In June this year I visited the Lebanon. Whilst there I saw destitute refugee women and children begging on the streets, and I met young Syrians fleeing from their country. When I asked a teenager whose leg was bandaged whether he was studying, he shook his head. By way of explanation he told me he was from Syria. He raised his hands to his chest and gestured a broken heart as he said this. The UNHCR has confirmed that there are now over 3.2 million refugees from Syria. Over half are children. Most are in situations that are not sustainable in the long term. 80,000 refugees alone live in Zaatari, one of the world's largest refugee camps in the desert of Jordan. These are people who have lost loved ones, experienced violence and are unable to return to the places where they grew up and the lives that they had before. They are seeking safety. In her recent TED talk, the UNHCR's Melissa Fleming said that the average time a refugee spends in exile is 17 years. When we could be offering some thousands the chance of safety and education and a future in the UK, 'to thrive not just survive' as Melissa Fleming puts it, we are choosing not to do so. In January this year, the UK announced a commitment to resettling the most vulnerable Syrian refugees but since then we have resettled just 50. (4000 Syrians in total since the war began according to Home Office figures). By contrast Germany and Sweden sheltered 42,000 refugees last year. The UK's commitment to resettlement is not enough if we are not prepared to help people get here. I am calling on the leaders of the main political parties to show compassion and commit the UK government to giving resources to transport Syrian refugees here and fund their resettlement in the UK. Each person sheltered can be a life changed for the better. Let us lead the way and work with European countries to care for some of the victims of this devastating conflict. (Picture is of 3 year old Aisha Nour from Azaz, Syria, outside the container in which she and her family live at the 'Container City' refugee camp in Oncupinar, Turkey. Photograph by Sam Tarling.) More information: Refugee Council news 'UK resettles just 50 refugees from Syria' http://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/latest/news/4144_uk_resettles_just_50_refugees_from_syria You can see UNHCR's Melissa Fleming's TED talk here http://www.ted.com/talks/melissa_fleming_let_s_help_refugees_thrive_not_just_survive?language=en

It is morally reprehensible to allow fellow humans to die when we are able to save them. Turning our backs on desperate people to let them die is not something that we would do as individuals and we shouldn't do this as a country. No research or evidence has been offered to back up the argument that current search and rescue causes a pull-factor. The issue needs to be addressed by resolving the issues at the root that put our fellow humans in the situation where they are willing to risk life and limb, simply letting them drown will do nothing other than killing people.

-The steps are an iconic place. They have been used extensively by demonstrators. For instance, in the run up to the Scottish Independence Referendum, the steps were widely used by both "Yes" and "No thanks" campaigners. -The steps are popular. Many people use them as a place to sit, eat their lunch, socialise and listen to buskers. -There aren't many places in Glasgow City Centre to sit. Apart from George Square, there really isn't anywhere you can sit. -The steps provide excellent views over Buchanan Street and beyond. These views are captured by local photographers and artists.

The Lake District is a National Park, renowned for its outstanding beauty worldwide. It would be a travesty & contravention to many LDNP operatives, set back in 2007, in a document named LAKE DISTRICT NATIONAL PARK LANDSCAPE CHARACTER ASSESSMENT AND GUIDELINES, between the LDNPA, National Trust, Friends of the Lake District & Natural England, all of who are responsible for looking after the English Lake District. There might well be room for a new Zip Wire Development in the Lake District, but beautiful Lakeland Valleys should not be part of this plan. There are already 3 or more zip wire developments in the Lakes, which are based in new woodland, planted for growth, where noise generated is muffled by the surrounding environment. Should such an idea be considered, then surely this type of location is more suitable than a quiet & tranquil valley such as Greenside above Glenridding. The National Park themselves have already stated in their planning advice statement issued to the company concerned in April 2014 that they have significant concerns, including • The impact of development upon the landscape and character of the area • Access, traffic, travel and safeguarding the rights of way network • The impact of development upon the Scheduled Ancient Monument • The impact of development upon contaminated land • The impact of development upon ground stability and conditions • The impact of development upon the residential amenity of nearby dwellings (e.g. as a result of noise) • Ecological impacts (particularly impacts upon the SAC and the SSSI) Given that the land on which the starting point of the Zip Wire is proposed is owned by the Lake District National Park authority it is surely sensible for them to stop this idea now before it develops any further. Glenridding is supported in its entirety by the tourist trade - walkers, climbers, runners, mountain bikers, day trippers, and wedding parties - this list is not exhaustive. All of these people come to this area of the Lakes due to its peace, tranquillity and beauty. To introduce a THRILL seeking ride would change drastically the appeal of this area of the Lakes. Undoubtedly it can be argued that some new visitors would arrive in the valley & village, but many other existing visitors would be turned away. However it is not the perceived economic downfalls or benefits that should be the controlling factor here, it should more so be the reality that Glenridding & the English Lake District is one of the most beautiful mountainous areas in the world. People travel from all over the world to come & see it for its natural beauty, peacefulness, manicured farmland & raw nature that is & has been preserved by organisations such as the National Trust, LDNPA, FOLD etc, funded many years ago by people, such as Beatrix Potter & others, to keep this beauty & way of living for all to enjoy. Add this to the fact that many of the local people do not want such a development & there are also houses at the bottom of the valley who would be greatly affected. There are a house & hostels at the top of the valley who would also be directly affected (4 zip wires running directly over or within 25m's of their properties at a frequency of every 5 to 10 minutes as quoted by Mike Turner of Tree Top Treks). It is also worth mentioning the charity organisation who brings under privileged children from city environments to teach them about respecting nature and which may well face eviction from its current home to make way for the Zip Wire. Then there are all the other walkers, climbers & other valley & mountain users who will be affected. There is also the obvious issue of the massive amount of extra traffic to be generated on a stated bridleway (not road) - at least one large mini-bus/land-train every 20 to 30 minutes – this on a bridlepath the National park themselves have been looking to reduce traffic on with local residents in the last few years. Then there is the massive noise disruption and pollution to the valley, the people who live in it & use it, and the bird & animal populations. The list of practical and tangible issues and objections is endless. Overall though the fundamental point remains - such a proposed development is certainly not in keeping with any of the surrounding environment & it is on these grounds & these grounds alone that ANY zip proposal, let alone a Mile long set of 4 parallel Zip Wires should never be considered for Glenridding, or any other such Lakeland Valley or area.

The Government proposes to widen the A303 trunk road to the south west. This road crosses the iconic Stonehenge World Heritage Site (WHS), which has been called “the most archaeologically significant land surface in Europe”. The whole site, extending to beyond the horizons around the famous stones themselves, is c. 5.4 km across. All of it makes up a “huge ancient complex” that holds many secrets yet to be discovered. The proposal is to put the road into a tunnel where it passes the stones, but the tunnel would be at most only 2.9 km long. This would result in at least 1.6 km of above-ground 21st-century road engineering within the WHS, consisting of new dual carriageway descending in massive trenches to the tunnel portals and possibly a new underpass with slip roads on the western WHS boundary. Archaeology in the construction zones would be destroyed and the A303 would become the largest ever human intervention in an area fashioned and revered by over a hundred generations of our ancestors. The whole Stonehenge landscape has an outstanding universal value that is of immense significance for all people for all time, and this transcends any consideration of sorting out a 21st century part-time traffic jam. ------- International visitors who want to support the campaign, please visit the campaign website here: http://stonehengealliance.org.uk/our-campaign/petition/ where you will find the running total. ------- The photograph of Stonehenge in its landscape setting is courtesy of Jon Westra

Because this is an experiment and there is no proof that it is working in the very limited way it is being operated in pilot areas at present. The IT systems on which it relies are not ready or fit for purpose. Yet it is to be extended nationally next year. DWP staff, poorly trained, are already stretched beyond the point where they can deliver an efficient and humane service. And it is about the finances of the poorest, most vulnerable and least resilient people in our society.

We need to know the correct statistics for unemployment, so that the people of the UK know the correct amount of people who truly are unemployed!

We believe the building is of an historic and social importance.

They are to the best of my knowledge the only producer of guaranteed nut free bakery products available in the UK's big supermarket chains. The decision to remove this status will mean that anaphylactic customers who have traditionally made up a significant proportion of their customer base (and who adore their cakes etc) will be at risk of potentially fatal allergic reactions should they continue to use their products after the change.

People with disabilities are being denied grants enabling them to obtain adapted vehicles yet the company is rich. Are the disabled being ripped off with the price they pay to Motability and are they not receiving a fair discount that Motability receive from manufactures. Read more here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2789975/motability-boss-paid-1million-bonuses-sparking-calls-parliament-investigate.html

It is important that everyone in the country feels they have an equal stake in society based on merit, rather than the current system of hereditary rule, where the highest political office that one could aspire to as head of state, is based purely on being born into the house of Windsor, therefore negating meritocracy and democracy as irrelevant.

This site provides a unique opportunity for a high quality development with a variety of social and cultural uses that reflect the special nature of the Bloomsbury and Covent Garden neighbourhoods. It also offers an opportunity for desperately needed housing and public open space. Instead, the developers propose a huge expansion of an already large building to provide mainly offices and bland chain retail outlets with minimal housing included. This proposal breaches Camden's own planning brief while the scale of the building, expansion of the upper floors and tower on Museum Street will overwhelm the British Museum and St George's Church opposite as well as the delicate scale of the neighbouring streets. Camden Council should reject this crude, bog-standard and greedy development and push for a smaller scale and more interesting use in line with their brief and planning policies. Objections can also be made on Camden Council's planning website under application number 2014/5946/P. http://planningrecords.camden.gov.uk/Northgate/PlanningExplorer17/GeneralSearch.aspx