Scotland is part of the UK. Many policies affecting Scotland are decided by the Westminster government, and even some of the devolved policies are affected by Westminster, and SNP MP's vote on these matters. The SNP currently have 6 MP's and 2 MEP's. They hold 64 seats out of 129 in the Scottish Parliament. They have over 92,000 members. Polling suggest that in May the SNP could win up to 32 Westminster seats and could be the third largest party in Westminster. UKIP are being included in the debates. They have 2 very recent MP's and 24 MEP's. They have 42,000 members. The same polling suggests that they could win 3 seats at the election. The Liberal Democrats, by the same polling forecast could win 27 seats. The SNP could therefore have more seats than the LibDems and UKIP combined and have a greater impact on decisions on policy. I think people across the UK should be able to hear how the SNP could affect policies after 2015.

The Scottish Government is consulting on a bill to reform higher education governance. UCU Scotland wants to see: Elected chairs of governing bodies Governing bodies to be more representative and to include trade union and student representation An agreed definition of academic freedom to protect all academic and related staff

Democracy - the leadership debates help the electorate to decide who to vote for, It is our general election not the parties and they need to realise that we elect them and they are here to serve us. The support levels of different parties are changing as are voting intentions and we should have the democratic right tot hear all the leaders explain their policies.

Stone Court has provided a valuable service for vulnerable families in the area since opening in 1993. It isn't just a roof over their heads it is a complete support network that helps families with day to day life and getting back onto an even footing. Stone Court is the only service like this in the area. Without the funding from Torbay Council the network of support staff can no longer be afforded and residents have been issued with a Section 21 notice to quit. Past families have seen Stone Court as a lifeline that they couldn't have done without and wouldn't know where they would be now if it wasn't for their support. There is no service in place to take over from the good work Stone Court does. Lose Stone Court you lose a very valuable resource that has helped vulnerable families in Torbay for years.

Up to 8000 people rely on these treatments to fight a life-threatening illness.

Everyone has times in their lives when they feel down or depressed. It is usually for a good reason, does not dominate your life and does not last for a long time. However, if the depression goes on for weeks, months, or becomes very bad, you may find yourself stuck and unable to lift yourself out of it. It can start to affect every area of your life - and this is when you may need to get help. Depression is not a sign of weakness - it has affected many famous and successful men.

Education on Mental health is vital. To end the stigma and to help children understand and cope if they are suffering with this illness.

GIVE YOUNG PEOPLE A REASON TO VOTE AGAIN What is the point of voting if you live in a Tory / Lib Dem./ Labour stronghold. My vote is wasted unless I do tactiful voting. I want my vote to count, otherwise there is no point in voting at all. I've waited years for this change to happen, I've listened to broken promises of leading parties, I'm tired of waiting. These days , with new available communications through internet I've discovered like minded people all facing the same dilemma, why should we vote any more if we are not counted. Hence the apathy in people turning up to vote.

Following public opposition in May, the government has revised its regulations for the privatisation of children's social services. Now, companies (such as Serco, G4S, KPMG) only need to set up a "not-for-profit" subsidiary. This will not show any profit as the parent company will charge the subsidiary at a cost which it determines. The government says this is about innovation, but local authorities do not require outsourcing and private companies to be given contracts to generate innovation. There are experienced experts with all local authorities who do the work for the good of the children and not to make profit. Outsourced services often cut costs and make profits by employing fewer staff or less-qualified workers. Some councils might see this as a solution to the government's drastic funding cuts and in fact the government can direct local authorities to cease providing the services. This privatisation has to be stopped for the sake of all the children and families who need support and protection.

The ongoing discoveries of links to so many illnesses and diseases; Autism, Gut disruption, allergies, asthma, breast cancer, endocrine disruption and so many more... We can all make our own choices to avoid it, but it's everywhere! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zOlGf_MWsg http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/07/30/glyphosate-toxicity.aspx

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

This will potentially combat a social housing crisis in Kirkby, Greenbelt areas are soon to be built on to take the strain of the issue. There are currently over 70 vacant houses on Cherryfield Drive which were bought with CPO's (compulsary purchase orders) by Knowsley Council and were set to be demolished to make way for the superstore which has now been cancelled. The existing residents have been moved out to a new estate which was built on St Kevins playing fields in Northwood. All of these properties (prior to works) were in a good state of repair and are currently just shells which could be re assembled and lived in. Knowsley Council are commited to the demolition of these homes, a lot of which could easily be converted into single story "bugalo's" of which no developers are currently building, for elderly or disabled residents. "Tesco will also finish the current work to clear the site of the empty houses on Cherryfield Drive so that the site will be available for future development" At present there are no other developers or partners and in reality we cannot expect one to come along any time soon. As well as Kirkby, there are now currently another 48 Councils canvassing for the same thing, we may be in for a long wait! Please halt this demolition and begin a study into the potential re-use of these properties and protect our greenbelt area at the same time!