One thing I do agree with that John McDonnell said is that the debate should be on the issues rather than the personalities. There is a lot to be said for a change of political direction, in particular reasserting our own perspective of worldview instead of that appropriate to the 51st state.Restoration of trade union rights - I don't think they have been unduly diminished, but I would like to see more employers engaging their unions in more constructive discussions about the way forward for their firms. There are many indicators that employers that engage their stakeholders - the staff, the customers, etc - do better than those that don't. That doesn't mean that employers should abdicate from, or have wrenched from them, the fundamental responsibility for directing the way they go. More social housing - absolutely. It is one of the extraordinary shortcomings of this Government that it has not been determined in getting the volume of cheaper housing increased and has relied excessively in top-down trickle-down housing improvement. It has also been over-dependent on the "housing movement" of unanswerable housing associations, rather than placing duties on local councils to address the need for housing.An end to public service privatisation - if there is no case for a public service being in public ownership, let it be privatised. But for the most part a public service is in public hands for a good reason, that accountability is a desirable component and that public subsidy should be accompanied, in many cases, by public direction. The Morrisonian public corporation may not be the best way of delivering public accountability, but there isn't space here to set out alternative options.Scrapping the Heathrow third runway - definitely. And a number of local MPs are not getting enough credit for opposiing it.Abolition of tuition fees - I'm more in favour of controlling adult education fees, which have risen unduly in respect of non-vocational courses, than university fees. There is no doubt that a university education confers a considerable personal advantage as well as advanting society more generally. So there is something to be said for some form of input from graduates; whether this should be done by fees or some post-graduation recompense abated by public service, I don't know. I sam concerned about the "negative dowry" effect.Electoral reform - yes, but not rushed into. I'm not convinced about alternative vote in single member constituencies. I don't favour a power of recall for miscreant MPs. I want to see the hereditary element of the House of Lords removed finally but do not favour an elected second chamber, except indirectly, nor a wholly appointed second chamber. I don't want compulsory voting. Scrapping andof Trident - it is part of our history to prepare for the next war by equipping with the weapons appropriste for the previous one. It is hard to see how Trident would ever get used, and as to the deterrent argument, that is like tearing up pieces of paper and throwing them from the window of a train passing through Hampshire to keep the elephants away - in short hard ot prove the efficacy - it hasn't stopped north korea developing a nuclear weapon capability.ID cards - hard to see the justification on any current cost-benefit analysis.Euro - yes I favour joining at an appropriate exchange rate and at the right moment in the economic cycle. we are part of Europe.Now let's find out just how Mr Cameron would run the country. So far it is mostly on the lines of he wouldn't have started from here.
Dan Filson ● 6192d