• Qualified teachers for every child
    Qualified teachers have completed a rigorous training programme which ensures they hold appropriate prerequisite qualifications and that they are prepared for and have met national standards to teach. Following the Michael Gove's change, there are now no safe guards in place to ensure children have appropriately trained and qualified teachers. This flies in the face of international research and best practice which shows the best education systems have teachers who have completed lengthy and rigorous pedagological training.
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    Created by Steph Ladbrooke
  • Provide NHS dental care for new patients in Kirklees
    Many are being forced to go private in desperation, but even private dental provision is nil at the moment in Kirklees, so they have to go out of area. Health suffers, and many are in pain or despair. I recently broke a tooth very badly, but it took me three weeks to find a PRIVATE dentist well out of the area who would treat me. I know of others in other areas who have waited 18 months to get on an NHS dental list and have a 90 mile round trip. One such was examined and told the earliest NHS appointment she could have was in 3 months' time, by which time the tooth was in such a state it had to be extracted.
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    Created by Margaret Georgiadou
  • Tenants of rented accommodation; 'second class citizens?'
    I am one of those unfortunate people who - through no direct fault of their own - have 'lost their home'. For over 'fourteen years' (following on from buying our house/10 years) we have rented 'four' different houses. All of them - particularly the first 'three' came with a bizarre range of difficulties and problems culminating with us having to up- sticks and move on to somewhere less troubled! Our problems included immense noise problems, drug busts by the police to our immediate neighbours, racist remarks, drunkenness, barking dogs, failure of landlord to hold to the Tenancy agreement, theft, anti social behaviour: and blatant promises (by Estate Agents) of improvements that never materialised and so on. (I have detailed documentation on most of these difficulties). I often feel that renting tenants (particularly 'private' tenants) are 'used' primarily to pay the mortgage on the landlords second, third (etc) house but with 'nothing' in return beside broken promises and a very 'poor' service all round! The TV channels are currently running repetitive adverts on 'landlords insurance' but nothing is seen about the much needed 'tenants insurance'; this insurance should be included as a part of the rental agreement. I have often been made to feel like a second class citizen with little or no rights on many occasions. Surely, even if only to attempt to bridge the increasing gap (chasm) between the haves and the have-nots'- their should be made available a strict set of rules for 'landlords'. Rules which would protect tenants, provide us with a fair say on renting issues without the fear of reprisals or evictions, and to discontinue the poor practise of 'money for nothing' for bad landlords.
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    Created by RANDOLPHE PALMER
  • RETURN US TO REAL NURSING
    I want to be able to deliver the best possible Holistic care to my patients their family friends and carers. As a health professional it is important to me to know that my patients feel they are listened to and not just a person on a "conveyer belt" and to inspire confidence in my great profession of NURSING. I greatly admired the work of Claire Raynor who was relentless in her campaigning for the NHS. I have returned to nursing practice after a 20+ break from clinical practice and as a trained nurse am frustrated that I am spending a high percentage of my time on duty completing paperwork with many details being repeated many times, this is a harder but not smarter way in terms of time management and directly impacts on the quality time spent talking to my patients and actually listening to them. The thing that most concerns me is the fear instilled in my colleagues of litigation and complaints and this appears to be the uppermost thought in their mind when they arrive on duty. My understanding is that the NHS is now big business and needs to generate income it needs someone like yourself to get involved with a no holds barred attitude. We seem to be dealing with complaints or fear of complaint that it is almost impossible to do the Job! I do know that we have to embrace change but as we are ALL IN THIS TOGETHER as the current government continues to tell us we still have this problem of all agencies involved in Holistic patient care not sharing information. Please help. Sue Abnett
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    Created by Sue Abnett
  • Children's Medicines
    The ingredients listed in most medicines, are actually harmful for children so seriously that they can cause death or kidney damage or cancer. It is unecessary for so many chemicals, artificial - colourings, flavourings, preservatives to be used, especially when natural versions are just as effective and not as harmful.
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    Created by Annalisa Welsh
  • Please sign this petition to help the elderly people of this country.
    Since the pensions and earnings link was cut in 1980 by the then Thatcher Government, the State pension has severely declined in value because increases have been linked to the lower inflation rate, and not the much higher national average wages. Due to this policy, todate, millions of elderly people live in poverty due to among other things, excessively high Utility charges, and the price of food in shops. There are 12 million pensioners in Britain, and 1 in 5 live in poverty, with millions having to make choices between heating their homes and buying food. I have long believed that the younger people of this country have a duty to stand and be counted on behalf of the old, not least because if it had not been for our war veterans, none of us would likely be around today, but also because what's happening to the old today, is going to happen to the young when they are old. The State pension in this country is a national disgrace, yet means testing pensioners for equally disgraceful State handouts is costing 20 times more than a better and higher basic State pension. The thing is we can spend £9.1 billion a year in overseas aid, plus fight foreign wars, plus sending £50 million a day to the EU, yet we are told by our Government ministers that we can afford to pay our pensioners a decent level of State pension. I say that what's being said is rubbish. The reality is that the right wing Governmnent's we British have constantly elected over the past 3 decades, simply do not believe in the State pension, or the role of the State, they believe in private pensions, and privatisation, hence the cuts now. Today, critics will ask "why should richer pensioners also receive a much higher basic State pension ?". The answer is simple, "because they also have paid in all their working lives". The State pension should not be based on "need", it should be paid as a "right" for all UK pensioners. Also, remember, means testing pensioners for State handouts is via the beaurocratic paperwork involved, is costing 20 times more than a decent increase in the State pensions. It is also harrowing to know that Cold kills 180 British pensioners a day during winter. Britain has 12 million elderly people. “”Nine elderly people died every hour from cold-related illnesses last winter against a background of soaring energy bills. Official figures show the number of deaths linked to cold over the four-month period reached 25,400 in England and Wales, plus 2,760 in Scotland. Charities and energy company critics claim the UK has the highest winter death rate in northern Europe, even worse than much colder countries such as Finland and Sweden. Winter worries: More than 300,000 UK pensioners have died of cold related illnesses since 1997 There are fears the toll could rise this year following a recent barrage of price rises that may frighten elderly people into not turning on their heating. Heated issue: Pensioners see rising fuel bills and worry about whether they can afford to warm the house While the UK death rate is high, the total was down by around 30 per cent compared with 2008/9 because there were fewer flu outbreaks, according to the Office for National Statistics. Also the Coalition government has cut the last administration’s Winter Fuel Allowance payments of £250 for pensioners and £400 for those over 80, by £50, but nothings been said about it via the media. ENERGY BILL RISES Energy providers have announced big rises in prices this winter. • Scottish Power is increasing electricity bills by 8.9 per cent. • Scottish & Southern Electricity is putting up gas by almost 10 per cent. • British Gas announced a 7 per cent rise on gas and electricity Michelle Mitchell, director of the charity Age UK, said:'It’s still unacceptable that in this day and age tens of thousands more older people die in this country every winter from the effects of the cold weather. 'As another winter sets in, plummeting temperatures will once again spell misery, ill-health and, in some cases, even death for too many people in later life across the country. 'The simple fact that the UK has one of the highest winter mortality rates in Europe – higher than even Sweden or Finland – makes it clear this is very much a home-grown problem. The fact is the UK’s elderly have seen their living standards plummet since the 80’s, and as a result millions of pensioners have and are living in poverty, after paying taxes and N.I. Contributions into the system all their working lives, ie for 30, 40, and 50 years. And the same thing is going to happen to young people also, if things don’t change for the better soon in this country. Please sign my petition.
    515 of 600 Signatures
    Created by Michael Thompson Picture
  • Declare the Arctic an International Park off limits to Exploitation
    Because we are at The Tipping Point, ie close to the point of no return, it is patently obvious to all and everyone who has some concern for their environment that change is 'HERE' and unless and until we recognise it and are willing to do something about it we are doomed to disaster, the most obvious sign is the 'WEATHER' It cannot have escaped peoples notice that it is now completely unpredictable, OIL is one of the main reasons for this, it is a fuel burned and leads to 'GREENHOUSE GASES' trapped in the atmosphere, cutting down the tropical rainforests where much of these are stored releases more and upsets the balance in our 'ECOSYSTEM', causing the Gulf Stream to slow down before it reaches our shores hence the meeting of colder air and setting off changeable and uncontrolled weather conditions
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    Created by Paul Lane
  • Say YES to Newark Hospital
    All patients (50,000) from the Newark district have to travel a minimum of 25 miles to a hospital when we had a perfectly good service given by our own hospital in the town. The A&E as been down graded to what is known locally as a Bumbs & Bruises (B&B). The front line staff numbers have been cut. All this was done we believe without full consultation. Finally lives are being put at risk because of time and distantance and lack of ambulance cover. We are asking Andrew Lansley for a full review without sucess.
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    Created by Vic Hall
  • Better Reduce, Reuse, Recycle in Scottish Schools
    Without effective education everything from anti litter work to kerbside recycling to in house waste reduction strategies are undermined. If recycling facilities are not evident in a key area such as a playground it contradicts the message that recycling is important. Also misses an opportunity to establish lifelong recycling habits in children in the long term and improving current recycling rates by getting children to 'push' their parents into recycling right now. Plus recycling bins probably do more to encourage anti litter attitudes than litter bins on their own, and recycling can lead to reuse and waste reduction at source. The teaching and practice of the 3Rs is tremendously inconsistent from school to school - some issues such as playground recycling need to be mandatory, but we also need a national survey to help identify best practice and teaching and make it the standard. See www.scottish.parliament.uk/GettingInvolved/Petitions/playgroundrecycling
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    Created by Les Wallace
  • Keep the National Public Pay Rates
    This government will be looking at ending National Public Pay Rates and as part of this the public service staff working in poorer areas of the country will be payed less. It is important to note that this will have a huge negative impact on all people from both public and private sectors. There needs to be a strong case made against these plans and this petition is the starting point. We the people need to show the government that we won't accept the scrapping of National Public Pay Rates. We need to stand up together and make our voices heard. Getting rid of the National Public Pay Rates will only bring serious inequality and undermine both public and private sector. Most large private companies set equal pay rates across the country because it is fair, consistent and organised. The public sector pay system should remain as it is. There are already measures in place within the current system that allow for higher pay in areas such as London. Reducing the pay of people in the most deprived areas of the country is absolutely wrong and abhorrent! It just shows how disconnected and out of touch this government is. The private sector needs to improve its pay rates and pensions in line with the public sector instead of the public sector reducing pay and cutting pensions. In addition to this petition if everybody writes to their MP then that will contribute to getting the message out. Getting rid of the National Public Pay Rates makes no sense. Reducing public sector pay in poorest areas will not make private companies increase pay but give them a reason to carry on paying lower rates. I fail to see how this will help the economy because who is going to want to move to the poorer parts of the country when you get payed less for doing the same job but potentially working much harder because society is unhealthier, because there will be an increase in mental illness in these deprived areas, an increase in drug and alcohol use, an increase in divorce and poorer education because the best teachers won't do the jobs in these areas. People will become trapped in poverty. Who spends the money in shops, restaurants, hair dressers and on building extensions to their homes etc??. . . Millions of public sector workers do and they won’t be able to afford to do this anymore so how does this help stimulate growth in the economy when business will lose so much income? The answer is that it does not. This will place further pressures on household incomes and cause a crippling blow to the economy. People from both the private sector and public sector from across all fields and areas of work should be standing up together and telling the government that we will not allow them to do this. There will be serious inequalities in health and social care and serious inequalities in education and that impacts on all of us. The gap of inequality and deprivation in society will grow exponentially and we must stop this from happening. People must see that this is just morally wrong and we all need to spread the word, use social networking, write to the papers, write to the MP’s and Prime Minister and join the movement 38 Degrees if they have not already. This must not be allowed to happen! We must tell George Osborne and this government that we are the people and you will listen to us. The bankers are protected with their immoral, ridiculous and indefensible bonuses because “if they are not allowed to have them then they might leave the country” I say let them leave! This clearly does not apply to the Nurses, Teachers, Fire fighters, Police Officers, Radiographers, Social Workers and all other public sector workers. Already public sector workers are expected to have a pay freeze, contribute more to their pensions, work for longer and receive less and now they can expect to be payed less for doing the same job in poorer parts of the country where demand on these hard working and valuable members of society will be greater. This makes me so very angry and I am sure that millions across the country feel the same. This government is out of touch and slowly but surely destroying the foundations of our society. It must stop and the people must make it stop! Please make your voice heard and sign the petition.
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    Created by James Osben
  • bring back Working Family Tax Credit for 16 hours or more
    The changes have resulted in approximately 250, 000 working FAMILIES losing a substantial part of their income, often as much as a quarter of total income. These are people who are working at poorly paid part time jobs, often because they are caring for children or are partially disabled or simply can't find full time work. The WTFC was introduced to make even low-paid work a worthwhile alternative to unemployment benefit. These people want to work and have shown that they can work. To penalise them is just wrong! My family of 5 have lost £300 of our £1050 earnings and now have to cope with an income of about £11,000 . With our son losing his £30 Educational Maintenance Allowance qwe are struggling to pay for his travel to college and see little future for his younger brother and sister other than whatever job they can get when they are 16. The poorest people in this country are now directly subsidising the wealthiest
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    Created by iain rendell