• Pressure Indonesia to hold a referendum on self-determination for West Papua
    There is daily evidence of individuals being killed, tortured and imprisoned without trial by the Indonesian military and police. Since 1963, an estimated 500,000 West Papuans have died at the hands of the Indonesian occupying forces, more than 25% of the population. Earlier this year there were mass arrests and torture of 116 Papuans in the Timika area. Villages were burned down and a number of villagers were shot and tortured. All this was committed by the Indonesian police and military. In May the Indonesian police opened fire on West Papuans in Yahukimo who were peacefully fundraising for Vanuatu after Cyclone Pam. The police tortured and murdered a 17 year old West Papuan boy (also in Yahukimo) just for peacefully demonstrating for freedom. Even the raising of the West Papuan national flag is prohibited under Indonesian law and Papuans are imprisoned indefinitely for carrying out this act. There are daily examples of the brutal genocide still being committed against the people of West Papua and if left on unnoticed, soon there will be no more Melanesians (indigenous people) left. Please raise this issue on the floor of parliament and urge the government to support the plight of the people of West Papua and their fight for freedom. To me it feels that our politicians only ‘care’ about human rights when there is political gain. In the same time 500,000 West Papuans have been butchered by Indonesia (and this is a conservative estimate), 20,000 have died on both sides of the Israel Palestine conflict (of which 40% were combatants). Now every loss of life that is avoidable is tragic, but if you consider the amount of time spent debating the latter in Parliament, let alone various votes on statehood etc., how can one consider this proportionate or fair? Whilst there are mass demonstrations and threat of boycotts against Israel, just 20 people turned up outside the Indonesian embassy earlier this year to protest. All were of Melanesian origin. We have full open diplomatic & trade relations with Indonesia, without so much of a whiff of boycott. I have absolutely no link to West Papua but since learning of their plight, I have been appalled at the lack of awareness or action both by our government and by the public at large. We are talking about the most vulnerable members of the human race, some whose only encounters with ‘foreigners’ have been marked with violence and hatred. Is their case any less valid than those of the refugees seeking asylum? Unfortunately most of the Papuan’s have nowhere to go and the Indonesian government ensures a wall of secrecy around West Papua. No foreign press are allowed to enter the area.
    7 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Adam Perry
  • Prove that Simon Danczuk's mandate does not extend to undermining the leader of the labour party
    We can all agree that Labour's performance in May's election was demoralising. The reasons for the defeat are obvious. The centrists continue to obsess over the middle ground while failing to realise that they are losing the rest of us. The majority of Labour voters still hold social democratic values (as indicated by Jeremy Corbyn's success in the leadership election). Many of these voters have continued to vote Labour since the 90s, despite the party moving ever further to the right. Why? the answer is simple: because Tory rule hurts them, because they are legitimately afraid of Conservative government, and Labour has always seemed like the only viable alternative. However, inevitably a tipping point must be reached: a point at which Labour rule becomes just as abhorrent as Conservative rule. When people start to see this point being reached, they inevitably jump ship- realising that a vote for Labour no longer means anything (as an aside- to those who doggedly stand by the myth that Ed Milliband lost the election because he was too left wing: how is it that, by side stepping ever so slightly to the left- the Tories managed to hijack the majority of Ed Milliband's budgetary pledges in their post-election emergency budget?) To summarise: Labour truly is facing anihilation. But that annihilation lies in continuing to court the marginal vote: because that is all that Labour will be left with before long- a narrow slice of the centre ground, and nothing else. The true battle that Labour now faces is in appealing to the left. Note: while all support is appreciated: this petition is directed primarily at Mr Danczuk's Rochdale constituents (the primary goal being: to gain 10000 or more signatures from his own electorate). Please include postcode.
    17 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Ian Evans
  • Join the Labour Party and Green party and start taking climate change seriously
    Because we need nature, it doesn't need us, and if we don't act soon it will not only effect future generations, but as we have seen by the sinking of entire Islands, melting of the ice caps, forest fires in Australia, and even floods in our own country it IS already effecting us now. We must take action before it's too late.
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    Created by Ian Gregory
  • Senior General of British Army should be relieved of duties for treason
    We have a so-called democracy that millions have laid down their lives to preserve but is increasingly being downgraded thanks to a right wing majority owned by the elite to instil their own agenda and now senior military officials using treasonous language if the people of Britain vote for Corbyn as PM. If someone of Muslim descent had used such language or any member of the public, there would be an outcry. I'm sure nothing will be done about him. He didn't seem to mind the conservatives cutting back the armed forces massively over the last few years funnily enough.
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    Created by Matthew Phillips
  • New Daily Trade Union Paper
    There is no mass circulation newspaper supporting working people. It was so encouraging to hear Jeremy Corbyn as the leader of the Labour Party actually supporting the PCS in its struggle against privatisation of the National Gallery. When was the last time a Labour Leader supported workers on strike? Working people need a mass circulation newspaper that will put the point of view of trade unionists to the people of this country to counteract the constant attacks by the millionaire press. Such a paper should be owned and controlled by the TUC and be open to contributors who are sympathetic to workers. The editorial content should support workers in struggle. The content should be wide in terms of culture and sport so as to gain the support of millions of workers.
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    Created by Malcolm Speake
  • Merseyside will not implement any further cuts
    I want Merseyside to make a stand against Goverment cuts disguised as Austerity. Millions of pounds have been slashed from council budgets by central government, thousands of jobs have been lost and services affected. Local government in the North West has been hit harder by spending cuts than any other region in England. The government points out that we will still get far more funding cuts over the next 5years. So far it's estimated North West councils have had their budgets reduced by a third since the general election.Merseyside as a City Region has seen cuts over £1billion. We cannot accept 'Cuts' as a means to progress.
    42 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Paul Cooke Picture
  • GRaVi PaNE / Grass Roots against Venality in Parliament and Needless Expenses
    A succession of MPs and Lords have abused their positions to peddle influence for money and exploit expenses. Here are some highlights. November 2002: Elizabeth Filkin resigns as Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. She was forced out after launching scores of inquiries into sleaze or corruption by ministers and MPs of all political parties. Martin Bell, an independent MP elected on an anti-sleaze ticket said, "She is an outstanding public servant and should have been offered another term of office with her resources increased and her mandate unchanged… I was aware of a whispering campaign which did indeed start within weeks of her taking office and it was done by friends of people in high places.” February 2010: Cameron attacks the lobbying industry. “It is the next big scandal waiting to happen. It’s an issue that crosses party lines and has tainted our politics for too long, an issue that exposes the far-too-cosy relationship between politics, government, business and money.” March 2010: Twenty politicians were approached by undercover reporters posing as people seeking to buy influence. Fifteen agreed to meet, ten arranged meetings, and nine secretly filmed. Labour MP Stephen Byers claimed to have influenced government policy in the past for money. Conservative MP Sir John Butterfill offered to lobby to benefit the fictitious company and use his political connections for a payment of £35000 a year. May 2011: Liberal MP Mark Oaten took a £2,000 taxpayer-funded trip to Athens for a meeting of a body that was being abolished despite no longer being an MP. Politicians can remain as delegation members for six months after an election unless they replaced. December 2012: -Then Culture Secretary, Maria Miller, shown to have claimed more than £90,000 for a second home where her parents lived. Although the Parliamentary Committee on Standards found that she had over-claimed mortgage expenses by £5,800, it did not uphold the key allegation – that she used public funds for her parents’ benefit – because she was already caring for them. However, she was forced to apologise for her “attitude” to the inquiry. May 2014: Conservative MP, Patrick Mercer, exposed after tabling a series of questions on behalf of a fictitious group lobbying for Fiji to be readmitted to the Commonwealth. He had been paid £4,000 as part of a contract he believed would earn him £24,000 a year. The Parliamentary Committee on Standards recommended he pay the money to charity but admitted “We have no powers in this matter”. September 2014: Long after the expenses scandal outraged the public, The Parliamentary Committee on Standards recommended no further action again Peter Bone, Conservative MP and accountant, for expense claims made while living temporarily in Essex. Although it was against the rules at the time – as the house was neither in his constituency or Westminster – the committee decided he had been “new and inexperienced” and did not know this. November 2014: Mike Hancock MP represented the UK at a three-day meeting of the political affairs committee in New York City in November last year two months after he quit the Liberal Democrats over a relationship with a vulnerable constituent. His travel came to £4,356 and hotel and subsistence £1,096. January 2015: Peter Lilley, Conservative MP, accused of failing to declare his directorship in an oil firm during a debate on energy prices and climate change laws. The Parliamentary Committee on Standards decided the rules had not been clear at the time and that it would “not be fair” to find him in breach. July 2015: FOI request reveals that MP and Speaker John Bercow claimed £367 for going to Luton to talk about the expenses scandal. His car to Lady Thatcher’s funeral at St Paul’s Cathedral, less than two miles from the Commons, cost £158. An official car to Canterbury for Archbishop Justin Welby's enthronement had cost of £524. September 2014: Sixty MPs spent £70,000 on new iPads, iPhones and laptops before the general election, prompting the expenses watchdog to express concern. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) wrote to MPs involved to seek assurances that they were using the equipment exclusively for parliamentary duties. Some of the MPs wrote back saying they took exception to the request. September 2015: Parliamentary Committee on Standards clears Jack Straw and Malcolm Rifkind despite the public being appalled by what these men were filmed saying. Rifkind had denied he was paid an MP’s salary. “You’d be surprised how much free time I have. I spend a lot of time reading, I spend a lot of time walking. I’m self-employed. So nobody pays me a salary.” And Straw boasted of his covert influence in changing EU rules for a company that pays him £60,000-a-year. "...the best way of dealing with these things (lobbying) is under the radar.”
    19 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Paul Burns
  • Refugees Welcome in Marlow
    David Cameron announced we’ll welcome 20,000 more Syrian refugees. But there’s a catch. This will take 5 years, leaving thousands of refugees in limbo. It’s now up to us to show that in cities, towns and villages all across the country we’re ready to welcome people now. Aylan, the toddler who drowned fleeing Syria, was just three years old. His town was under attack by Isis. His five year old brother and his mum also died trying to reach safety.We don't want Britain to be the kind of country that turns its back as people drown in their desperation to flee places like Syria. So let's stand up for Britain's long tradition of helping refugees fleeing war. Let's show the Prime Minister that we, the people of the UK, are proud to do our part and provide refuge to people in their hour of need. Please sign and share, or start your own petition for your town or city here: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/efforts/refugees-welcome
    36 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Shelley Harris
  • Syrian Children Appeal
    I believe this issue is important because we have to whatever we can to save the lives of those that have embarked on these journeys. These children have had to flee their homes in search for a better life and we need to provide some sort of comfort for them. A few Syrian kids were asked What makes you happy? Moiad,8, from Dara'a, Syria said "There is no war here. Reading and playing. Helping my mum." Briksam,9,from Homs, Syria."I like going to school,studying and taking tests.Being with my family." Najam,6,from Homs, Syria. "Toys.When my older brother, Ahmed, comes to visit." These Children only want one thing , to live their lives as normal children and this is something they should be able to experience in a free world and not caught in the middle of war. We must remember that although their homes have been taken , we need to ensure their futures are not taken away from them. To find out more go to www.unicef.org.uk
    5 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Fiyin Fagbohun
  • #noTTIP in Sheffield
    TTIP is a free trade agreement between the US and EU. With the difference in laws in these countries, this deal threatens multiple areas of our lives. Our online safety, our food safety (The US use chlorine to preserve chicken), our cosmetics, our right to protest, the building blocks of democracy, our environment and our free health services. For more information pop into a local LUSH store between the 18th September and the 2nd October or watch the video below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVs0aGCGEAk
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    Created by Meg Stickland
  • Make Queens Bohemian Rhapsody our new national anthem
    Because the monarchy is archaic and we are paying for their royalties and it's costing us millions in tax payers money that could go to for example... the NHS. Also we could build more houses on their former land.
    31 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Ian Gregory
  • Create post of Shadow Minister for Mass Extinction
    The total destruction of the vital environment and large swathes of animal life on earth, caused by the insatiable drives of capitalism threatens the entire bio-diversity of the planet in the long term and the foundations of human civilisation in the short term. Now, that wouldn't be very nice, would it?
    5 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Connor Kelly