…every day would be the first day of spring (or so the song goes)And what a lovely spring it is turning out to be. As well as plenty of good weather, we are enduring/enjoying a general election campaign. This time round the election seems a curious phenomena. On the one hand we could all be forgiven for ignoring the whole thing on the basis that politicians don’t deserve our attention and, in any case, “they all seem much the same these days”. On the other hand the country seems to be energised and intrigued by the campaign, and particularly by the TV debates.

One thing I like about general elections is that they always bring more radical, big-picture ideas and proposals. The fact that these never make it into policy is a shame but none the less I like the notion that every now and then we all invest in bigger conversations about our society. And with that in mind, here is my 10 point ideas-storm for creating waves in the UK.

1. Means test child benefits and winter fuel allowance. The money would go much further if we aimed it a people who need it. The idea that we pay Colleen Rooney £1000 per year to help bring up Kai, or that dear old Dame Judi Dench needs a £400 payment each winter to prevent the onset of hypothermia, is frankly bonkers.  In fact we could go further and scrap them all together and just offer more tax free income/pension at the bottom end of the earnings scale.

2. Create real independence for Scotland and Wales. The half way house we have now is an anathema which breeds resentment on both sides.  We have Scottish MPs in Westminster voting for things that have no bearing on their constituents and we have a layer of bureacuracy that we do not need.  We are all part of the European Community anyway.

3. Nationalise BUPA so that we can provide and reinforce the principal that health services are provided on the basis of need, not ability to pay.  OK so this might be unworkable and merely shows off my own personal prejudices, but we need to reverse the slow privatisation of our the NHS, the jewel in our crown.

4. Legislate so that independent schools are obliged to provide 20% of admissions each year to publicly funded pupils. These places should be targeted at the needs of specific state-educated children.

5. De-militarise our country by scrapping nuclear weapons and reducing our ambitions and resources. We are set up militarily for a world that no longer exists.  Call me a hippy peacenik but I am from the school of opinion that our foreign policy in relation to international terrorism is causing more problems than it is solving.  Much like our manufacturing industry, I believe our military should focus its efforts on elite operations at the cutting edge.

6. Create a 21st century version of national service - national community service - paying a living wage for all 18 year olds before they enter university or career employment.  There will need to be some small print for this one but the idea is solid.  For me being a citizen is about understanding and valuing the nature of community and the role we can play in it.  Offering paid employment, including some basic training, in the service of the community ticks lots of boxes and will provide many of our youngsters with positive learning experiences.  An extension of community service could be used in sentencing (as it is now) and as a partial replacement for job seekers allowance.

7. Do not lock up anyone under the age of 16 in a prison. It is inhumane and, more importantly, does not work. More appropriate, targeted consequences should result from youth crime and earlier more effective interventions in recreation, mentoring and substance abuse  should be at the centre of the policy.

8. Retain strategic partial ownership of the banks, and use it to drive policy. The country is now making money out of its ownership in RBS, this is a good thing.

9. Change the voting system. I am no expert but I do know this time we might face the bizarre prospect of the party in 3rd place running the country after 6th May. Also in my constituency I know that my vote is wasted unless I vote for only one of two of the 7 candidates.

10. Overhaul remuneration for MPs. Pay a basic salary of say £100k with a 50% bonus on top. Limit expenses to standard employee terms. This is obviously a massive rise but we need to attract the right quality of candidate.  

On reflection, this list of ideas puts me somewhere between the Lib Dems and the Socialist Workers Party (apart from item 10!).  It’s a good job election manifestos never get delivered!!

On 10^th December 1959 The Declaration of the Rights of the Child was adopted by the United Nations under General
Assembly Resolution 1386 (XIV).  Below are those 10 rights presented in a more concise, plain-speaking format.
This resolution can be found at http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/humanrights/resources/child.asp.   

1  All children have the right to what follows, no matter what their race, colour sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, or where they were born or who they were born to.

2  You have the special right to grow up and to develop physically and spiritually in a healthy and normal way, free and with dignity.

3  You have a right to a name and to be a member of a country.

4  You have a right to special care and protection and to good food, housing and medical services.

5  You have the right to special care if handicapped in any way.

6  You have the right to love and understanding, preferably from parents and family, but from the government where these cannot help.

7  You have the right to go to school for free, to play, and to have an equal chance to develop yourself and to learn to be responsible and useful.  Your parents have special responsibilities for your education and guidance.

8  You have the right always to be among the first to get help.

9  You have the right to be protected against cruel acts or exploitation, e.g. you shall not be obliged to do work which hinders your development both physically and mentally.  You should not work before a minimum age and never when that would hinder your health, and your moral and physical development.

10  You should be taught peace, understanding, tolerance and friendship among all people.

 I mention this for two (connected) reasons.  Firstly, almost everyone I know is completely unaware of the existence of these rights which, let me remind you, we all signed up to as members of the United Nations.  50 years on it is easy to dismiss this as another piece of finely-crafted meaningless bureaucratic twaddle.  And yet throughout that time, and arguably now more than ever, there has been a real need for radical, progressive policies to protect the world’s children.

The second reason for bringing children’s rights up now is that I was reminded of them whilst following coverage of the tragic earthquake in Haiti.  Amongst the appalling stories of death and destruction I was drawn to the tale of the tale of some of Port Au Prince’s many orphanages.  Now, in terms of likely quality of life, being an orphan in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere is already bad enough without having your orphanage destroyed by an earthquake.  Fate has really dealt those children a tough hand and it has been heartening to read of the efforts by individuals and charities to alleviate the suffering.

However we need something much more systemic and global.  There were 380,000 orphans in Haiti before the earthquake and some charities are predicting that the number could double or even reach 1 million soon (that would be 10% of the whole population).  They have been orphaned mainly by previous natural disasters, by parents who have abandoned them for a new life in the USA or who are simply too poor to care for them.  If there was ever a time and place for a UN sponsored global programme to bring action to the words of  the 1959 Declaration then now is it and Haiti is the place. 

As it stands “expert” opinion is divided on what to do.  Individuals, groups and charities are mounting efforts to take children out of Haiti but this is only scratching at the surface and, without proper checks and balances, is open to traffickers.  Meanwhile some argue that removal of children from their home country could lead them to have “long-term psychological problems” (source: SOS Children’s Villages - The Independent).  It might just be me but I am finding it difficult to grasp the idea that anything could be more psychologically problematic than being homeless and parentless in a country which will take years to recover to its previous status as poorest in the Western Hemisphere.

The only alternative to mass international adoption will be the repair of the country of Haiti.  I don’t have time and space here to describe how difficult and unlikely that scenario is, except to say that time is the crucial factor.  The gaze of the world is currently on Haiti, but it is a fickle gaze and will pass when news producers feel we have had enough.  If a radical, globally-backed solution, designed to ensure Haitian orphans get the rights we enshrined for them, is not forthcoming soon it will never happen.

Talking to my mate Bob recently got me thinking about the World Cup in South Africa next summer (Bob is football mad despite supporting Reading!!).  We reckoned that the majority of the England team picked itself and that if we could choose our XI for the opening match right now, most of the football-supporting public would settle on the same 8 names and only disagree over 3.

So here is me sticking my neck out and making some predictions for next summer’s footie frenzy.  I do this without fear of ridicule because (a) it is only November (b) Cappello is paid a squillion quid a year to do this and (c) opinions* are the lifeblood of conversation.

So I reckon Terry, Ferdinand, A Cole, Johnson, Barry, Lampard, Gerrard and Rooney are nailed on for a place in the most popular choice for England starting XI next summer.  Of these, only Glen Johnson would bring much debate but he gets in because of the lack of options in that position.  The other 3 positions, however, will occupy thousands of hours of pub chat.

Goalkeeper - We don’t have a stand-out candidate from James, Green, Carson, Foster, Hart, Kirkland, Robinson.  David James will be 56 next summer but still looks the best of a mediocre bunch.  I predict that if Ben Foster can get enough first team football between now and the summer he would emerge from the pack.  If not it is David James’ shirt.  If he is injured - how about Paul Robinson for a come-back?

4th Midfielder.  There are enough candidates to fill a pub.  Take your pick from J Cole, Young, Milner, Downing, Lennon, Wright-Phillips, Walcott, Beckham, Hargreaves, Carrick, etc.  I reckon Walcott will be the choice if he is fit but Joe Cole’s comeback complicates matters.

Target-man.  Cappello has finally realised that Rooney plays best with a striker alongside him to act as primary target.  Step forward Heskey, Crouch, Defoe (5 goals yesterday!!), Owen, Agbonlahor, C Cole.  Heskey seems to be Cappello’s first choice and for those of you who doubt the wisdom of picking a striker who can’t score I have two words to say to you…Stephane Guivarc’h (look it up). 

Last two predictions.  One of our certainties will miss out with some bizarre injury  - I reluctantly predict Steven Gerrard.  Finally someone unexpected will come through to have an exceptional tournament (remember Trevor Sinclair).  I predict James Milner.

If you disagree with any of my predicitions or opinions then I would love to hear from you.

* Oscar Wilde once said “in all matters of opinion, our adversaries are insane”