Channel 4 are contributing to the erroneous and damaging view that people on benefits are living 'the life of Riley' and draining our system. They clearly and shamelessly, continually concentrate camera shots on people smoking, drinking and breaking the law as if this is a normal and continuous action of EVERYONE on benefits. They never concentrate on people who have been made unemployed through no fault of their own, disabled people, vulnerable people who are unable to battle through the over-complicated and deliberately awkward benefits claiming process such as special needs individual or those who have never been faced with having to fill in deplorably convoluted claim forms before and are undoubtedly contributing to an erroneous image of what 'Austerity' will achieve.

Life saving equipment such as automated defibrillators and electric chest compressors are already very expensive, but to have to pay VAT on top is making NHS services less able to provide these. In Rural areas where an ambulance can take a long time to reach a person who has suffered a cardiac arrest, an automated defibrillator can mean the difference between life and death. In the Scottish Borders we send patients to Edinburgh for heart surgery such as fitting of stents. If the person arrests in transit it is not possible for a paramedic to provide effective CPR for the entire journey, particularly in a moving vehicle. An electric chest compressor has been shown to increase survivial rate in this type of circumstance from zero (as it is not possible to physically continue effective CPR for long periods of time), to an amazing 50 percent survival rate. Sadly this piece of equipment is £10,000 plus VAT. Surely it cannot be right for the government to give a budget to the NHS and then claim a substantial part of it back in VAT.

The money paid into these pension funds has already been taxed. Now they want to tax it again. This is nothing short of highway robbery. Why should people who have scrimped and saved all their lives to try and provide themselves with a decent pension (which government fails to do) be penalised? Yet another example of rip-off government in rip-off Britain. There are enough pensioners, and people soon to reach retirement age, in this country to put a stop to this.

CAMRA fully supports the production and availability of real ciders and perries. In many cases the proposed action would make small scale cider production uneconomic. This is wholly disproportionate given that a small producer selling up to 33 pints a day has no capacity to affect EU trade to any meaningful degree. The case for rejecting the request by the EU to tax small cider producers: - Someone producing less than 70hl (12,000 pints) will generally be making less than £10,000 a year in sales. This means the tax exemption only applies to very small businesses, such as hobbyists or farm-gate producers. If a duty were to be levied on these producers it would make their operations uneconomic and lead to wide-spread closure. - 80% of Britain’s 500+ cider makers are currently small producers. A tax will severely impact on consumer choice and will cause irreparable damage to one of the nation’s most historic industries. - An exemption from this duty is essential to supporting the growth of a vibrant but still small cider and perry market. - A tax charge of up to £2,700 would drive many small cider producers out of business costing jobs, harming the countryside and dramatically reducing consumer choice.

Because Lord Green subsequently became a trade minister and is a member of the House of Lords. We need transparency and accountability and unless he gives an account of his activities, his position in untenable.

Vodafone customers are unable to limit cellular data usage. When contracted limits are reached Vodafone sends a helpful text to advise that it will charge you for exceeding the limit. Fair enough - BUT - customers cannot opt out and self-limit until the following months allowance kicks in. Most smartphone apps and operating systems are very data hungry, even when operating in the background and not in actual use, so data allowances can be consumed without realising. Parents who fund a child's phone for safety and security reasons find this particularly stressful and difficult. Commercially it's obvious why Vodafone apply this policy - to make additional profit - but it is morally questionable if one party to the contract agreement has no power to limit charges beyond what was contractually agreed under circumstances often beyond their control. Other mobile operators have recognised this and allow limits to be self enforced, Tesco Mobile is one such responsible operator. So should Vodafone. "Always here for you?" is their service strap line "Always here to fleece you" would be more accurate.

Across the country, self-employed people who are low earners and therefore claim working tax credits have received letters from an organisation called Concentrix [a private, unelected and unaccountable body working on behalf of HMRC].These letters state that the recipients' self-employed status is to be investigated, and demand proof of hours worked. A person working alone from home will normally have no way to prove the hours spent on preparation, planning, strategising, thinking, social media, networking, paperwork, website management or any of the other daily responsibilities of a small business person. In the absence of this "proof", tax credits will be stopped. This will force many hardworking people to cease their business and become unemployed. Small businesses are the foundation stones of a strong economy. This policy will cause untold hardship and damage, not only human but also economic.

The UK Government have assured us that any other transfer of sovereignty away from the Westminster Parliament should be put to a referendum. This treaty is a back door method of getting around this pledge to the detriment of our democracy and sovereignty.

For every year that we work, a younger person is deprived of a job.

People who live and work in London are being priced out of their own city. Something must be done to give London back to londoners.

Prior to and since the referendum on Scottish independence there have been repeated allegations that the SNP Scottish Government deliberately and recklessly overestimated the oil revenues an independent Scottish state would collect whilst simultaneity playing down the importance of these monies to public finances.These allegations have become so persistent, wide-ranging and detailed that they are now undermining the credibility of the SNP Scottish Government. It is in the interest of both sides of this debate that the Scottish Government (Mr John Swinney) commissions a fully independent review of the basis for the oil revenue estimates it used to support its case for Scottish independence and publish considered analysis of how a independent Scottish state could have managed any oil revenue shortfall .

Large profitable companies get away with paying less than ordinary people, in parliament you will hear the politicians arguing about the top rate 50 p for personal tax. Evidence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKCvf8E7V1g USA Principles Applie to the UK MPs hardly ever talk about corporation tax mostly because of vested interests in large companies, and old beliefs in capitalist market being able to take care of everything. The figures below tell you the facts vote now: Personal Income Tax Tax rate Taxable income above your Personal Allowance Basic rate 20% £0 to £31,865 Most people start paying basic rate tax on income over £10,000 Higher rate 40% £31,866 to £150,000 Most people start paying higher rate tax on income over £41,865 Additional rate 45% Over £150,000 Vs Corporation Tax 21% April 2014 The government would be able to spend the 50% tax money on public services such as the NHS, Schools, and Legal Aid, Police, Fire Brigade and other public sectors !