Here's six million $ / €/ £ / ¥ / what-have-you. You're to use it to run for presidency in the United States / .. / .. / .. / in the next election. Please state your platform, party, and running m

I'm thinking:

Platform: Nationalized health-care (with regional control), legalize the dope, lower the drinking (and voting) age to 18, get the hell out of Iraq, unfuck things in Colombia, send a task force to Darfur, deal with North Korea diplomatically, and toss in some low-emission standards.
Party: The Newfangled Social Democratic Party I'm founding.
Running Mate: I'm vacillating between Bill Richardson and Pedro Almodovar.

-- {Sand in the [vaseline} on the lens] (jcoomb...), September 28th, 2004.

I'd vote fer ya

Party: The Rational Minds Party. Neither liberal nor conservative. Just pragmatic.

Running mate: He was once one of my heroes and I still think he has the qualities inside him that made him a great man in my eyes. His name -- Senator John McCain.

Wait. That last item made no sense there. combat... the lack of educational resources throughout the globe -- that's more like it.

Seriously, though. That was SO a mistake. I got so into that particular subset of the explanation that I totally forgot that I had mentioned the word "combat" there.

But if you want to start up the Psychotic Bastard Party and have that be a part of your platform, you're more than welcome to it.

Tax breaks and for companies wanting to devlop and produce new sustainable energy and transport technologies in Britain.

Redistributive economic policy.

Removal of PFI from the education and Health services. Gradual renationalisation of the railways but leaving space for Open access operators to innovate new passenger and freight services. Railways to be reguaged where appropriate (mainly on the commuter routes of the south east, midlands, north west and central belt of scotland) to allow for double decker services to ease overcrowding and encourage more people to use the railways. Promotion of International rail services to offset the rise in cost of Air travel. Fund to assist in the reopening of railways by community groups where appropriate transport and community benefits can be gained.

Foriegn policy centred on a democratisation fo the EU, Trying to establish a parliamentary system at the heart of EU decision making. taking the UK into the Euro but freeing European fiscal policy at the same time. Seeking the enlargement of the EU to encompass Turkey. Israel to be offered the carrot of EU membership in exchange for demcratisation and the end of the aparteid system there. Britain to lead the campaign in the UN against the aparteid system and the unviable two state solution in the Levant.

On the environment. Aside from the fuel tax reforms above; instituting a law requiring all food and beverage bottle to be returnable and reusable, expanding that to all food packaging. Measures to be sought against the over packaging of products. VAT breaks on the most efficient consumer goods. 'Kite' marking and certification system for these goods. Pushing for these laws to be adopted Europe wide.

In the Health and eductaion systems , pledge to make the school or hospital nearest you the best one for you or your child. A new style of part time teacher that combines 2 days a week at school (or other periods) with other work. Similarly with people willing to be sports coaches. A kind of territorial Teaching force. Increased funding for Universities. end of the tutition fees but an End to the target to get 50% of people into universities. Make sure the brightest people do go, whatever background. Acreditataion of university courses wher they are not already acreditted by professional bodies. Increased funding for post-graduate studies and research. Increased funding for University enterprise/incubator funds to ensure that comercial results of research help fund universities.

Slimming down of the military; scrapping trident, reviewing Eurofighter, Nimrod Early warning, JSF and carrier projects. Combinging the three services into one, joint command control and operational structures. Second force, a crisis relief corp to respond to international humanitarian emergencies.

Reform of electoral system to make it more democratic and representative. Maintaining constituencies but with multiple members with proportional voting rights. Regional English parliament, stregthening of the welsh assembly/scottish parliament.

#2 - Education - Most of our problems stem from poor or disparate education systems. The economic gap, crime, trade deficits, teen pregnancy, drug abuse, unemployment .. Education, critical thinking and self esteem can go a long way.

#3. Environment. Encourage development of alternative fuels & building materials. Lower emissions.

#4. There is no number four. We should not be sidelined by debates about abortion, gay marriage, Hollywood content, etc.. - I would protect the status quo of current rights, but would not encourage spending government time on controversial issues. These issues have done nothing but polarize us for the last 30 years and impede progress. (Also, education - diversity & critical thinking - will lead people to peaceful solutions eventually.)

I wil take money from special interest groups for my campaign. And I will screw them out of it, as I will not listen to anything they have to say after taking thier money.

Lead. Focus. Accomplish.

01) make large cities provinces or states, treat them like that when it comes to funding and power (ie what berlin is to germany)
02) allow for vouchers for specialized schooling
03) get the state out of the bedrooms of the nation (ie no marriage for anyone)
04) no taxes for those making 18k or less
05) dismantle miltary, put its budget into a transnational body (a reformed un)
06) increase public education
07) allow for a minium living wage
08) increase arts funding
09) treat drugs as health not legal problem
10) legalize it all
11) increase taxes for multinationals
12) end the privatazation of public infastructure and utilities
13) cut apart any loopholes for same.
14) change voting system to explicit pr
15) population and geopgraphically centered ridings that are ethnically diverese and unmarred by gerrymandering
16) all emmission and gas taxes go to supporting public works
17) increase gas taxes
18) make many of the larger highways toll roads
19) allow for a wider social saftey net
20) tax churches if they want to be allowed to make policy descions
21) give more power and autonomy to ngos on the world stage
22) stop contirubtuing and working with the imf and world bank
23) allow for a genuine loosening of boundries and borders, and not only for large corperations
24) free and open borders
25) 30 hour work week, maxium
26) less use of violence (including sanctions) more use of dipolomacy
27) decentralaztion, cities give power to neighbourhoods, provinces to cities, nations to provinces.