacement would be though - not me!