Donald Trump thinks he can choose seven times failed parliamentary candidate, professional bigot and amateur clown, Nigel Farage, to be our Ambassador to the USA. That is outrageous and not his choice. In order to reassert the democratic rights of the British people please install Michael Forbes as the UK Ambassador to the USA. Michael has shown his tenacious ability to stand up to Donald Trump's bullying time and again and as a former Scotsman of the year he has a stronger democratic mandate than Farage. To read up more about Michael's heroic stance see here: http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2012/12/anti-trump-farmer-michael-forbes-wins-scotsman-of-the-year-award http://fortune.com/2016/06/22/donald-trump-scotland-golf/ Please sign and share

Local Councils decide how many unaccompanied minors they will take in their area; that means that at a local level we can make a real difference for refugees and asylum seekers. THIS FRIDAY, 25th November 2016, the leaders of all the Local Authorities in Scotland will meet at COSLA, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, in Edinburgh. The transfer protocol for Unaccompanied Minors will be discussed. COSLA is “your local voice, nationally”. We want our local councils and COSLA to take courage from the fact that we support them welcoming refugees and asylum seekers to the area where we live. They need to hear from us this week. We hope you will encourage individuals to write directly to their local councillors as part of the campaign to Protect Refugee Children here: https://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/campaigning/protect-refugee-children The charity “Help Refugees” highlight concerns for the approx. 1000 vulnerable children and young people in accommodation centres across France who still have no information about what process lies in front of them. This uncertainty can cause children to take matters into their own hands, abscond and put themselves in danger. The campaign group Liberty remind us that child refugees endure violence and separation from family members; lose access to education, healthcare, the support of their communities and often face bleak and uncertain futures. Children seeking sanctuary across Europe face routine exploitation and abuse. Many have already disappeared into the hands of traffickers. Local and central government must work together to ensure the Dubs scheme fulfils its potential as a lifeline for some of Europe’s most vulnerable children. We recognise that there are young people in the UK who are homeless or about to become homeless. We do not believe it is a choice between these vulnerable groups, but rather that we protect them both. Could you become a foster carer? You can register your interest here: http://www.homeforgood.org.uk/what-we-do/responding-refugee-crisis You can also use this link to write to your local councilors, MPs and MSPs: https://www.writetothem.com

They have created a system of throw away workers who have no job security and who cannot get access to loans , mortgages or job training. All certificates, licences or training for any job has to be paid for by the worker out of whats left of their wages after they have had to pay for all the employers fees and pay the umbrella company just to be paid for the work they have done. These agencies and payment companies are taking hundreds of millions of pounds that hard working men and women have earned and lining their pockets while the people who have done the actual hard work are left to struggle day to day with no guarantee of work on a daily basis.

The toilet facilities at Corby Railway Station have become a farce. They consist of one mixed gender cubicle which is out of order 10 per cent of the time because of a design fault, that allows it to block up at least once a week - leaving everyone caught short. The smell of urine round the side of the station where men go to relieve themselves is disgusting and could be resolved with the introduction of a simple male urinal - like the ones found in every normal station

Centralising the service into 4 Hubs (likely to be Arrowe Park Hospital, Clatterbridge Hospital, Victoria Central Hospital and St Catherines Hospital) as a drop in service will have the following consequences: • Appointment times are likely to be longer especially at busy times. As a drop in service you will not know how long the appointment will take. • Increase travel time. • Exasperate the already difficult parking situation at Arrowe Park Hospital. • Increase costs (public transport or parking charges). The increased travel time and waiting time will have a negative impact on people taking time out from work and children taking time out of school for blood tests.

Wellbeing helps people across the community with weight loss, healthy eating, health checks, stopping smoking, training, isolation, setting up groups, support for those who need it. This is working, reducing Dr's visits helping people in the community to become part of the community.

In an emergency, every second counts. The cuts being proposed by Avon Fire & Rescue Service would compromise our ability to get to an emergency quickly and would limit our use of vital, specialist equipment to fight fires and rescue people. The cuts would mean the loss of 49 firefighter jobs, removal of full time cover at night from Yate Fire Station and downgrading vital aerial appliances and a heavy rescue tender which covers the motorway network. We know times are tight, but these cuts would compromise the safety of the public and of firefighters. Demand that public safety is put ahead of budget cuts. Please sign our petition and say NO to dangerous cuts. Thank you, Avon FBU.

More than 2000 people have initialed the board to say they like the use of this derelict space. Now the Council request that we remove everything. There are no declared plans for redevelopment yet and until there are, we request that the Community Garden remains. Daily users of the Royal Hill Community Garden range from parents and young children, people with dogs, professionals at lunchtime, retired people, unemployed people, and tourists. The garden offers a unique opportunity for participants to create an evolving environment which is both educational and therapeutic. There are 30 different types of creature ranging from rare stag beetles, woodlice, slugs, snails, ladybirds, spiders, bees, frogs, butterflies, moths and dragonflies, to a wren, robins, sparrows, magpies and woodpigeons. The security of local shops and neighbours has improved and footfall brings increased business to the area. Thousands of people are enjoying the existing garden and appreciate its contribution to the community.

The most important liberty of all is privacy, a right to operate in silence and in peace. Assuming no one is being harmed and everyone is innocent until proven guilty; I'd rank it above the freedom to speak. I wish to admit, but avoid, my republican nature in my argument and I think I can. I wish to remain polite and not be too crude. Unfortunately life is very much crude, and events are rarely polite. I cannot help but notice the masses around me suffering poverty under the guise of austerity. The sheer amount of charities that have sprung up, to cope with public services' duties. I feel this creates an air of "Us First", pitting poor against poor. Whilst those who are supposed to serve this kingdom do so well. This is aimed at our politicians and not a republican's slip. You have a chance to break with tradition and remind the world that "how we've always done it" is a terrible argument for a society that wishes to progress. As I'm sure you are well aware, Royal Assent has not been given in person since 1854 and has not been refused since 1707. I believe that breaking both of these records on the same day would send an important message through the ranks who support this bill, as well as to the people who oppose it. I fear that if you do not, Eric Arthur Blair may become the greatest prophet this country ever created. This comes from someone who hates clichéd tropes.

As it stands, the current Extradition Act between the UK and the USA will expose every British citizen to arrest and extradition by President Elect Trump's new Attorney General without UK judicial review. The human rights organization Liberty describes the injustice of the current extradition bill in detail here: https://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/campaigning/other-campaigns/extradition-watch

A greenway will increase cycling in Bournemouth and the surrounding areas, increase health and fitness, decrease congestion, lower pollution, decrease cyclist commuter time as well as shield them from cars, offer a scenic solution to help commuters escape urban Bournemouth, a greenway will make up for the areas lack of decent cycle infrastructure, greenways have also been shown to have a massive positive economic impact.

1. Existing grammar schools mainly benefit wealthier families. The vast majority of students sitting the grammar school entrance exams have private tuition for one to two years before the exam. This is unaffordable for low income families putting their children at a significant disadvantage when sitting entrance exams. 2. Consequently, Trafford grammar schools have very few students from low income families (receiving Free School Meals ). Whilst 19.4% of Trafford's students receive Free School Meals only 6.7% of the borough’s grammar schools do. The reason for the lack of FSM students at grammar schools is not that they are less intelligent than students from wealthier families; it is simply FSM families cannot afford private tutors to help them pass the grammar entrance tests. Importantly, these tests also include topics that are not taught in the National Curriculum at state primary schools, leaving those students whose families cant afford private tutors very much less prepared than those who can. 3. Furthermore, over four times as many children are admitted to grammar schools from private primary schools than children on free school meals. Private schools are not required to follow the National Curriculum and can therefore put much more time and resources into focusing on the grammar school entrance exams. 4. Since TRIES was established we are finding that more and more Trafford parents are against the expansion of selective education because of its impact on family stress levels and finances, its failure to meet the needs of children with special educational needs, and its judging 75% of those sitting the grammar entrance exams as failures at 11 years of age. One Trafford parent wrote to TRIES in 2016 outlining the stress and discrimination that Trafford's selective education system has placed on her family: "Despite being clever, and being tutored, my son failed, by five marks. He was 10 years and 6 weeks old when he took the exam and he says that he found it very stressful. (I’ve heard of children being sick as they wait in the queue to take the exam, because of the pressure to succeed.) My son may have just had a bad day, but now he is labelled a failure. Fortunately, he found the positive in the situation, “I didn’t really want to go there anyway, Mum.” However, he says that some of his friends who also ‘failed’ to make the grade now feel as though they are not very clever even though they are. These children are now 12 years old and have spent the first year of their secondary school careers feeling like failures. These are not necessarily children who are ‘less academic’ and will be better placed taking a technical career path (whatever that is supposed to mean). Lots of these children are bright, engaged and enthusiastic learners who want to do well. They just didn’t do as well in one exam, on one day when they were 10 years old. My son is a brilliant mathematician, a “maths genius” according to his maths teacher and he loves computing. His friend is a fantastic writer, but he struggles with his self-belief because he thinks he mustn’t be that clever… because he failed an exam. They will succeed though, but not because of the selective system. Any success they achieve will be in spite of it. But they will always carry the knowledge that they failed their 11-plus and that makes me sad. The selective system is divisive. This was demonstrated to me when we attended the open evening at our local grammar school, and the headteacher announced in his welcome speech that, “We only have the best of the best here.” I was appalled. What sort of message is this? If this is the message given in that school, the kids who go there can only end up thinking they are ‘better’ than others like my boy. How is this good for either set of children or for society? I have another younger son, currently in Year Five, who is dyslexic. I know that there is simply no point even considering entering him for the grammar school entrance exam as I know he would fail, despite being above average intelligence. It is my understanding that the grammar school makes no allowances for dyslexic children, such as extra time etc. This sends out a rather strong message that these children are not welcome. In Trafford children with SEN seem to be forgotten about, in favour of lauding our grammar school system. It feels very much like there is an ‘us and them’ situation in Trafford. Those parents whose children pass can feel somewhat superior, while those whose children don’t make it often feel resentful towards those who do. People won’t admit it, but that is the truth of the situation. It would be so much better if our children could attend an outstanding comprehensive where they could all receive the best standard of education, but without all the stress and division created by the selective system we experience in Trafford." Note: If you require access to the sources for the above facts please contact the petition administrator.