The Resilience Party
Society is facing the biggest ever risk of collapse (more details on this at the end). Here are just some of the threats we face:
-
Overpopulation
-
Climate change
-
World war
-
Running out of fossil fuels
-
Ageing population
Surveys suggest that most people are glad to be alive. It can be assumed that most people are happier being in modern society compared to what they would be if living through the years after it has collapsed, which would probably bring mass starvation, a complete stop to law and order, and the end of life for billions of people.
This manifesto has been designed with policies which will help build a sustainable and resilient society for future generations.
It is fully funded and there would be no extra government borrowing.
Universal Basic Income
Every citizen who lives in the UK will receive a monthly payment of at least £918 and this figure will be adjusted monthly to account for any inflation and population changes.
This will give all citizens more flexibility to do the jobs they want to, study whenever and wherever they please, set up businesses and spend it on whatever else they need such as mortgages, food, and other bills.
This includes all children but the monthly payment for children will go directly to their parents or guardians.
All citizens will have the option to voluntarily donate all or some of their universal basic income to causes of their choice.
A new government run crowdfunding website will be set up which allows people to choose what causes get their share of the universal basic income they choose to donate in addition to any other money they choose to donate.
The Economy
Minimum wage will be scrapped meaning that there is less barrier to opportunity. There will be no poverty or suffering for those on low pay because of the universal basic income and the government will provide interest free loans to anyone who is in their first two years of a new job.
Employers already spend significant amounts of money training employees and removing the minimum wage will enable them to offer more entry level jobs, cutting unemployment and giving more people an alternative route to education if they desire.
Getting more unemployed people into work will help save our crumbling public services with the extra hands they so desperately need. Campaigns will help make people obliged to contribute to society and feel a national pride in doing their bit.
No extra government borrowing and making every effort to cut our debt as a percentage of GDP by growing the economy and eventually paying off existing debt with the extra income generated by a stronger economy.
More disposable income and less unemployment will help to boost the economy.
Keep taxes exactly as they are, with the intention of cutting them once we have a more stable economy and government debt is falling.
Climate Change and Energy
Scrap net-zero as it is impossible to avoid climate change. Even if the UK reaches net-zero and starts carbon capture, the rest of the world will still be accelerating with its emissions. Carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere for hundreds of years and by this time we will have likely run out of fossil fuel reserves. Replace it with an energy resilience strategy.
We will continue with the development of renewable energy, electrification, insulating homes and investing in green hydrogen. Renewable energy is already the cheapest form of energy so there is no need to spend taxpayer money when businesses are already keen to invest in them.
The construction of solar panels and wind turbines on farmland will be banned. So will the growing of crops used only for biofuels instead of food. Food security should be prioritised over energy security as we are a nation which imports a lot of food. Instead, we will start a rooftop solar and wind revolution by reforming planning regulations which prevent them from being constructed and ensuring that businesses and homeowners are paid a fair price for the excess electricity they export to the grid.
Slowly reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and plan to keep some of our reserves in case of a national emergency.
These policies are designed to help us prepare for running out of fossil fuels and energy shortages caused by global war.
Health
All government funding for free and subsidised healthcare will be stopped.
People will still have access to high quality healthcare but will have to pay for it, be insured, raise funds through crowdfunding or otherwise.
Legalise euthanasia for those over a certain age or those who are going through long-term suffering. This will allow people to end their lives in a peaceful and painless manner in a time and place of their choosing.
The current healthcare system is cruel. It keeps people alive at all costs, often dragging them through years of pain and suffering. Many elderly people must suffer with diseases such as dementia which most younger people feel that they would rather die than go through.
These policies are designed to help prevent the ageing population crisis, which if left unchecked will greatly weaken society. They are also designed to provide funding for the universal basic income.
Education
All government funding for education will be stopped.
All children can have the education of their choosing and pay for it using the universal basic income or otherwise. The government will provide interest free loans to anyone who is investing in education.
Homeschooling, the use of private tutors and bringing children to work will be tolerated as substitutes to going to school. Specialist schools teaching skills will be allowed instead of forcing them to follow the national curriculum.
Degrees will no longer be subsidised. Instead, those wanting to get a degree will rely on scholarships or pay for their own education using the universal basic income, government loans or otherwise.
Young people will have more entry level job opportunities and employers will have more money to invest into young people thanks to the scrapping of the minimum wage.
The current funding for the education system ignores those who do not go to a conventional public school. There is no funding for those who do homeschooling despite parents providing a top-quality education for their children instead of going to work. There is also no funding for those who want to go to a private school, and this means that they are only available for the very richest in society rather than being more accessible to those on lower incomes.
Pensions and Welfare
All pensions and welfare payments will be stopped. This is to fund the Universal Basic Income. Instead, people will be able to try and get any extra money they need through crowdfunding funded by those who opt out of their universal basic income and additional donations.
Immigration
There will be less need to rely on legal immigrants because of our solutions to the ageing population crisis. However, until our situation is more stable, we will continue to welcome legal immigrants into the country. Immigrants are currently needed to support our economy and public services.
Illegal immigrants could be discouraged from coming to the UK by detaining any who arrive until they wish to leave the country. It is a criminal offence to enter the country illegally and should be treated as such. However, they will be treated with dignity and respect. They are often fleeing very undesirable conditions and should have our sympathy.
Crime and Policing
All criminals with a sentence above ten years will be given the option of taking an optional death penalty once they have served at least two years of their sentence.
Our current prison system is cruel. It does not give criminals an easy way out. Many people would rather die than spend a life in prison. Criminals are people who have not had the best luck in life and should not be punished for the sake of punishment.
This policy is designed to reduce the prison population while ensuring that criminals are not being released back into society early.
Housing
No new housing will be allowed on the greenbelt. Densification of existing housing will be encouraged.
There will be less need for new housing once the ageing population crisis is prevented and immigration is lower.
Democracy and Political Reform
Introduce proportional representation and scrap the first past the post system so that people’s votes are more important and tactical voting is reduced. This will increase voter turnout and increase political stability.
Defence
An immediate 32.4% increase in defence spending to prevent the likelihood of war and increase the security of the UK.
How will these policies be funded?
The pie charts below show the UK government spending in financial year 2023-24 and our proposed spending.
The government loans will pay for themselves as people will repay their debts as quickly as new money is loaned out. Temporary rises to some taxes may be necessary if too many people are defaulting on their loans.
Simplifying government spending will mean less waste and will unlock more funding. Paying less money on debt interest will mean that more money can be diverted to the Universal Basic Income or paying off more debt.
The Average Family
If the average family has two working parents and two children, here is what their situation could look like financially.
Wages are based on the national average wage of £27500 after taxes. Universal basic income is based on each person receiving £918 per month. Average cost of living is based on a figure of £4500 per month. Education costs are based on the funding per pupil in public schools, which is around £7500 per year. Health insurance costs are based on the average cost of health insurance for a family of four, which is about £95 per month.
This shows that the average family would have an extra £28800 which could be donated to crowdfunding to help the causes of their choice, spent on getting a better education or otherwise.
They would be about £25600 per year better off than they currently are when accounting for the current system of child benefits of about £2200 per year.
A family without any wages will also be better off than they are under the current benefits system as they will get around £27800 per year after education and health costs.
What happens if we do nothing?
In the short-term, society will experience a painful and slow collapse with taxes going up, public spending decreasing, people working harder for less and decreasing quality of life for most people. These trends will only continue as the growing burden of the ageing population crisis increases.
Climate change will also continue to make matters worse with rising sea levels making more land uninhabitable and more frequent natural disasters making our food supplies less reliable. Although it is unavoidable, climate change can be adapted to as far as possible, and a stronger society will be better equipped to deal with it.
In the long-term, society could face a complete and catastrophic collapse. The only reason we can sustain such a large population is due to the creation and use of artificial fertilisers. Fossil fuels or energy intensive processes are needed to create artificial fertilisers at scale. When our supplies of fossil fuels start to run out, so does the high yield crops the world has become accustomed to. The countries which rely very heavily on imports of food will face having their supplies cut when there is no longer a feasible way to deliver food over long distances at scale.
The threat of world war is already high but will be even more likely as humanity starts to run out of food, water and other essential resources. The ageing population will mean that nations are less likely to be able to take part in traditional warfare as they will not be able to spare any young people as troops. They are more likely to turn to weapons of mass destruction to get their way in desperate times.