Every year the Queen sits on a throne made of gold and and delivers a speech to our politicians, officially beginning a session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Every year this happens and every year my life barely changes but I keep getting told that this stuff is really important by people much older and much wiser than me, so I sit and listen and watch it not affect my life again.
However, for some people, this stuff is really important. And, to be fair, this year I actually sat and listened to it. And then I sat and read in The Independent about what it all meant. And as it turns out, some of that stuff does affect me so I thought it best to share this information with you - well, the important bits anyway.
So I guess the first important new Bill proposed is the Digital Economy Bill which basically states every household has the legal right to fast broadband. However, if you live in a remote area, you might have to pay part of the cost to get it. I suspect most people have 'super-fast broadband' already but I guess now it's a legal right, your internet provider has no excuse for being shithouses with dial-up speed connections.
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I quite enjoyed the Bus Services Bill too. Basically, all bus companies are now going to be forced to provide real-time information to app developers so not just people in London can know when the next bus is coming on their smart phone. Local authorities also now have the power to change frequency and fairs for bus routes, meaning you might need to check your commute in the coming weeks and months for any bizarre changes.
We've heard previously about the Soft Drinks Industry Levy Bill, which basically means sugar in soft drinks is going to be taxed making them slightly more expensive for us, the consumer. However, that extra expense is going to go to a good because as it will fund school sports... every cloud, right?
A pretty big new Bill is the Bill of Rights which will replace the existing Human Rights Act and be based upon the European Convention of Human Rights while also taking into account English common law. Sounds like a mind-fuck but you know when people shout, "I know my rights!" at other people? Well, they might not actually know their rights any more. That's basically it.
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Our national security is going to be tightened by a new Counter-Extremism Bill, allowing authorities to completely ban 'extremist preachers'. I'm 99% sure this will somehow conflict with the new Bill of Rights which will almost certainly include 'freedom of speech' but I'm not here to debate that right now. So long as hate speech is reduced, it can only be a good thing, right? We shouldn't have another ridiculous case like Abu Hamza on our hands.
Abu Hamza
On a lighter note (ish), failing local authorities are going to be forced to convert all their schools into academies. There is also going to be funding reforms for schools in rural areas who have been disadvantaged in the current system.
The government is also going to make it a lot easier for huge companies and universities like Google and Harvard respectively to set up university campuses in the UK. Rather controversially, the Higher Education Bill will also allow unis rated 'excellent' for teaching to charge more in tuition fees than those who are not. So basically, students are being fucked by the government again.
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A Children and Social Work Bill will see councils forced to look after children in care even after they've grown up and providing each child leaving care with a personal advisor, helping them to secure a job and a home. There is also going to be a new regulator for social work to make sure standards in the profession rise.
Harvard University
And finally, the NHS has been a huge issue in recent years, used as a political tool by parties trying to one-up each other to the detriment of the organisation itself. One small ray of light for the future of the NHS and the easing of the pressure financially is the NHS Overseas Charging Bill. It will see the NHS charge foreign patients for more services they want and will reduce the number of people from the European Economic Area who are eligible for free services. I guess that means less people will want to use the NHS because it won't be free any more, meaning doctors and nurses have more time to care for patients.
There's a load more things the Queen spoke about, including a Markets Bill, a National Citizen Service Bill and a Lifetime Savings Bill that if you really want to read more about, you can do so here.
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How much is this going to change your life? I don't know. But they make a song and dance of it in the House of Lords every year so it's probably worth knowing at least a little bit about.
Words by George Pavlou
All images credited to PA
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Parliament