General Election – Questions

I don't get to decide the questions for the last leaders debate but these are the questions I would like to put:

1. Given your reluctance to state how you would make the necessary
   reductions to the budget deficit can you explain: i) How you would ensure that the least well off are
   protected and that no one is forced into poverty by your actions?

   ii) What proportion will be achieved by tax increases, what
   proportion though expenditure reduction, why you think that balance is
   appropriate and would you change this if the economic outlook was worse?

   iii) Noting that there are some areas of expenditure you
   wish to protect what areas of expenditure will not be a priority?

    
   

2. Given the future world scene is unpredictable what
   criteria will you use to decide if something is of sufficient national
   importance to commit the UK
   armed forces?
3. Under what circumstances would you use the UK
   nuclear weapons? And if never, why bother having them?
4. How will you work to ensure that UK
   economic growth contributes to global sustainability rather than increasing our
   carbon footprint and our use of natural resources?
5. What actions will you take to reduce the dependence of
   the UK economy
   on consumer consumption?
   
6. On the basis that the recent stock market increase is
   linked to the BoE’s programme of quantitative easing how will you ensure that
   there is not a corresponding rise in inflation and how will you help the
   pension industry to remain solvent in the face of increasing life expectancy?
7. Given most of the wealth in the UK is in the hands of so
   called ‘baby boomers’ how will you ensure they use their wealth to pay for the
   medical and social care they will need in coming decades rather than increasing
   government debt which will have to be serviced by the younger generation?
8. How will you ensure that people of all faiths and none
   have religious freedom and how will you handle those occasions when different
   belief systems come into conflict?

Any politician reading this is welcome to email me their detailed answers ; I will be happy to post them.