Kevin Donovan of Defend the NHS says the following: You may have read in the press or online (or more likely may not have heard) about the major health data collection exercise which the government has initiated. Under changes to legislation, your GP can now be required to upload personal and identifiable information from the medical record of every patient in England to central computer servers at the Health and Social Care Information Centre. Once this information leaves your GP practice, your doctor will no longer be in control of what data is passed on or to whom. And private companies will be able to buy your information for just £1 (ONE pound!). This information will include diagnoses, investigations, treatments and referrals as well as other things you may have shared with your doctor including your weight, alcohol consumption, smoking and family history. Each piece of information will made identifiable by uploading it along with your NHS number, date of birth, post code, gender and ethnicity. Health data has always been collected* but this time it’s different. NHS England – the body now in charge of commissioning primary care services across England – will manage and use the information extracted by the Health and Social Care Information Centre for a range of purposes, none of which are to do with your direct medical care. These ‘secondary uses’ include patient-level tracking and monitoring, audit, business planning and contract management. Why should we worry? It seems clear that one hidden purpose of this exercise is to lubricate the galloping ‘marketisation’ of our health service, for example to allow health insurance companies to make huge profits from cherry-picking low risk patients for health cover. Over time, and as in the USA, if we can’t afford a health insurance premium (which is very likely if we are poorer and/or have any condition which may be expensive to treat) we won’t get free access at the point of need to medical care. It’s a nightmare! GPs’ hands are tied. They have been told it’s an offence not to provide the data. But patients can choose not to do so. How? Read these articles. In paragraph 4 you can download an opt-out letter for you to complete and use (template opt out letters for patients to use). http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/your-practice/practice-topics/it/eight-weeks-to-inform-patients-their-data-is-going-to-be-harvested-gps-warned/20004562.article#.UlF8er5wbmR http://medconfidential.org/how-to-opt-out/ http://opendemocracy.net/ournhs/phil-booth/your-medical-data-on-sale-for-pound http://medconfidential.org/2013/nhs-9-who-gets-to-see-your-information/ We doubt that many people know what’s happening – especially older patients and/or those without Internet access – so please distribute this information widely to your contacts and urge them to take action NOW. It’s OUR NHS not the government’s to sell off to their friends in the City. Thanks

Too many destructive decisions have been taken behind closed doors resulting in a budget deficit largely created by (at best) mismanangement, and the resulting closure or reduction in all the services the citizens value. The recent campaigns to Save The Edgar Street Trees, Libraries & Museums, Customer Services, social and health care, and other current campaigns we have also supported in the last year, have highlighted the items that the public consider most important to their society and the unholy debacle caused by a small cabal of councillors refusing to listen has resulted in a huge amount of anger and frustration. This campaign continues .... so please keep signing and sharing.

We believe that the actions of the current Government to implement very significant changes to the funding of schools by undermining and cutting out Local Authorities are leading to a centralisation of power, an undermining of democratic accountability and will greatly increase the costs of running schools through the lack of economies of scale and the pool of expertise which these Authorities provided. Far from being 'free' from Local Authority control schools are, in reality, in danger of losing Local Authority support - their expertise in finances, HR, legal issues, etc represents support delivered in a cost effective way and timely way. We deplore the Governments ideological approach to the question of education and its attitude towards professionals within the educational field. Above all we denounce the failure of the Secretary of State to listen to the opinions of senior educators, Trade Unions and parents. The Secretary of State for Education fails at every count to listen to others and we deplore the vision he has for education as outdated, undesirable and unworkable. His arrogant attitude has led to the tearing up of a Primary Curriculum agreed by the teaching professions, Government, Locals Authorities and parents and the proposal of a new secondary national curriculum opposed by his own advisers which then had to be completely revised. Furthermore changes mean that some 'state' schools now require a uniform costing over £200 and his proposals regarding free school meals will prejudice some small schools. These concerns are echoed by expert opinions such as those which follow below: The freedoms he claims are available only to free schools actually apply to state schools. But since he hardly ever visits ‘bog standard’ schools, he wouldn’t know that many of them buzz with innovation. The one freedom available to free schools, which no sane school leader would want, is the right to employ unqualified teachers ………It’s time Mr Gove came clean about his real agenda. One he does know is that free schools are ripe for takeover by global businesses seeking to make a profit from education.” (Dr Mary Bousted General Secretary, Assoc. of Teachers and Lecturers) “Gove wants us to believe that he is driven by a desire to get more children “to succeed academically.” I have never met a teacher who did not want children to succeed academically, but teachers know that there is a lot more to education than narrow academic success. The secretary of state has ridden roughshod over the views of parents, the concerns of teachers and the advice of academics.” (Brian Boyd. Emeritus Prof. Of Education) “If free schools are doing well (except for some!) because they are free from local authority control and can decide things for themselves, does that mean that Gove will now introduce a bill bringing the national curriculum to an end, instead of extending it, as he currently proposes, even including pressure on how to teach phonics ? The National Curriculum does not have to be taught in free schools or academies, anyway, so why impose it on local authority schools?” (Prof. Norman Thomas, St Albans)

Horizontal hydraulic fracturing, ‘fracking’, is a way of extracting oil and/or gas. Water, sand and toxic chemicals are injected at high pressure into underground rocks to shatter them. This releases the gas/oil which can be collected. But investing in carbon-intensive fossil fuels is a distraction from the need to decarbonise our electricity supply. And it's hazardous. Studies show that fracking pollutes water supplies (with arsenic and lead), causes earthquakes, and spoils local communities. And there are nightmare stories coming form the States. Like in the town of Dimock, PA, residents have reported their water turning so brown that it stains crockery. Their water was later found to contain methane, and a host of toxic chemicals. But it gets worse. "My son had sores up and down his legs from the water." " My daughter... would have to get out the of the shower and lay on the floor." Those are the words from Greg Saunter, a local resident, whose water supply was shut off for his own good. He cannot shower in his own home. Or drink water out of his taps. Fracking has ruined his life. It cannot happen here. We call on the council to preserve the quality of life of its residents, and reject all planning applications for fracking.

Men who have been given Abiraterone and have had the expectation of receiving Enzalutamide after Abiraterone failure, are now denied this potentially life saving treatment. They are now going to die!

Horizontal hydraulic fracturing, ‘fracking’, is a way of extracting oil and/or gas. Water, sand and toxic chemicals are injected at high pressure into underground rocks to shatter them. This releases the gas/oil which can be collected. But investing in carbon-intensive fossil fuels is a distraction from the need to decarbonise our electricity supply. And it's hazardous. Studies show that fracking pollutes water supplies (with arsenic and lead), causes earthquakes, and spoils local communities. And there are nightmare stories coming form the States. Like in the town of Dimock, PA, residents have reported their water turning so brown that it stains crockery. Their water was later found to contain methane, and a host of toxic chemicals. But it gets worse. "My son had sores up and down his legs from the water." " My daughter... would have to get out the of the shower and lay on the floor." Those are the words from Greg Saunter, a local resident, whose water supply was shut off for his own good. He cannot shower in his own home. Or drink water out of his taps. Fracking has ruined his life. It cannot happen here. We call on the council to preserve the quality of life of its residents, and reject all planning applications for fracking.

Because at present Great Britain is not a, DEMOCRACY. It is the mere sham of a 'democracy' where the political parties dominate the "Peoples Elected Parliament"; and this is unlawful. Read these two blogs to help you with clear information as to why this petition is important: http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/15882987-rigging-the-vote http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/15142253-create-a-true-democracy

The Banking Reform Bill re-treads the well-worn ground of ring-fencing banks’ risky investment operations from consumers’ money with Osborne threatening‘complete separation’ of banks’ different arms should they flout the new rules. He warned that there will be no more ‘too big to fail’ and that no government would ever again bail-out an entire bank. ‘When the RBS failed, my predecessor Alastair Darling felt he had no option but to bail the entire thing out. Not just RBS on the high street, but the trading positions in Asia, the mortgage books in sub-prime America, the property punts in Dubai,’ said Osborne. ‘I want to make sure that the next time a chancellor faces that decision they have a choice: to keep the bank branches going, the cash machines operating, while lettering the investment arm fail.’ LET USE KEEP OUR MONEY NOT THE RICH PEOPLE OUR COUNTRYS THEN MYBE WE CAN CUT TAX

Horizontal hydraulic fracturing, ‘fracking’, is a way of extracting oil and/or gas. Water, sand and toxic chemicals are injected at high pressure into underground rocks to shatter them. This releases the gas/oil which can be collected. But investing in carbon-intensive fossil fuels is a distraction from the need to decarbonise our electricity supply. And it's hazardous. Studies show that fracking pollutes water supplies (with arsenic and lead), causes earthquakes, and spoils local communities. And there are nightmare stories coming form the States. Like in the town of Dimock, PA, residents have reported their water turning so brown that it stains crockery. Their water was later found to contain methane, and a host of toxic chemicals. But it gets worse. "My son had sores up and down his legs from the water." " My daughter... would have to get out the of the shower and lay on the floor." Those are the words from Greg Saunter, a local resident, whose water supply was shut off for his own good. He cannot shower in his own home. Or drink water out of his taps. Fracking has ruined his life. It cannot happen here. We call on the council to preserve the quality of life of its residents, and reject all planning applications for fracking.

On the 23rd of May this year it was decided by a Sefton council cabinet meeting that Orrell, Ainsdale, Churchtown, Litherland, Aintree, Birkdale and Crosby libraries would close. Whilst community proposals to save Aintree and Birkdale are under consideration, the closure of all seven libraries is still going ahead. These libraries are focal points in our communities and are used by people of all ages. They introduce children to books and the wider world and help everyone to stay up to date on local affairs. They are a vital resource for every single resident of Sefton. The council say that they’re still open to community takeovers - but time is running out. We want Councillor Moncur to halt the closures of these local libraries, and ensure that these services are available for generations to come.

Global warming petition Global warming is causing extreme weather events around the world, costing an increasing number of lives each year. And unless drastic action is taken, at a local, national and international level, it is going to get a whole lot worse. Michael Gove has been forced by public outcry to keep climate change on the National Curriculum. But we need to keep the pressure on. The Global Warming song includes specific actions, such as “Stop oil, gas and coal being mined”. By promoting the song in schools, the Government could show that it is serious about taking constructive action, rather than just being full of greenwash. You are invited to sign the following petition, to keep the pressure on: “We call upon the Department for Education to promote the singing of the Global Warming song (see link and words below) in primary and secondary schools as a way of showing that the Government is serious about shrinking the national carbon footprint” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9g_Ucr4twQ&feature=youtu.be Global Warming Song (to the tune of ‘What can we do with the drunken sailor?’) Chorus: What can we do about global warming? What can we do about global warming? What can we do about global warming? Shrink our carbon footprint! 1. Walk, cycle, bus and train Car share, avoid the plane Holiday at home, learn to love the rain Shrink our carbon footprint! 2. Insulate homes and get them lined Stop oil, gas and coal being mined Use tidal, solar, wind and find we’ll Shrink our carbon footprint! Chorus: What can we do about global warming? What can we do about global warming? What can we do about global warming? Shrink our carbon footprint! 3. Organic, local, seasonal eating Recycle, mend, turn down the heating Share, cooperate, stop competing Shrink our carbon footprint! Watch out! The seas are rising Cry out! The seas are rising Bale out! The seas are rising Save our lovely planet! 4. Don’t believe the greenwash, keep on prying Tax millionaires, stop envy buying Climate change deniers, they’re all lying Shrink our carbon footprint! Chorus: We can do a lot about global warming We can do a lot about global warming We can do a lot about global warming Save our lovely planet! Lyrics by Oliver Swingler and Making Waves choir, Cullercoats, UK – Version 3 March 2013”

There is an organised campaign to email the minister to cut subsidies to wind just when we need to expand development and installation of this clean energy source. Nimbys across the UK will be adding their voices to make this appear like it has large support, but it doesn't and we need to show the minister that the majority want wind energy to be expanded, and for subsidies to be retained. The Nimby rentacrowd is on the case, we need to oppose them as strongly as possible if we are not to further lag behind the rest of Europe and the world in switching to renewable energy.