-
CENSORSHIP OF THE INTERNETThis is extremely important issue as it is the governments first step in it's attempt to take full control of the internet in the U.K.. If they accomplish their goal... the internet will no longer be the fantastic tool for research, education and just about everything else we like about the internet?.... If the government takes control of the internet... you may as well switch it off and go back to watching the soaps & B.B..... which is exactly what the government wants us to do....... become the non-questioning, obedient couch potato, that does what it's told, when it's told, and NOTHING else!.............is that what we want or deserve?... I know I don't.22 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Nicholas Denby
-
Legalise CannabisCannabis first became illegal in the UK, and most of the rest of the world, on 28th September 1928 when the 1925 Dangerous Drugs Act came into force. There were no British domestic reasons, no lobbying for or against prohibition, and no Parliamentary debates. All scientific evidence shows the healing benefits for pain due to a multitude of ailments, and NO detrimental affects on mind or health at all. At a time when Britain is facing brutal austerity measure, The Institute For Social And Economic Research recently estimated that a regulated market could reduce the government deficit by up to £1.25bn, whilst producing roughly £400m in "net benefit" for the country. I have multiple sclerolis and most if not all the 'legal' pain relief I have been prescribed, take the edge off the pains but at the same time doing damage to my internal organs. Cannabis works and causes no damage at all. All humans have been naturally designed to work alongside cannabis. Doctors take the oath to provide help and healing, yet they can not offer cannabis in its natural form and they themselves feel helpless, as they are well aware of the therapeutic benefits of cannabis yet held back due to the law falsely claiming that it's dangerous without showing any scientific proof at all171 of 200 SignaturesCreated by Clare Burns
-
Blindspot. Denied the right to voteUK legislation does not allow people with a sight impairment to use technology, which we use in our normal daily lives to maintain independence, to vote It is not always possible for someone with sight loss to get to a polling station and if they do, only 25% are accessible. We want to be able to use our technology, for example, to allow ballot papers to be sent to us via email attachment or CD, complete those using electronic devices (with the aid of assistive software) such as Smartphone, Tablets or a PC and return them for printing and entered into the ballot box. Security measures can easily be set up to avoid fraud as with normal postal voting. We do not believe this constitutes 'electronic voting' but simply a reasonable adjustment (auxiliary aid) under the Equality Act 20 Under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with a Disability article 29 we have the right to a political and public life. We believe the UK Politicians are breaching the convention. People with sight impairment have the right to dignity and choice and control over their own Imagine for one moment you were told you were losing your sight or that you were going blind, "pretty emotional I expect". Putting those emotions to one side for a moment, how would you cope for instance with getting a hospital or mental health (emotional support) appointment, accessing your own NI number in order to get employment or benefits, bank or insurance information as well as many other services you would need to access in order to retain as much independence as possible. Even if you were to go totally blind, independence is achievable with the aid of assistive technology such as text-to speech and touch type You have coped with the emotional impact of sight loss and are now ready to move on. Sorry but worse is yet to come because you are discriminated by mainly public bodies and also the private sector who place barriers in your way such as reasons of security or integrity of documents to demy you the right to participate in society or allow you your rightful independence It has been made virtually impossible to get legal aid anymore in order to fight discrimination and injustice. UK politicians seem to have a 'Blindspot ' when it comes to accessible voting I therefore need this matter debated in the House of Commons. For this to happen I would need to raise 100,000 signatures. Please show your support and sign the petition. We all have the human and democratic right to vote Worse than being told you are losing your sight, for many, is being told you cannot use what ability is left to you. Therefore the answer too "how do you cope with sight loss" is you don't if you are not allowed too. We have sexism and racism but it appears we do not have 'disablism' in the UK. RNIB Policy Position Statement https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9vheEyP62zlbGZxaWFxOXBxbDg/edit?usp=sharing Article 29 http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=289 Electoral Commissioners comments http://disabilitynewsservice.com/2014/05/legal-action-threat-over-postal-voting-discrimination336 of 400 SignaturesCreated by Graham Kirwan
-
Say no to Amazon taking over Tube station ticket officesAmazon has avoided tax in the tens of billions of pounds and it is inappropriate for them to be given such high profile locations to promote themselves and sell to the public whilst starving the public purse of much needed tax revenue and taking advantage of job losses at TFL with the closure of ticket offices.42 of 100 SignaturesCreated by chris smith
-
Help wildlife stop cutting vergesBees and insects need every bit of help that we can give them or we loose their pollination of our food crops. We should be planting wild flowers all over the verges to help increase numbers. Saving money by not cutting the verges until late Autumn and only then if it was really necessary.36 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Avril Green
-
Stop HS2The cost of HS2 is huge and the long term benefits must be fully justified. Existing cost benefit analysis shows the investment will never be repaid - this is an unnecessary cost to the nation that we cannot afford. At the same time, the project will blight huge areas of southern Britain for many years of construction and in perpetuity - and for no gain. The government should upgrade the existing rail infrastructure and minimise the environmental impact for the same economic benefits and at much reduced cost.156 of 200 SignaturesCreated by Jamie Wilkinson
-
There is no point to The PointThe future of Milton Keynes should be more than preserving a few teenage memories of a gloriously tacky icon to consumer culture. Let The Point die an honourable death rather than a slow slide into irrelevance.7 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Mark Fenton-O'Creevy
-
Drop the charges against bedroom tax victim Michael HiltonThis concerns every person living in Britain. What happened to Mr Hilton can happen to anyone in Britain, whether we’re aware of it or not. The following took place. Mr Hilton of Meadoway, Church in East Lancashire felt very vulnerable and grew increasingly upset when he was threatened with eviction from the home in which he’d been living for 30 years. He responded by threatening to blow up his home. The reason for the eviction was that Mr Hilton developed rent arrears as a result of what PM David Cameron euphemistically and callously calls the withdrawal of the spare room subsidy, and what I see as an instrument of a feudal aristocracy, the so-called bedroom tax. We all tend to assume that when someone else is threatened with eviction, the person could make this ‘go away’ if only they would act. Because we have no choice but to believe that if it happened to us, we would make it go away. Because we, we would act. That is how threatening the idea of an eviction is to most of us. Losing our home… In reality, however, there is often very little a person can do against an eviction for arrears if the person has no money. In cases of rent arrears caused by the so-called bedroom tax, it is safe to assume that if the person was unable to do anything about the bedroom tax, he or she is equally unable to do anything about the eviction. Effectively, Mr Hilton was being threatened with homelessness after having lived in his home for 30 years. I don’t know Mr Hilton and he may have been seriously mentally ill. If he was merely terribly stressed, then chances are that he did not stick his head in the sand, but simply felt there was nothing he could do and was convinced that his housing association could not do anything for him either. I think that he threatened to blow up his home because he could not accept the idea that there was absolutely nothing he could do to stop the eviction. He did not blow up anything at all, and no one got hurt. He just yelled. He was arrested because he had made many people worried which can be seen as a disturbance. He has been in custody since the beginning of June 2014. The plea hearing is set for 22 August 2014 and his trial hearing is scheduled for 12 November 2014. A little earlier, namely in May 2014, David Garbett of Sunderland took similarly drastic steps when he chained himself and his wheelchair to the railings of Southwick JobCentre. In his case, his Employment Support Allowance had stopped which meant that he became unable to buy food and pay bills. After he chained himself to the JobCentre, Mr Garbett’s claim was settled, and his payments were backdated. Mr Garbett was not in danger of losing his home, but he too was desperate so he did something desperate. When austerity has already been part of your daily life for years, there is no room for more austerity. It is believed that Mr Hilton was eligible for exemption from this wretched bedroom tax, but apparently did not know how to obtain this exemption. It is also believed that Mr Hilton had been in bad mental health for some time. So here we have two men who apparently both had health problems. One was losing his home and spoke desperte words that others felt threatened by, but did not carry out his threats. The other one was fed up with having to go to the food bank and being unable to pay his bills and did not threaten but took desperate action. One is now in detention and has lost his home. The other one’s claims were reinstated and backdated. Mr Hilton – the man in detention – is a victim, not a criminal. He deserves leniency.737 of 800 SignaturesCreated by Angelina Souren
-
The Misery behind bacon.Today's factory farms are a living hell for pigs and other animals", says PETA Associate Director Mimi Bekhechi. Pigs, who are as sociable and intelligent as dogs, are abused in ways that would be illegal if dogs or cats were the victims. Pigs are more intelligent than dogs and used to live wild in Britain. Now they are kept locked in prisons for meat. Instead of being free, with a right to a natural existence, more than 90 per cent of piglets are factory farmed. In investigations of farms all over Britain, Viva! exposed diseased, dead and dying animals. In almost every fattening unit was glaring neglect and indifference - broken legs, abscesses, ruptured stomachs, animals coughing with pneumonia, others panting from meningitis, cuts and lacerations from the perforated metal on which they are forced to live. One farm investigated in Yorkshire - which supplied major supermarkets - looked almost derelict, with junk and debris everywhere and only an array of grimy windowless sheds as the give away to what it farmed. An overpowering stench of ammonia and faeces was overwhelming. There was no light inside but a cacophony of noise - a scrambling and clattering of animals in fear. The camera lights revealed baby pigs in barren metal pens and the noise was their feet on the bare metal floors as they charged to get away. There were so many of then that there was no place to go or hide. This near darkness, these utterly barren, sterile conditions is their home for over a month - about one-fifth of their lives. One pig had a broken leg, others were stunted and suffering from 'scabby pig' from which they will almost certainly die. Some were lame, others had deformed spines. Outside in a rusting trailer was a pile of rotting corpses, discoloured and bloated from days of decay were half submerged in putrid rainwater. In the 'second stage grower' pen, there were around 200 large pigs in an area of about 10m by 12m. Overcrowding is typical of this industry. The pigs squealed and screamed, biting in their desperation to be let out. The pigs are killed at about five months old for sausages, bacon, ham and pork. The 'breeding stock' - the pigs kept to produce the piglets which are killed for meat - usually give birth in a small farrowing crate on a concrete or perforated metal floor. A Viva! investigation of a Tesco supplier exposed mother pigs with ulcers and infections in cages inches bigger than their bodies; maggots crawling over dead piglets and starving, dying animals. Sows have strong maternal feelings and would normally spend days building a nest of leaves or straw. In a crate they cannot do this and so lapse into stereotyped behaviour where they repeatedly try to build a nest in their barren cell. The bars on the crates stop the mother pigs from being able to move - they cannot take a step forward or back or turn around. This causes the pregnant animals to ache all over and many have back and leg problems. The bars also stop them from reaching their babies when they give birth, although the babies can reach their mother's teats to suckle. The piglets are taken away early at about four weeks old and kept in the fattening units. Five days after her piglets are taken away, the sow is made pregnant again and the whole misery-go-round continues.309 of 400 SignaturesCreated by Lin Kirby
-
Tell Northern Rail they can't Silence the PressOn Monday 23rd June, a peaceful protest by members of Sheffield Disabled People Against The Cuts and Barnsley Retirees Action Group was broken up by British Transport police. The protesters were taking part in the Freedom Ride, a long-running protest against cuts to free travel provision in South Yorkshire. Witnesses report that the police used heavy handed tactics. One witness, Jen Dunstan, of Sheffield Disabled People Against the Cuts, said: “Dozens of elderly and disabled people have been left with bruising. Some have cuts where their skin has broken from being pushed and shoved. “A placid and calm gentleman was roughly manhandled. I am angry and shocked. The police are meant to protect elderly people.” A journalist from the Sheffield Star was present, and tried to video events on his phone. He was ordered to erase footage he’d recorded on his phone because he did not have permission to film on private property inside Sheffield station. When he initially resisted the request and continued to film, he says he was told he could be arrested under terror laws. A statement from Northern Rail said: “Members of the media must have written permission from the train operator which manages the station before undertaking any filming on station property. Under no circumstances are Northern Rail employees to be filmed without prior agreement from the Northern Rail press office.” Fortunately, other witnesses were able to video the behaviour of the police on Northern Rail's property. The treatment of the elderly gentleman can be seen here:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Svv9YcyZ6Os&list=UUiZU8ySSrpSg-qhR3BsYSSQ Many people who view this video will think that this treatment is disproportionate for an old man accused of fare-dodging, especially when he is taking part in a legitimate peaceful protest. In the video, five burly police officers are pinning the elderly gentleman down so that he cannot move, despite no visible signs of protest or resistance from him. It is not within the rights of Northern Rail, or any other organisation, to try to ban filming on their premises, when that filming clearly shows a questionable activity taking place with the collusion of that organisation. It is anti-democratic to try to silence the press in this way. Please sign this petition to force Northern Rail to retract their statement, and issue an apology that recognises the right of journalists and the public to film wherever they wish when a breach of a person's rights is taking place.95 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Murray Cowell
-
Polling stations - outdated?For the future of our democracy, to enable & encourage more people to partake in elections ,8 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Patricia Davies
-
Get LUIS SUAREZ out of livepool and ENGLANDHe is a bad role model to all, especially children who follow the sport. he is not fit to wear a league football strip in this country and get the disgraceful pay packets they get.7 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Sean Ludford
Hello! We use cookies to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. Find out more.




