The UK government's legislative agenda - the Queen's Speech - captured headlines with its 'security agenda' of ID cards, a British FBI, etc. But that's all electioneering, aimed at tabloid newspaper readers.

Much more alarming is how triflingly technocratic are most of the 37 measures proposed. Reducing the National Lottery funds from three to one. Merging laws on animal welfare. Shortening school inspections. Modifying public-inquiry rules. Means-testing legal aid in minor courts. Shuffling the nature and countryside agencies. Setting up a Welsh transport users' committee. With maybe five months until an election, is this the best they can do?

What about tackling our sclerotic school system? Sack the pen-pushers and give parents vouchers? Let heads run their schools and compete for customers. Education would be transformed.

Let hospitals run themselves too. Give patients vouchers, savings accounts, or competing social-insurance plans. Hospitals would be desperate to attract patients, not anxious to keep them out.

Fix our over-complicated tax system. Follow the example of four EU countries and five others: scrap all the complexities, and just have a 20% flat tax on incomes over a certain amount.

That's three do-able things that would do far more good than what our tired politicians are actually proposing.