Twelve political tenets I hold true as a human being

1. The equality of every human from birth whatever their race, creed, belief or orientation. The wholescale scapegoating of people because of their colour, beliefs or origins remains one of the biggest vices of Western society.

2. The scrapping of Trident and all nuclear weapons as the greatest evil ever devised by mankind. The argument of self-defence and nuclear deterrent was always obscene and corrupt. It is now bankrupt since the end of the Cold War. European countries such as Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Italy and Spain have never felt the need to use a nuclear deterrent argument to arms themselves. The £100 billion budgeted for Trident replacement would clear our national deficit and be used for the greater common good.

3. International neutrality. The end of military intervention in other countries’ affairs and a curtailing of the British military services to a simple defence force. Once a man or woman takes up a gun and salary to kill other people they give up the right to be regarded as a human being. The Help For Heroes charity is one of the worst kinds of military propaganda foisted upon us in the past decade.

4. A Europe without borders or nation states. Whilst I support the campaign for Scottish and Welsh independence from the UK, in the longer term – as an international socialist – I look forward to a continent where small regions and countries are self-governing without nation states.

5. The abolition of the monarchy and British aristocracy and a replacement of the House of Lords with an elected second chamber. It is an insidious part of British society that from birth we are taught to bow and curtsy to the rich and aristocratic simply due to their birthright. The monarchy and aristocracy are a poisonous legacy of the middle-ages where those with military power conquered countries and rewarded their robber barons with privileges which set them apart from the rest.

6. The restoration of Palestine and freedom for the Palestinian people from the murder and corruption of Zionist Israel. Since 1947 Israel has been a cancerous sore on the Middle East and the world as a whole. We allowed post World War II Zionist Jews to steal the land of the Palestinian people, rename the land Israel, arm itself with nuclear weapons and become the neighbourhood bully of all Middle East affairs. It must end.

7. An extended welfare system to care and protect the poorest and most vulnerable in our society. It’s simple really: our welfare safety net needs to be strengthened and not weakened for the elderly, the young, the homeless, the poor and the unemployed.

8. A national house building programme with greater investment in council housing and shared housing initiatives with a return to rent control. And no return to Right to Buy which over the past 30 years has led to widespread homelessness and a housing crisis which impairs the poor to a decent home and equal chances.

9. The abolition of public schools, academies and the grammar school system. A free comprehensive education system for all children under a new school building and improvement programme. The likes of Eton, Westminster, Harrow and Cheltenham Ladies College underpin the worst excesses and causes of inequality in Britain today. We must work towards the best free education and opportunity for all children.

10. Protection and extension of the NHS with an end to private enterprise initiatives. This requires huge investment in buildings, resources, doctors, nurses and ancillary staff and an end to NHS consultants’ private health care work. Goodbye Harley Street!

11. An International Human Rights Act to underpin our legal system and protect basic freedoms. A strengthening of human rights across the world in a charter agreed by all countries and underpinned by the United Nations.

12. A ban on fox hunting, hare coursing, badger baiting and deer stalking and all forms of blood sports. If this had been Golden Retriever hunting, Yorkshire Terrier coursing or Grey Persian Cat baiting everyone would be up in arms. But the pink gin swilling toffs deem it their right to hunt, kill and terrorise wild animals they regard as fair game. No they are not!