The government promised during the election to raise the minimum wage to £10.50 by 2024. Now they’re backtracking, and saying it will only be raised if “economic conditions allow.” That’s not good enough for the thousands of people in work who are struggling to make ends meet on the current £8.21 minimum wage. It’s not enough to cover rent, bills, or feeding their kids. We need to make sure that the Government fulfills their promise and raises the minimum wage.

Children are being left stranded all over Europe, living rough on the street, after fleeing their homes and being separated from their families due to war and violence. But it doesn't have to be this way - many of these children have aunts, uncles or grandparents in the UK that are desperate to take them in. But these family reunions are under threat. The Prime Minister’s new Withdrawal Agreement Bill, which sets out plans for the UK’s exit from the EU, has scrapped a previous commitment to protect child refugees after Brexit. The previous commitment stated that: “an unaccompanied child who has made a claim for international protection in a member state can come to the UK to join a relative” - and this has been recently dropped. We need to make sure that in amongst the Brexit chaos and political infighting these children don't slip through the cracks.

As shameful as it is to admit, I knew about the problems at The Edinburgh Fringe long before the stand I am making now. I've been going as a participant and punter since 2011 and have had first-hand experience for the exploitation, shocking work-practices and health and safety concerns that many people are bravely being open about. You only need to read some of the articles of people who say 'Cambodia have better working conditions than the fringe' https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/edinburgh-fringe-whistleblower-says-working-16020203 - or the amazing work Unite have done around holding individual venues such as C Venues to account (and even getting the University to withhold their venues). I attended the Fringe Society AGM in August 2019 with a clear question; In the Articles of Association, it lists the powers of the Fringe Society under point. 4.1.2 to ‘to educate, support, advise, and encourage those who participate in the Arts’, SUPPORT is the word I want to concentrate on here, because I feel that this has not been publicly fulfilled as dozens upon dozens of participants in the Edinburgh Fringe have publicly declared instances of low pay, being overworked, harassed, ill-treated, who knows how many are too frightened to come forward. For example the case of Shira Kaliski, who was quoted in the Sunday Mail that the conditions working in Cambodia are better than the Edinburgh Fringe; quoted as living off ‘slave wages’ ‘working 17 hour days’ sharing a room with 3 other people, no food, in the whole month, just three days off’. I have witnessed scenes working at the fringe myself, and implored to speak out. Why hasn’t the Fringe Society supported these people under this point, why has there been no public show of empathy, I understand that society directors are asked about things beyond their control, but this issue is under the articles of association, you may say this isn’t from someone who has directly contacted you, but I am happy to sit with Shona McCarthy and any board members, the board chair to tell you and show you evidence of exploitation, negligence and actions which I am reliable informed of as illegal, I’ve endured and so have others. The great things about the Fringe Society is that we can meet here today in a supportive space, where chief executives and participants respecting each other as equals, that will listen to one another and work supportively towards positive outcomes, that is something to be applauded and championed, so please can you respond to the point; are you aware of the conditions participants are made to work in, confirm that they are illegal and do you offer empathy? I have indeed met with Shona McCarthy and have had a very good conversation about how to work towards a positive solution. The Fringe Societies powers are limited, which may be part of the problem. This petition is to show that many Edinburgh Fringe Creatives and Workers need to know that the only public face of The Edinburgh Fringe actually understands the importance of the issue, can show empathy and work towards meaningful action with the organisations who are responsible.

Social care in the UK is in crisis. The cost of care is so high that over 400 people a week have to sell their homes to pay for their social care. It’s a scandal. For years the government's promises to fix our broken social care system have turned out to be empty words. Let's make sure the government finally sticks to its promise that no one should ever have to sell their home to pay for social care.

Its important for the well being of the patient when its serious I had Sepsis unsure if I would pull through & survive loved ones obviously are worried I was also given permission for my dog to see me much to my surprise having a loving pet also aids recovery I don't think profit on parking for visitors seriously ill or long term in hospital should have exorbitant parking charges a patient could be issued a free pass the nhs is for the people not making profit the charges should at least be much less plus a pass would allow the visitor to stay longer not keep looking at the time patients health should be considered visitors often bringing with the some magazines fruit or some food they enjoy lower the amount for visitors to pay plus not to penalise if their stay is longer than anticipated large hospitals on many levels isn't just a pop out extend your parking then go back in the patient should be put first before parking charges daily visitors could have a pass the nurse in charge of the ward will know regular visitors

We have endured 3 years of no government and yet we have continued to fund lazy, lack lustre politicians yet RCN, NIPSA and UNITE staff have lost a day’s pay rightly protesting unsafe staffing levels and lack of pay parity with the rest of the UK

This is causing people to have seizures and causes great distress and difficulties for people who struggle with seizures.

Having fled to this country for fear of her life in Burundi, this lady has achieved a successful marriage and a daughter of twelve years of age. This woman has applied for leave to remain in the UK, which has been granted by the court, appealed by the Home Office, successfully counter appealed by the High Court and again appealed by the Home Office. Her daughter, a British National will not be allowed entry into Burundi to visit her mother. Her husband likewise will not be allowed to visit his wife in Burundi. The family will be wrenched apart, the daughter and husband will suffer psychologically and the lady herself will no longer be the asset to the UK that she has been able to be. In economic terms alone, the cost to the taxpayer in funding the Home Office legal costs, the possible costs to the UK National Health Service in countering the psychological damage caused especially to the the daughter and the example set to the world of a dispassionate and uncaring, numbers driven immigration policy irrespective of the right to a normal family life must not be allowed

In 2018, the UK Government gave over £10 billion in subsidies and tax breaks to fossil fuel companies. We often accuse our politicians of doing too little to prevent irreversible, and runaway climate change. The truth is more alarming than that. A significant part of the UK fossil fuel subsidies identified by the commission is the 5% rate of VAT on domestic gas and electricity, cut from the standard 20%. There should be effective taxes placed on the biggest polluters and other measures put in place to ensure people across society have access to affordable, clean energy. The UK government hands over billions to the industries whose activities could render much of the earth inhospitable to human life. It is now universally recognised that climate breakdown poses an existential threat to humanity and habitat worldwide. Failure to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees will trigger crop failures on an unimaginable scale; a huge leap in the number and severity of extreme weather events, be they typhoons, floods, droughts; sea level rise that will engulf vast swathes of the planet; unprecedented migration; new conflict and diseases; and the mass extinction of flora and fauna. Yet 2018 saw a 2.7% increase in carbon emissions, the highest increase ever on record. We are going in the wrong direction, and the UK Government is fanning the flames of this fire. We call on the UK Government to end the fossil fuel subsidy at once.

More than 80% of the national newspaper market is dominated by just three companies. That means only a handful of people at the top of the companies control how most of our news is reported. Having a free press - where media companies have their own opinions - is important in a democracy. But when just a handful of views are represented by just a handful of companies, it can end up influencing the majority of the news read by millions of people every day. If you think massive powerful media companies need to be broken up so our media can have a fairer range of voices, add your name to the petition toady.

The people of this country cannot afford a US style insurance based health service, when so many people have existing health conditions that insurance companies wont cover, the NHS must remsin free as originally intended for the benegit of all regardless of income.

Boris Johnson wants to rule out any extensions to a Brexit transition period. He says this is to stop any delays, but really it just makes a no-deal Brexit more likely. Even though he’s just won an election, it doesn’t mean our Prime Minister can put our jobs, our access to medicines and our economy at risk just to score political points. Leave or Remain, none of us voted for a no-deal Brexit that could see our food standards at risk, our NHS struggling with price hikes to vital medicines, and job losses across the country.