It is not inevitable that the second largest party should form the Opposition, any more than the largest single party should form the Government. It is the normal state of affairs, but many combinations are arithmetically possible and from time to time special circumstances may apply. This is one of those times. The interim leader of the Labour Party has stated that having lost the General Election, it cannot and should not vote against Bills brought forward by the Government. This is a fundamental misunderstanding of the parliamentary process at Westminster, and brings the whole House into disrepute. Adversarial politics requires a strong Opposition to hold the Government to account, by force of argument and by attempting to defeat it in divisions. An Opposition party that will not do so abdicates its constitutional role. In fairness, not all Labour MPs agree with the leader's position, and if there were so much as an even split it might be legitimate to leave the matter alone. But the 48 Labour members who voted against the Government's recent Welfare Bill constitute barely a quarter of the delegation, and are in themselves a smaller parliamentary group than the Scottish National Party. The official Opposition should be the largest party which actually opposes the Government. At present, that is the SNP, not Labour. There may be a case for reexamining the issue in September, depending on the result of the Labour leadership election and the policies it pursues thereafter, but that should not stay your hand now.

-Government will efficiently be able to raise taxes from banking/ financial sector -The tax could reduce some speculation in the currency market -The tax would raise up to £100 billion for UK Treasury -The countries who are keen to introduce this tax, will follow our lead -We can end Austerity & the misery caused for 10 million families in UK -We can invest this extra source of revenue to make our economy work for all -We can bear pressure on our governments (under the influence of strong vested interests) to act for the common good. By putting your name to this petition, not only can we make a huge difference soon, we can also give hope for our future generations.

The Secretary of State for Health has recently gone on record to demand a 7 day NHS, at a time of crisis of recruitment and retention in General Practice as well as unprecedented levels of burnout amongst staff across the Health Service. As such, it is important to restore a sense of being 'all in this together'. Seven day availability of MPs will go some way to achieving this.

Deporting political activists to Sri Lanka poses a serious threat to their lives. The current Sri Lankan government is looking more unstable. The warmonger Mahinda Rajapaksa has confirmed that he will stand in the coming election and the political situation never looked more unstable. A no-confidence motion was passed against prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, and was signed by 112 MPs. It has been six years since the end of the bloody war but still no independent international investigation has taken place into war crimes and no justice given to the victims and survivors. The delay in the UNHRC report – which in March was put back by six months – is seen as a delay in justice to the Tamil people, and led to protests by Jaffna University students and many others. But the hoped for democratic breathing space under the new government was short lived. Although earlier this year there was a change of government, the rights of the Tamil minority, and other oppressed people, are still being attacked. Militarisation and land grabs continue in the north and east province, where most Tamils live. Recently, the right to protest was attacked by the government following the gang rape of a schoolgirl. This sparked a countrywide protest against violence against women but the Sri Lankan government is using this as an opportunity to spark up fear that ‘terrorism’ is on the rise. Under president Maithripala Sirisena no major change has taken place to protect political activists in Sri Lanka. They are persecuted for defending the rights of the people and continue to be imprisoned or abducted. Many still go missing and the disappearance list is on the increase. Freedom of speech and the right to protest are under attack. Tamils continue to be arrested on return to Sri Lanka. Suresh Premachandran MP and spokesperson for the Tamil National Alliance even told the Tamil diaspora not to return to Sri Lanka – http://www.tamilsolidarity.org/?p=4138 – Amongst the many returnees who have been arrested, only two have been released. These people were arrested by the Terrorism Investigation Department (TID). The newly elected president not only failed to address the issues of the rights of Tamil and Muslim people, it has continued with the agenda of the previous regime. The state is whipping up fear and xenophobia to perpetuate the military occupation, and maintains the culture of impunity through the Prevention of Terrorism Act. The recent report, ‘The Long Shadow of War: Struggle for Justice in Post War Sri Lanka’, by the US-based Oakland Institute think-tank, finds that thousands of people continue to be missing since the war ended in spite on the government’s promise to engage in a process of truth and reconciliation. Sri Lanka is not a safe place to send back those who have fled that country to save their lives. Deporting political activists back to Sri Lanka puts them at real danger of arrest on arrival, and the high risk of torture, and their disappearance.

There was a cry from a lot of places, mostly the north of England, for the SNP to field candidates in England. it would provide people with an alternative to voting UKIP as a protest vote. the many former Labour voters have nothing left to believe in, with Labour and the Tories moving further to the right. it would give people in England hope, that there is a decent socialist alternative, and put the fear of god up the right wing parties.

Sir David, now in his ninetieth year, has contributed so much towards our understanding of the natural world. He is the consummate broadcaster, and his recent interview (on his 89th birthday) with President Obama has shown him to be a strong advocate for understanding climate change. As an expert communicator, unique broadcaster over so many years, and for his potential contributions in the Upper House (in regard to the environment) he is worthy of consideration of a Peerage in the next New Year's Honours

David Cameron lied to the Commons and to the British people over the UK’s Armed Forces involvement in Syria and must resign. He knew UK pilots were involved in US-led bombing missions of Isis targets in Syria, even though Parliament had expressly rejected British military involvement in the country in 2013. This along with his catalogue of lies and deception over a great many policies and other action outline that he cannot remain in office.

No American has ever been extradited for a crime allegedly committed physically on US soil - so if the alleged crimes Lauri has committed took place in the UK, should his trial not also? The judicial frameworks for due process in the United Kingdom exist to process these cases. The UK-US extradition treaty, used to uphold a so called "special relationship", has been historically one-sided. There is absolutely no guarantee Lauri will receive the standard of healthcare he requires in the United States. In the spirit of what has been an cruel and underhanded case, the prosecution responded to concerns regarding Lauri's well documented health problems both mental and physical by continually seeking to undermine the opinions of medical professionals who state extradition is not in Lauri's best interests. Theresa May pardoned Gary McKinnon in 2012, blocking his extradition to the United States on the grounds of Human Rights. What is so different about the Love vs USA case? As McKinnon said in 2015, "It would be tragic if the ladder used to rescue me from extradition was kicked away from the next person who needs it". "Lauri is adamant he will not come to the US to be prosecuted. One need only look to the cases of whistleblowers and activists such as Jeremy Hammond, Barrett Brown, Aaron Swartz and Chelsea Manning to know the US legal system is not about justice, but about retribution. Lauri is also concerned about the extensive use of solitary confinement as punishment in the US legal system. The prolonged use of solitary confinement has been ruled torture by every major human rights group, and yet is still used as a routine form of punishment for even the most minor infractions without concern for the mental health of the prisoner. It is clear from recent examples that there is no potential for anything remotely resembling justice to come from an extradition order to the US in a case such as this." -- freelauri.com

£64,000 is plenty amount of cash for members of parliament, so why are the MPs taking a large pay rise while the BBC and working families take a pay cut for already rich MPs to get a higher pay check. It's selfish and we must stop it. There pay rise is causing damage to working families and public services (Eg Transport) the BBC is now on its knees

All civil servants, public servants, nurse, firefighters etc have had to continue their work to serve the public at ever reducing standards of living. MPs should lead by example.

Mr Ellwood's recent claim that his MP's salary is insufficient shows a disregard for and disconnect from his many constituents who have accepted limited or no pay increases over recent years in order to boost the nation's economic recovery. Furthermore we feel that his enthusiasm for a pay increase of 10% at a time when public service employees are being restricted to rises of 1%, shows contempt for his electorate and a self-serving attitude which is not in the interest of his constituents.

Everyone has the right to participate in the struggle for social and environmental justice, without fear of persecution, objectification, or interference in their lives. However, many campaigns and individuals have been targeted by Britain’s undercover police for decades, undermining efforts for social justice that should be welcomed in a democratic society. Citizens have been spied on, psychologically and emotionally manipulated, and abused by officers for being part of, or simply knowing people who were part of, such campaigns. We welcome the announcement of a full public inquiry into political undercover policing, but it must be truly transparent, robust and comprehensive. In particular the inquiry must: * Be willing to hear evidence from those affected by undercover policing including: - the women deceived into long-term intimate relationships by officers - the family justice campaigns for those bereaved at the hands of the police and those challenging the efficacy of police investigations in relation to the deaths or assaults of loved ones - the construction workers blacklisted with the help of undercover police - the families whose dead children’s identities were stolen by officers - all campaign groups spied on * Protect police whistleblowers from prosecution under the Official Secrets Act and encourage current and former officers to give evidence. * Cover all undercover police units from 1968 to the present day. * Ensure the police fully cooperate with the inquiry and do not obstruct its operation though the use of their ‘Neither Confirm Nor Deny’ stance. * Hold senior police officers past and present, especially former Met Commissioners and Special Branch Commanders, to account for any wrong doing attributed to the units under their command. * Investigate officers sharing or selling information and experience acquired through undercover policing to the private sector. * Make recommendations to change the law, especially the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (2000), to prevent these abuses from continuing.