Entitled to go down

the problem lies in the fact that you can be kicked, pushed, knocked off balance but if you try and stay on your feet 99 times out of 100 the referee does not blow for the foul (inside the penalty area), hence the reason the second they feel contact they go down

there really is no upside for you or your team for you trying to stay on your feet, sad but true

Agreed 100%, a referee who gives a penalty when a player was impeded but stayed on his feet might well look a fool, but throw in a dive for the same foul and it justifies the award.

This nonsense will never end without a rule change and it is destroying football. With the current laws if a player doesn't go down its not as easy for the ref to spot if there was a foul or just coming together, so the cheats try it on when there is accidental/minimal/zero contact. The refs could start giving fouls for what they perceive as intent or a slight tug etc. However we would then have ridiculous numbers of pens and inevitably refs would call a few wrongly and the pundits and press would be up in arms again. So here's for the rule change that would solve it all.

A penalty is only awarded where a clear goalscoring opportunity has been prevented by a foul, either inside or outside the box, with a free kick otherwise given even if in the box. Another improvement would be doing away with the red card for preventing the goalscoring chance which is a double whammy and unnecessary punishment that ruins games. The sending off should be retained only for infringements that prevent a certain goal e.g. handball on the line.

Who decides if its a clear goalscoring opportunity ? The ref i take it 

Such key decisions could also have the benefit of video technology but ultimately its the ref/video refs call. Nearly all of these debatable penalties/diving incidents are for innocuous fouls though where the player goes down easily as he knows he has little chance of scoring if he doesn't

If they dive and its known after the game via video , they should get 3-5 game ban , cut it right out

the problem is its rarely black and white; take Vardy, he was undoubtedly pushed slightly but then wrapped his legs around the defender and dived. I think technically he was just about fouled and you can therefore argue it was a penalty but he only wanted a pen, no aim to stay up and score.

Yep the Vardy one is tough

Retrospective bans dished out by a weekly tribunal is the way forward before the game is completely ruined. The referees and assistants are on a hiding to nothing. Every player is trying to cheat at every opportunity. I refuse to believe that they are not coached in the art of cheating/gamesmanship/taking advantage, call it whatever you like.

Of course they dive, the refs are too scared to give penalties for fouls in the box?  Watch any corner.

The big problem is the ''Double Whammy" effect whereby not only does your dive award you a penalty, quite often a sending off follows! My idea would be any theatrics should result in no award of a penalty regardless if they were fouled or not!