• Stop CCG's limiting IVF on the NHS against NICE guidelines
    People who are desperate to start a family are being given the choice of either going without or having to spend their life savings (or going into serious debt) to make their dreams come true. When unfit parents are allowed to produce child after child supported by the government, people who would make great parents aren't even given a chance.
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    Created by Jessica Smith
  • Fund Inner London's only Disability Gym
    Ability Bow is the only place in inner London that provides long term rehabilitation to help people who have a disability, an injury or a long-term health condition. For many it is be a life-changing experience. There are thousands of people that Ability Bow has helped over the last 10 years. Margaret is a stroke survivor who regained near full use of her body after doctors wrote her off. Albert had a spine broken in two places and learned to walk again. There are hundreds of stories like these here. We are asking for the assistance of a government partner to safeguard the future of this vital service. I do not know where I would be without this place. I started this campaign to raise awareness and make sure that people get the help they need to improve their lives.
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    Created by Richard Amm
  • Stop the press revealing identities of Calais children
    Publication of photos and personal details can risk the security of unaccompanied young people, who are known to be at a high risk of human trafficking and may be exposed to hate crime. The language used by The Sun, the Daily Star, the Daily Mail and the Daily Express to describe these young people arriving from the 'jungle' camp in Calais is incendiary and inhumane. The deliberate questioning of age, without due care to safety or lawful processes, has the very real potential to expose individuals to abuse, racism and hatred whilst in the UK. International law makes it clear that anyone under the age of 18 is a child. Unaccompanied children frequently have no documents to prove their age. Some don’t even know their own chronological age. Others have had their identities faked by human traffickers. There is a duty on the UK to give those in such situations the ‘benefit of the doubt’ where there is reason to believe they may be a child. The current approach of 'trial by media' undermines these young people's right to fair and impartial assessments of their individual circumstances. It ignores well-established, legal processes that are designed to protect those most in need and undermines the validity of the laws to protect children and refugees. ECPAT UK is a leading children’s rights organisation campaigning to prevent child trafficking, transnational child abuse and child exploitation for the past 20 years. To complement our research, policy and campaigning activity, we run peer support groups for child victims of trafficking and deliver training to a broad range of professionals. For more info about our charity, visit: www.ecpat.org.uk.
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    Created by ECPAT UK Picture
  • Stop Rushcliffe Borough Council fining the homeless
    Rushcliffe Borough Council have proposed plans to fine homeless people £100 under the 2014 "Public Space Protection Order". Rushcliffe Borough Council believe that the rough sleepers cause a "nuisance" to those who live locally. Fines can be increased to £1000 following non-payment of the original fine. The idea of fining those who already have so little that they are forced to sleep out in the cold is a cruel and heartless act. This is attacking vulnerable persons and does not aid in resolving the homeless issues. Other campaigns have successfully halted other councils from imposing similar fines. More info here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/37693295?client=ms-android-htc-rev
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    Created by Paula Sanders
  • United States Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA)
    In 2010, the US government passed the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) obliging US citizens, regardless of dual citizenships and even though they may not have lived in the US since childhood, to self-report their non-US assets and to pay US tax on foreign income if the foreign tax should be less than US tax. For example, if such persons sell their home, then they are liable for American capital gains tax on the sale as the UK levies no such tax. FATCA obliges all non-US financial institutions to search through their customer databases to identify those customers suspected of being US citizens and to disclose the account holders' names, addresses, and the transactions of most types of account. It requires foreign financial institutions to require all foreign account holders (not just US citizens) to certify their foreign status. In 2014, The Economist called FATCA's "extraterritoriality stunning even by Washington's standards." FATCA potentially affects 173,470 people born in the US by chance but many of whom left the country as small children and have since been resident in the UK and are UK citizens. Following FATCA's passage, many such "accidental Americans" suffered closure of their bank accounts: a 2014 survey of US citizens in other countries by Democrats Abroad found that 12.7% of respondents had been denied financial services by their banks, making it harder for accidental Americans to live and work in their countries of residence. Accidental Americans often no owe US income tax, but must spend thousands of dollars in accounting fees to prove that fact, and face potential fines of tens of thousands of dollars for paperwork errors. Those who have spent their lives planning for their retirement without considering the US tax consequences of the non-US financial instruments they hold may find that US taxation wipes out most of their returns on investments. UK residents suspected to be US citizens are separated out at their financial institutions for differential treatment, based upon their place of birth and nationality. Discrimination according to national origin is prohibited in most countries and by the European Convention on Human Rights. American Citizens Abroad, a not-for-profit organization representing the interests of the millions of Americans residing outside the United States, points out that FATCA's problem is citizenship-based taxation. The United States and Eritrea are the only countries in the world which impose taxation and reporting requirements on citizens living abroad permanently. The Guardian reports that Americans living abroad feel financially terrorized by FATCA requirements. According to research by Democrats Abroad: "These survey results show the intense impact FATCA is having on overseas Americans. Their financial accounts are being closed, their relationships with their non-American spouses are under strain, some Americans are being denied promotion or partnership in business because of FATCA reporting requirements and some are planning or contemplating renouncing their US citizenship”. The US will not allow accidental Americans to renounce citizenship until they have filed five years’ of tax returns. Due to the rise in applications, the fee for renouncing citizenship was raised by roughly 400 percent in 2015 to $2,350. According to a recent piece in The Economist, a UK resident who was born in America but moved to Britain as a child, “recently received a huge bill from the IRS [the US Internal Revenue Service], out of the blue, for many years of unfiled taxes. He had not realised that he owed anything; he had always paid taxes promptly in Britain. The IRS was so aggressive that he feared he might lose his technology business; he even discussed divorce with his wife as a way to shield their assets. In the end, he settled for a six-figure sum.” In 2014, the UK Government entered into an Intergovernmental Agreement whereby financial institutions in the UK report information about US accounts to HMRC. HMRC then provides the information to the US. The UK government has estimated that the cost to British businesses will be £1.1 billion to £2 billion for the first five years, in order to locate the US citizens. HMRC estimates its own one-off IT and staff project costs at approximately £5m, with ongoing annual costs of £1.4m from this year. FATCA’s effects on UK citizens who by accident of birth are deemed American means that the UK Government’s cooperation with FATCA must end. The relationship between the British state and its citizens is founded on an implicit contract whereby, in exchange for obedience to the law and performance of their civic duties, citizens have a right to the state’s protection.
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    Created by Jim Newell Picture
  • Ensuring Personal Privacy and Sexual Freedom
    PERSONAL PRIVACY: The Digital Economy Bill currently before Parliament will introduce compulsory age verification without guaranteeing privacy protections for subscribers. This omission risks users’ personal details and private sexual preferences being exploited for commercial gain and/or leaked into the public domain. SEXUAL FREEDOM: Consensual adult sex should not be outlawed, yet this Bill will prohibit the publication of depictions of sexual activities that are legal to perform. This Bill imposes a financial burden on free, amateur and niche commercial websites, affecting sexual minorities by denying them from freely expressing their sexuality.
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    Created by Myles Jackman Picture
  • Specsavers - Stop Advertising in the Daily Express
    Anti-immigrant hate crime in the UK has increased fivefold over the past few months (according to the National Police Chiefs' Council). The UK media has, in the words of the United Nations human rights chief, peddled "sustained and unrestrained anti-foreigner abuse" and "vilification, intolerance and politicization of migrants." Migrants are routinely portrayed as less-than-human, and unworthy of dignity and respect. The Daily Express alone is responsible for headlines such as "BRITAIN MUST BAN MIGRANTS" and " SEND IN ARMY TO HALT MIGRANT INVASION." Specsavers: is this your vision? We are calling on you to take a stand, and no longer tacitly endorse the demonisation of migrant communities by the Daily Express. Just earlier this year, the newspaper was forced to publish a correction after press watchdog IPSO ruled that a piece entitled 'Europe's leaders have no plan to cut immigration' inflated and distorted migration figures. The impact of this kind of media rhetoric is not limited to the newspaper stands: it has real-life, divisive consequences. By withdrawing a recent front-page advert from the Daily Express, you have recognised that what your brand appears alongside, matters. We call on you to take this further and withdraw all financial and symbolic support for a newspaper that is notorious for inciting racism, Islamophobia and xenophobia.
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    Created by Undoing Borders (People & Planet) Picture
  • PROTECT LONE CHILDREN FROM CALAIS CAMP: ALLOW THEM INTO SCOTLAND AND UK
    1500 children were transferred yesterday, Wednesday 2nd November, from the container camp in Calais to processing centres and temporary accommodation in France Besides the children with family to join in UK, there are many hundreds of unaccompanied children seeking asylum. Surely we can offer sanctuary to a large proportion of these children in Scotland and give them the care and attention they need? The risk of unsupervised children leaving temporary centres in France and setting out alone or in small groups to look for an illegal route to UK is HUGE. It has been reported that many children went missing during last week's evacuation of the Calais Camp, as did 129 children during partial evacuation of the camp in February this year. It will be shameful for us a a nation if we cannot resolve this situation, by harnessing the goodwill of the British public in welcoming these children, and encouraging Local Authorities to accommodate them.
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    Created by deborah riley
  • Hastings & Rye Support Refugee Children
    Unaccompanied children in the Calais Jungle are suffering appalling conditions. Many are being abused and have mental health problems. Many have been injured and some killed trying to reach the UK. Their suffering is needless - they have the legal right to be in the UK. The Home Office has the details of nearly 400 young people and children with legal entitlement to come to the UK. They are therefore now our responsibility. Refusing to welcome them is criminal negligence. The Calais Jungle is due to be demolished by October 31. The children must be brought to safety before then. As Hastings and Rye residents, with a proud tradition of helping those in need, we call on Amber Rudd MP to do whatever she can to bring those children to safety immediately.
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    Created by Jamie Osborn
  • The UK Parliament: Assess and Discuss critical information regarding Syrian catastrophe.
    Because the extreme bloodshed and destruction in and of Syria is a War Crime foisted on them by the West and their Middle East 'Allies', and just like Iraq and Libya, it is a 'Regime Change' plot based on lies. The creation, arming, paying and transport to Syria of terrorist mercenary interventionist groups is the worst crime of all, a 'Crime Against Peace', which also enshrines War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity.
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    Created by Paul Barbara
  • Sunderland Council: Drop plans to fine beggars in the city centre.
    While we welcome action against anti-social behaviour, Sunderland city council’s proposals for new Public Space Protection Orders seem to be focused on the persecution of homeless individuals. This is particularly apparent in the plans to stop ‘bin raking’. It is a disgrace that in one of the world’s richest countries people need to feed themselves, or make a living, from the contents of public waste bins. Imposing fines on these individuals, and those who beg on our city’s streets, would be pointless and counter-productive. It would serve only to distress the individuals concerned and increase the work and, therefore, the cost of police, community workers and the CPS. We appeal to Sunderland City Council to reconsider these plans and to take steps to address the underlying problems of homelessness, poverty and substance dependence. http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/beggars-could-face-fines-under-new-sunderland-plans-1-8139928
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    Created by Chris Crozier
  • Calais
    It is time for a new humanitarian approach. The French have done everything possible to prevent refugees entering the UK, although you wouldn't get this from the anti European UK press, so change the approach, stop spending on penning people in and help them with a job, training and a proper roof over their heads.
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    Created by Gavin Williams