More and more UK residents not only on benefits but in work reply on food banks to feed there family.

We, the undersigned, care deeply about the arts, and equally the natural environment and the rights of humans around the world. We believe arts and cultural institutions should break their ties with oil companies such as BP, a company which has caused repeated environmental catastrophes, including the Deepwater Horizon spill, and been implicated in numerous human rights violations. Furthermore, BP is turning a profit on the continued extraction of dirty fossil fuels, pushing us towards runaway climate change, whilst lobbying against environmental laws and clean energy alternatives [1, 2]. By accepting sponsorship from BP, cultural institutions give the oil giant much-needed positive publicity, and help it to obscure the destructive reality of its activities with a veneer of respectability. At the same time, oil sponsorship taints the reputation of the institutions that accept it. We recognise the vital importance of arts funding, particularly after public funding cuts. However BP sponsorship provides less than 1% of the annual income of the British Museum, Tate, and Royal Opera House, and just 3% of the income of the National Portrait Gallery [3], yet BP are allowed to place their name and logo alongside the names of these institutions, on their website and in exhibitions (despite many artists and arts workers having strong views against such branding) [4, 5]. BP needs these institutions far more than they need BP. This is the 26th year that BP has sponsored the Portrait Awards, through an agreement with the National Portait Gallery (NPG) in London. Fortunately this agreement is due to end this year. The NPG could choose not to renew the agreement, and to find a more appropriate sponsor for the Portrait Awards. However, negotiations about renewal are already underway. The NPG will not drop BP as a sponsor without strong pressure from the public and the arts sector. We need to act now. Over its 26 years of sponsorship, BP has repeatedly caused great harms to the environment and people; it has been responsible for multiple deadly explosions and oil spillages, including that of Deepwater Horizon, which killed 11 people, decimated ecosystems and livelihoods in the Gulf of Mexico, and resulted in the largest corporate fine in history [6]. It has traded with oppressive regimes from Azerbaijan to Libya, and has even been implicated in torture in Colombia [7]. It has recently expanded into tar sands, an extreme form of energy production which contaminates water and tramples on indigenous rights [8]. Worldwide, fossil fuel companies have currently laid claim to five times the volume of oil, gas and coal that humanity can burn without causing dangerous and destructive levels of global warming [9] - despite this, BP has stated that it will continue to explore and exploit new reserves of oil and gas into the future. In 1989, the National Portrait Gallery ended its eight-year Portrait Award sponsorship agreement with tobacco company John Player [10]. It is time for this national cultural institution to show such moral leadership and forward-thinking once again, by cutting ties with BP. As a partner of the National Portrait Gallery, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery can influence this decision. We call on this respected national cultural institution to put pressure on the NPG to find a more appropriate sponsor, and to refuse to host the BP Portrait Awards until a new sponsor has been found. For more information, please see: http://bp-or-not-bp.org/ http://bp-or-not-bp.org/scotland http://platformlondon.org/p-publications/picturethis/ References 1. http://www.theguardian.com/business/2010/may/02/bp-deepwater-horizon-oil-spills 2. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/sep/21/bp-tops-the-list-of-firms-obstructing-climate-action-in-europe 3. http://platformlondon.org/p-publications/artoilinfographic/ 4. http://fossilfundsfree.org/who/ 5. http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/jun/24/no-oil-painting-bp-sponsorship-npg-portrait-award 6. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/02/bp-will-pay-largest-environmental-fine-in-us-history-for-gulf-oil-spill 7. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/22/gilberto-torres-survived-colombias-death-squads-now-he-wants-justice 8. http://environmentaldefence.ca/reports/canadas-toxic-tar-sands-most-destructive-project-earth 9. http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/global-warmings-terrifying-new-math-20120719 10. http://platformlondon.org/p-publications/picturethis/ 11. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/climate-risks-as-conclusive-as-link-between-smoking-and-lung-cancer/

This is important due to the gambling addiction that has gripped this country. Gambling is an addiction that cannot be controlled and asking people to ban themselves from these establishments is not the answer to this problem especially with all the available online casinos and apps that can be downloaded. These companies and the television companies are still encouraging this horrible disease, people no longer have a choice when their addiction is being advertised as a fun , cool and exciting way to go about your spare time.

We need to pay a fair and living wage to those who produce our food etc for us, we need to know where it comes from and if it is sustainable. We need local farmers who are inspired to get up at 4.00am to go and milk their cows, and carry on until 19.00, when the children have already gone to bed, and who turns out on Christmas Eve when a cow is calfing and doesn't get in until 22.00. The farmer who loves his land, and cares for it with a passion, cutting hedges, leaving borders for wildlife, going out to listen to the sounds of nature, kieeping the countryside alive for us. I care about this issue, not only because farming affects our family, but because we need to know where our food comes from and how the animals and vegtables are gown, and treated. This is a global problem, but it starts at home, we have to be self sufficient, and teach the world to be self sufficient, and to do that the large supermarkets have to respect and reward farmers, as they would their management staff.

This government have made pledge after pledge , promise after promise to repair the damage from this disaster and to ensure that it never happens again, yet they have kept none of their promises . There is substantial evidence to show that logging has been a major cause of flooding in the region and yet the priority isn't to restore the road for local people but use it to recommence the very activity that caused the problem in the first place. This government has no concern for the environment or local interest but only for profit. It continues to make the same mistakes for its own greed. "The A591 repairs are a blag,it is in working order apart from the GAP which they are not working on,they seem to be concentrating their efforts on forestry operations! Something must be done!!! I saw lots of heavy forestry machinery using the road which is strange as we are being told it is undermined and I saw no evidence of the whole mountain moving!!!" 30 January 2016

Why focus on your town? The targets of this petition happen to be four major employers in my hometown of Bideford, Devon where I was elected on the Town Council in May 2015. One of the first actions I campaigned for was to pay all our staff the full living wage and to become affiliated with the foundation. I hoped this would set a good example to other employers in the area and encourage them to sign up on a voluntary basis. However many low paid people in the area are employed by one of these companies who set pay on a national level. So I came to the conclusion if I was to change this I would have to launch a wider campaign, hence this petition! If we at the Town Council can afford to pay our lowest paid staff a dignified wage in times of local government austerity, so can they! Furthermore most small towns in the UK will have at least one of these establishments in them. So by signing this petition you will almost certainly be helping people in your community as well! I like [insert company here], leave them alone! I also shop at ASDA and (occasionally) drink at spoons. Does this make me a hypocrite? Well no for two reasons. a) There is often little alternative for cheap groceries or a boozy meal in this supposedly free market of ours and b) I'm not saying we should boycott these companies, merely we as consumers and the British public are expressing our unhappiness that their staff are not being duly rewarded. It won't make a difference. A petition like this will never influence the decisions of a multinational corporation! Well neither will doing nothing! The most like petition I could find to this one from 2013 had 34,000 signatures(7); I am aiming for 250,000 this year. That is comparable number to the population of a large British city and hence a non-trivial fraction of their consumer base. If companies are supposed to pay attention to their customers, then they ignore this petition at their own risk! Sources: (1) http://citywire.co.uk/wealth_manager/share-prices-and-performance/share-factsheet.aspx?InstrumentID=3355 (2) http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/oct/15/mcdonalds-serves-up-rising-uk-profits-despite-troubles-in-the-us (3) http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-asda-results-idUKKCN0S21LC20151008 (4) http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-3162940/JD-Wetherspoon-boss-branded-hypocrite-moaning-paying-staff-living-wage.html (5) http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jun/26/tesco-sales-drop-13-but-outperform-market-expectations (6) http://www.livingwage.org.uk/what-living-wage (7) https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/tesco-pay-your-workers-a-wage-they-can-live-on

It is important that all disabled veterans are supported by the government as it is the same government that placed them in areas of conflict that has resulted in them requiring financial supports as a result of the injuries they received while serving their country this including loss of mobility, loss of their ability to maintain their basic personal care, ie such as washing dressing, nutrition. Please support this petition to ensure that those U.K veterans who have been left permanently disabled do not also find themselves financially disadvantaged due to the these changes. Ian Duncan Smith needs to remove this process, provide a fair system and be forced to support disabled veterans and not just on Poppy Day. It will only take a few minutes of your time, but a life time of difference to improve the quality of life for disabled veterans.

Over 1,550 jobs at Kingswood will be lost if Legal & General goes ahead with plans to close the flagship site in Kingswood, Surrey. Closure will have a devastating impact on the local community, costing millions. Many Legal & General workers in Kingswood are members of the trade union Unite, which has supported their campaign to defend jobs since the company first announced their intentions in 2015. The firm plan to close the site by the middle of 2018, citing cost cutting measures. This is despite L&G increasing operating profits in 2015 by 18% to £750 million. Shockingly Legal & General have neglected to carry out any research into the impact of closing Kingswood on the local community. An independent assessment commissioned by Unite has revealed that the closure will rip a devastating £21 million black hole in the local economy. This will be devastating for the local economy, threatening jobs in businesses and services in Kingswood and across the county. This flies in the face of Legal & General’s stated commitment to the long-term wellbeing of local communities. (Source: CLES Consulting, Centre for Local Economic Strategies, 2016)

The Financial Conduct Authority recently dropped it's review into Banking Culture, reportedly under alleged Government pressure (or leaning) as reported by the BBC., however this is denied by the treasury. I ask that we pressure the government to reinstate the review. McDonnell said: “This will be a huge blow to customers and taxpayers who are all still paying the price for the failed culture in the banking sector that’s been widely attributed to be among the main causes of the crash and the scandals over Libor and price-fixing.” He said the FCA was making a “dangerous and costly mistake”. “The chancellor therefore cannot stay silent on this issue. It’s time he used his influence to keep this review going. Otherwise he’s letting down the rest of us who bailed the banks out and also allowing a signal to be sent to carry on regardless. Given the scale and severity of the failings in the financial sector and the criminal behaviour shown by some banks, the scrapping of the FCA’s review into banking culture sends the wrong message at the wrong time,”. Also The review was included in the FCA’s business plan for 2015, but was dropped after an initial assessment found it difficult to compare different cultures inside banks. The decision to abandon the review follows the resignation of the FCA chief executive, Martin Wheatley, after the chancellor forced him out in July. A permanent replacement has not been named to take over from Wheatley, who had flagged his tough stance towards the industry by warning he would shoot first and ask questions later.

We The TAXPAYERS Need to Change UK Banking Culture and STOP Product Mis-selling, Dodgy Loans, LIBOR Rigging and Huge Bonuses. Jail Crooked ‘Fat Cat’ Bankers Don’t Reward Them! The Government’s Financial Conduct Authority has dropped a major investigation into bank pay, promotion, bonuses and other incentives. Osborne said he knew nothing about this - so SIGN this petition to ask him to reverse this decision! USA & Iceland jail crooked Bankers Vietnam shoots crooked Bankers The UK rewards crooked and inept Bankers! UK banks brought our country to it’s knees with a £1.3 TRILLION debt, and we, the taxpayer, bailed them out. It’s time for a change. We need to make banking accountable, responsible, fair and honest, AND, once more, COMPETITIVE. Dodgy and irresponsible bank lending and too much bank leverage led to the 2008 financial crash! How many times does the taxpayer/uk population have to be kicked? Had the Bankers not brought the country to its knees in 2008 what state would the NHS and other public services be in right now? - Better funded for sure. How deep would the cut's need to be, had it not been for the 10's of billions to keep Banks afloat due to fat cat greed and arrogance. The Bankers have stolen your money, robbed your pensions, over-stated their profits, manipulated their share prices and raised new capital under false pretences: Accusations any normal businessman would have been sent to prison for. From 2001 to 2013 - 100,000 small UK businesses were mis-sold hundreds of billions of dodgy loans by Clydesdale/Yorkshire Bank, RBS, Barclays Lloyds & HSBC related to a rigged/ non-existent Libor rate! These mis-sold loans loaded with massive hidden charges have destroyed many thousands of these businesses, and continue to do so. Some of the banks have washed their hands by offloading these loans to American vulture funds to break up these businesses. PPI Mis-selling affected many millions of us, but still the banks get away with it with new scandals continually surfacing. Banks were being brought to book for PPI, but the Government has now decided to water down/cancel it’s own investigation into banking culture. Sign this petition which asks George Osborne to restart the Financial Conduct Authority investigation into banking culture.

Children and young people in custody are effectively being cared for by the state. They are among the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in the country. Their treatment by private contactors such as G4S has been, and continues to be, disgraceful. The latest allegations about Medway STC, backed by video evidence, are just the latest in a sorry line of serious incidents. Children have died in custody at the hands of staff members and many more have taken their own lives after ill treatment. It is nothing short of a national scandal that despite this, contracts continue to be awarded to G4S, who have such a poor record of providing public services. Does money matter more than children’s lives to the government?

Red deer are native to our wild lands and one of the many reasons why tourists and cash rich stalkers come to visit these generally economically disadvantaged areas. The Red Deer are beautiful majestic animals and must be managed in a way as to assure there is a viable population for all. JMT preach "deer management" which to them means kill on sight to protect uneconomic tree species. JMT are ONLY interested in the ancient woodland at Ardvar, Knoydart and their other reserves to the detriment of anyone and anything else. This year the JMT shot and killed 86 stags on Knoydart which was 38% of all stags culled in the area despite them owning only 4% of that land mass and figures. The story is the same in Assynt. Most of these stags were shot and then just left to rot on the open hill which is clearly unacceptable. Locals have volunteered to fence off the areas that they want to preserve; their response was no. Fence off your land instead. This would mean hundreds of miles of fencing which would be unsustainable, unaffordable and nonviable. The red deer roam from estate to estate as they have always done. JMT want them penned in like pets which is disgusting coming from a trust that preaches conservation and natural habitats. They are killing not only the red deer but our way of life and our livelihoods. For more information please visit http://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/dozens-of-shot-stags-left-to-rot-on-knoydart-hillside-1-3982538 and http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/scotland/article4646287.ece If this unsustainable deer management practice is allowed to continue it will lead to many job losses in areas adjacent to JMT land. This in turn will leave many families with no choice but to sell up and depart these already underpopulated but truly beautiful naturally wild areas.