Just as the Con/Dem Goverment is attempting to hand over the best parts of the NHS then a Labour opposition should be totally against any more job losses in the public sector .A 100% run Labour Council is meeting this evening to discuss the possibility of handing over ALL of their services .This is the thin edge of the wedge when a Trade Union Congress as just called for a General Strike

A small British jam manufacturer (husband & wife team) recently introduced the first ever British apple-based jams onto the U.K. high street. However, the U.K. government has stated these products cannot legally be called jam because they don't contain enough sugar!!! Standard jams have a sugar content exceeding 60%; however, these apple-based jams have a sugar content of 52-53%. Unfortunately, between 51-59% sugar content there is no clear legal definition as to what these British apple-based products should be called. It's a jam 'no-mans land'! Jam Law across the EU is meant to be harmonised. However, France, Germany and Denmark have all recently used an 'escape clause' in the legislation to permit jams with sugar content below 60%. The U.K. government now needs to use this 'escape clause' to account for British apple-based jams. After 12 months of battling for the issue to be addressed, the U.K. government has finally agreed to consult on making changes to the Law (see http://www.defra.gov.uk/files/jam-consult-statement.pdf). However, there is no guarantee that the Law will be changed and it wouldn’t occur until the end of 2013. We therefore need to keep pressure on the U.K. government to ensure the ridiculous Jam Laws are changed. During these recessionary times, it is vital that the U.K. government supports British business, British innovation and British-specific traditions, i.e. Bramley apple growing. With obesity rates increasing, we should also be encouraging the general public to consume jams with more fruit and less added sugar.

These disabled people are suffering enough with their disability and surely we as a caring society should be helpful and be prepared to help them in their fight with the government to keep their factories open.

The current system of taxation is over-complicated, inefficient and filled with loopholes. What's more, in taxing income or business transactions it disincentivises productive enterprises and encourages the wealthy to spend time and money avoiding paying taxes. A single tax based upon the value of unimproved land, as described by the economist Henry George, would recognise that natural resources are public property, would be easy to collect with a minimum of bureaucracy and would not decrease productivity. It would also significantly reduce inequality and counteract the worst effects of poverty. Such a tax is exactly what this country currently needs, and is the route to a better economy.

Most people do not know that if a cheque is marked as cleared in their bank statement it may well not be, but that the money to the amount of the cheque can be used. This is, however, well know to fraudsters who have making the most of it. The banks know this fraud is happening but still mark cheques as cleared and expect their customers to carry the costs.

It has long been suspected that the Christian churches in this country ( and, no doubt, elsewhere) appear to be in thrall to the Big Money powers, as represented by the City, for example. The remaining influence which some churchmen still have could be turned to the good of working (i.e., not speculating) people, since a massive movement of church money to the ethical banks would be both a positive move and a slap on the wrists of the mega-greedy. The churches should, finally, for their own credibility, be seen to be on the side of the less-rich.

This government will be looking at ending National Public Pay Rates and as part of this the public service staff working in poorer areas of the country will be payed less. It is important to note that this will have a huge negative impact on all people from both public and private sectors. There needs to be a strong case made against these plans and this petition is the starting point. We the people need to show the government that we won't accept the scrapping of National Public Pay Rates. We need to stand up together and make our voices heard. Getting rid of the National Public Pay Rates will only bring serious inequality and undermine both public and private sector. Most large private companies set equal pay rates across the country because it is fair, consistent and organised. The public sector pay system should remain as it is. There are already measures in place within the current system that allow for higher pay in areas such as London. Reducing the pay of people in the most deprived areas of the country is absolutely wrong and abhorrent! It just shows how disconnected and out of touch this government is. The private sector needs to improve its pay rates and pensions in line with the public sector instead of the public sector reducing pay and cutting pensions. In addition to this petition if everybody writes to their MP then that will contribute to getting the message out. Getting rid of the National Public Pay Rates makes no sense. Reducing public sector pay in poorest areas will not make private companies increase pay but give them a reason to carry on paying lower rates. I fail to see how this will help the economy because who is going to want to move to the poorer parts of the country when you get payed less for doing the same job but potentially working much harder because society is unhealthier, because there will be an increase in mental illness in these deprived areas, an increase in drug and alcohol use, an increase in divorce and poorer education because the best teachers won't do the jobs in these areas. People will become trapped in poverty. Who spends the money in shops, restaurants, hair dressers and on building extensions to their homes etc??. . . Millions of public sector workers do and they won’t be able to afford to do this anymore so how does this help stimulate growth in the economy when business will lose so much income? The answer is that it does not. This will place further pressures on household incomes and cause a crippling blow to the economy. People from both the private sector and public sector from across all fields and areas of work should be standing up together and telling the government that we will not allow them to do this. There will be serious inequalities in health and social care and serious inequalities in education and that impacts on all of us. The gap of inequality and deprivation in society will grow exponentially and we must stop this from happening. People must see that this is just morally wrong and we all need to spread the word, use social networking, write to the papers, write to the MP’s and Prime Minister and join the movement 38 Degrees if they have not already. This must not be allowed to happen! We must tell George Osborne and this government that we are the people and you will listen to us. The bankers are protected with their immoral, ridiculous and indefensible bonuses because “if they are not allowed to have them then they might leave the country” I say let them leave! This clearly does not apply to the Nurses, Teachers, Fire fighters, Police Officers, Radiographers, Social Workers and all other public sector workers. Already public sector workers are expected to have a pay freeze, contribute more to their pensions, work for longer and receive less and now they can expect to be payed less for doing the same job in poorer parts of the country where demand on these hard working and valuable members of society will be greater. This makes me so very angry and I am sure that millions across the country feel the same. This government is out of touch and slowly but surely destroying the foundations of our society. It must stop and the people must make it stop! Please make your voice heard and sign the petition.

The changes have resulted in approximately 250, 000 working FAMILIES losing a substantial part of their income, often as much as a quarter of total income. These are people who are working at poorly paid part time jobs, often because they are caring for children or are partially disabled or simply can't find full time work. The WTFC was introduced to make even low-paid work a worthwhile alternative to unemployment benefit. These people want to work and have shown that they can work. To penalise them is just wrong! My family of 5 have lost £300 of our £1050 earnings and now have to cope with an income of about £11,000 . With our son losing his £30 Educational Maintenance Allowance qwe are struggling to pay for his travel to college and see little future for his younger brother and sister other than whatever job they can get when they are 16. The poorest people in this country are now directly subsidising the wealthiest