RISE 2016 election manifesto summary

Independence & Democracy
  • A second independence referendum in the next Parliament
  • A community led convention to reform local democracy
  • A consultative referendum on the British monarchy
  • Elected RISE officials will only accept a workers wage
Tax
  • Increase the top rate of tax to 60%
  • A special tax avoidance team to target those avoiding, evading or manipulating the tax system
  • Introduce a Scottish Service Tax, replacing Council Tax with an income-based tax.
  • Work to implement a Scottish Land Value Tax
  • A whisky tax of £1 per bottle that would raise up to £1 billion annually.
Economy
  • Spend 3% of GDP on creating 100,000 jobs
  • Enforce tough sanctions on employers who refuse to pay women equally or meet the National Minimum Wage.
  • Raise the minimum wage to £10 per hour
  • Introduce a minimum income of £20,000 per year and a pay cap of £100,000 per year.
  • Establish a legal right to union representation.
  • End zero-hours contracts.
Welfare
  • A national review of food banks and pursue measures to combat food poverty
  • Create an Economic Justice Fund for anybody appealing a benefits assessment or sanction
  • Work towards a Scottish Universal Basic Income that could be achieved with independence
  • Introduce a Living Income for Carers of £200 per week
  • Bring all care services back into the public sector
Equality
  • Protect funding for Violence against Women groups and develop an anti-misogyny education programme
  • Sanction employers that break gender pay laws
  • Ensure women no longer require two doctors to sign off on an abortion
  • Promote LGBTI+ education in schools
  • End ban on MSM blood donations
  • Remove the need for psychiatric diagnosis in legal gender identification
Youth
  • Ensure all over 16s are entitled to the full National Minimum Wage
  • Give students more control over their schools, colleges and universities
  • Support strict rent controls to enable students to live in decent, affordable housing
Justice
  • Break-up Police Scotland into local forces
  • Repeal the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications Act.
  • Reform defamation law for the 21st century
Education
  • Increase teacher numbers year on year
  • Establish a universal, play-based Kindergarten stage for all children aged between 3 and 7 before formal schooling
  • Remove charitable status from schools and universities
  • Remove the requirement for unelected religious representatives on education committees in local government
Transport & Housing
  • Bring all forms of public transportation back into public ownership and work towards it being free at the point of use
  • Build 100,000 new social homes during the next Parliament
  • Require social housing to meet requirements of sustainability and access
Environment & Energy
  • Aim to bring all energy resources under public ownership
  • Legislate for a ban on all fracking
  • Introduce a cap on the amount of land any individual or entity can own
  • Outlaw ownership of land in tax havens
  • Give communities the right to initiate Compulsory Purchase Orders
Civil Liberties
  • Introduce a Digital Bill of Rights to protect the security and privacy of the online public
  • Extend the Freedom of Information Act to private organisations receiving public money
  • Enshrine internet access as a basic right
  • Establish a publicly owned ISP to ensure affordable/free broadband access across the country
Foreign Policy
  • Ensure refugees and asylum seekers have access to food, transport and language courses.
  • Support withdrawal from NATO.
  • Support an open border policy.
Culture
  • Allow artists to claim state benefits rather than being forced to accept low paid service jobs
  • Introduce artists in residence at all primary and secondary schools
  • Increase funding for Creative Scotland
Health
  • Cancel all PFI and PPP contracts in the NHS
  • Ensure free parking services and improved transport to and from all NHS services
  • Invest more money in mental health treatment
  • Expand free healthy school meals and introduce free toothbrushes and toothpaste for all school pupils.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *