Reverse this year’s VAT increase back to 17.5 per cent for a year.
Cut VAT on DIY and related goods to 5 per cent for the same period.
Give employers making new hires a year long national insurance holiday.
Allow serving and former members of the Armed Forces to join the party for £1.
Give non-members a say in the leadership election and in policy – but only if the numbers of those “registered supporters” is above a significant threshold can they have a weighted vote.
Devolve key road and rail decisions so they will be made by local transport authorities not government ministers.
Cut the forthcoming increase in university tuition fees – which will be £9000 a year from next year – it would be halved if Labour were to somehow find itself in government right away.
But it won’t, or didn’t:
Make the promise on tuition fees a manifesto pledge
Reverse the spending cuts announced by this Government
Confront the unions: despite months of suggestions that Ed Miliband would use the conference to “take on” the unions the party leader sensibly avoided an unnecessary confrontation.
Condemn the planned 30 November industrial action. (Ed Balls received a chilly response when he suggested it as a trap laid by Chancellor George Osborne).
Apologise for immigration –Ed Miliband, did not, as trailed by some, apologise for Labour’s miscalculation, while in government of the actual increase in immigration (although Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls did admit mistakes were made).
