I have a tribunal appeal coming up 4th Feb 2016, after been found fit for work. Even though I had to take ill health retirement from my job of 17 years. Due to Psoriatic Athritis. All medical evidence was disregarded. The assessment process is purposely flawed to find people fit for work. It must be stopped as people are dying due to this. Please support me in my fight to end this governments agenda to destroy the benefits system. If anybody in the Halton area wishes to attend the tribunal, its being held at Runcorn Courts Halton Lea at 11am Thursday 4th Feb.

Current draft guidance from Ofcom (which would affect the coverage of private broadcasters such a STV) categorises four of the five parties currently represented in Holyrood as 'major parties', the Scottish Labour Party, SNP, Scottish Conservatives, & Scottish Liberal Democrats. The fifth party in parliament, the Scottish Greens, fall under the 'minor parties' category alongside UKIP. This is despite UKIP having no representation at Holyrood at any point in it's history. Since the parliament's inception five parties have been continuously represented, the five represented currently. To treat one of these parties as being in a tier below the rest, particularly given the Greens' strong polling over the last two years, would create an unfair and unbalanced broadcasting environment for the election.

It is imperative that the UK Government introduce respect for human rights and international law to UK Foreign Policy and safeguard national security by ending support for a regime which: i) exports a violent and intolerant ideology across the globe. ii) executes peaceful activists including those who were children at the time of their "crime". iii) is accused in a UN report of “widespread and systematic” attacks on civilian targets in violation of international humanitarian law in Yemen. By defending mass Saudi executions the Foreign Minister, Philip Hammond MP and the UK Government are damaging what little reputation remains of Britain as a country which values freedom of speech, democracy, human rights, the right of assembly and peaceful protest. UK Government policy does not represent British values but those of the brutal Saudi regime. As an apologist for Saudi Arabia's execution of peaceful protestors, Hammond is working in the interest, not of the British people but of the despotic Saudi monarchy. As David Mepham, the UK director of Human Rights Watch points out: "1. Phillip Hammond is an apologist for the death penalty. 2. Phillip Hammond believes that execution by beheading for political protests is an acceptable form of punishment. 3. It doesn’t matter how low Saudi Arabia sinks in order to stifle protests against their barbaric regime, Phillip Hammond will seemingly refuse to condemn their actions – even if their actions are relative to those of Daesh (ISIS)."* The UK Government has long prioritised arms sales and securing oil supplies above human rights and democracy, but the hypocrisy of condemning ISIS's horrific beheadings whilst defending Saudi Arabia's makes a mockery of the UK's claim to be a champion of "the free world". *http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-executions-philip-hammond-condemned-by-rights-campaigners-for-excusing-mass-killings-a6802641.html

The UK government's £130M tax deal with Google means that Google have effectively agreed to pay only a 3% corporation tax rate for the past 10 years. This is much lower than the 20% rate many other businesses have to pay in comparison. This is clearly unfair and demonstrates the UK government will treat rich powerful companies, who may benefit their political agenda, more favourably than those who have little or no influence. The secrecy of this deal is a cause of national concern and needs investigating by an independent body which has the power to veto it should due cause be found. Google is not alone in this. Other large multinational companies have found ways to avoid paying their fair share of taxes too. But if the Google tax deal can be stopped in its tracks, this could also prevent similar unfair arrangements being made with them. Margrethe Vestager, the European Union Competition Commissioner, is reported to have offered to launch an investigation into this Google tax deal if requested. By signing this, we are jointly asking her to do so on behalf of all the honest UK tax paying public.

Lewes Crown Post Office is under threat. On January 19th Post Office Ltd announced plans to franchise 39 of its branches, and close three. Lewes Post Office is on the list of those to be franchised once a suitable retailer is found. This franchising is not for our benefit. Lewes is a busy Post Office. Customers will be all too clearly aware of the queues frequently experienced at peak times. Basically, the Post Office wants to sell the valuable Victorian building that our branch is housed in. Putting it into a local shop, will lead to longer queues, less services offered, and an all round inferior service, which will affect businesses and individual customers. Anyone who has visited Ringmer Post Office will be aware of this kind of service. Our Post Office has been on the same site for over 100 years. We have to stop this move. Thank you

We have been made aware that there is a final opportunity for comments of support for this project to be made either via this petition, the Council website or to the Planning Officer at the following address: [email protected] +++++ Rydym yn ymwybodol bod cyfle olaf i gyflwyno sylwadau o gefnogaeth i'r prosiect hwn naill ai drwy arwyddo'r ddeiseb hon, drwy wefan y Cyngor neu drwy ddanfon neges at y Swyddog Cynllunio ar y cyfeiriad canlynol: [email protected]

The signatories of this petition regard peaceful, direct action as a political right & believe that poeple are entitled to non-violent political protest, as inferred by rights under Article 19 & Article 20 [1] of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Article 19 Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. Article 20 1. Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

As of January 2016 the V&A Museum will stop employing new museum staff directly. All new staff (from Gallery Assistants to Curators) will now be employed through the museum’s own trading company V&A Enterprises Ltd. This ‘in-house’ backdoor privatisation is presented by the museum as a cost saving exercise and a consequence of declining budgets. Their savings will in effect be made by removing access for new staff to the Civil Service Pensions and Compensation Schemes as well as employing new starters on reduced terms & conditions (maternity & sick pay are especially affected), and preventing new staff’s access to union recognition and collective bargaining. The trade unions currently recognised by the V&A are: PCS, Prospect, & FDA. PCS created this petition. Although the museum has committed to ‘review’ future union recognition in the Enterprises company; so far management have consistently refused to enter into negotiations with the unions over this matter, arguing that only new employees would be affected, not existing members of staff. However, this decision can only lead to a two-tier workforce, exacerbating inequalities between V&A staff and before long undermining the rights of the current workforce.

Often, in various store or private car parks in Greenock / Inverclyde, where there are insufficient 'blue badge' parking bays anyway, there are no disabled parking bays left for disabled drivers due to them being used by drivers not displaying a 'blue badge' who deliberately ignore the signs! I am disabled with a 'blue badge' and often have to walk long distances to the stores' entrance because of this!

This would be a far fairer system and would add millions/trillions to the government coffers.

With the latest round of funding cuts, comes the threat by Wirral Council to decommission a vital health service that works with vulnerable and hidden diverse communities, the BME Health Improvement Service. The service was commissioned by Public Health in 2013 to respond to the issue of poor uptake and representation of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities in mainstream health improvement services, despite BME communities having disproportionate levels of ill health compared to the general population. If the service is decommissioned the Council will breach it’s Public Sector Equality Duty (section 149 of the Equality Act 2010) and fail to meet the diverse needs of BME communities and fail to address the issue of disproportionately low participation in mainstream services. The service has been a hugely successful one, overachieving in its reach to Wirral’s diverse communities and positive health improvement outcomes for those accessing the service. The project has; engaged with 2,402 BME residents via health campaigns, provided level 1 health intervention (brief advice and signposting) to 1,286 and level 2 health intervention (reported health improvement and referral to specialist service) to 640 BME residents. 83% of interventions resulted in improved health and wellbeing via EQ5D and sWEMWBS (Public Health endorsed tools to measure health outcomes). The project engages with new BME residents year on year and there is need now more than ever for such a service with the new influx of communities arriving in Wirral, including refugee and asylum communities, which the Council has a duty to support. Local BME charities see over 4000 new BME residents a year. BME communities are faced with multiple barriers which prevent them from accessing services, including; language, culture, unawareness of their rights and entitlements and what services are available locally. A ‘one size fits all’ service fails to meet the needs of vulnerable and diverse communities and will result in BME residents’ health deteriorating, an increase in undiagnosed health issues and it will ultimately cost the NHS more when these BME residents present at crisis point within NHS hospital services. #WirralBMEhealthinequalities #BMEcommunitiesmatter

As reported by the BBC, The Times, The retail Gazette, This is Money and other media outlets, Holland & Barrett have recently demanded a 5% cost reduction from all of its suppliers: Holland & Barrett accused of squeezing suppliers: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-35347578 Holland & Barrett attempts to “smash-and-grab” from suppliers http://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2016/01/holland-and-barrett-attempts-to-smash-and-grab-from-suppliers Most of Holland & Barrett's suppliers are new companies starting out or small companies and this is a typical case of a large corporate bullying small businesses. While portraying a friendly face to the public, it appears that Holland & Barrett are using their position to unfairly request that suppliers lower their prices and also foot the bill for a £3m investment in security tagging and high definition CCTV for its stores. Despite making £146m in profit last year, the Health giant is squeeing it's suppliers dry. As the public we want to see small businesses supported and large corporates that are in positions of power, to act in a fair manner.