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Stop Referring to Migrants as 'Illegal'It has been almost forty years since the UN recognised that referring to migrants as 'illegal' is dehumanising, discriminatory, and above all, incorrect. Since 1975, the UN has used either 'undocumented' or 'irregular' to refer to migrants that 'do not fulfil the requirements established by the country of destination to enter, stay, or exercise an economic activity'. As Editor-in-Chief of the BBC Tony Hall has the mandate to implement this change and correct inaccurate reporting. The BBC continues to use the term 'illegal' with no justification. A headline as recent as 15 May 2014 reads: 'Illegal migration to EU rises by nearly half'. As a public service broadcaster and influential media organisation the BBC ought to abide by its own clear editorial guidlines that say: 'We...are committed to achieving due accuracy in all our output...Impartiality lies at the core of the BBC's commitment to its audiences'. Unfounded discrimination against migrants is a clear breach of these standards. Human Rights Watch recently observed, 'The term “illegal”...reinforces prejudices about nationals of a particular country or persons of a particular race.' The term incorrectly suggests that migrants are criminals and encourages prejudiced views about those individuals. Cecilia Malmström, European Commisioner for Home Affairs clarified the issue in 2010. She said, 'Let me be clear about my vocabulary...illegal migrants do not exist. People may come to the EU and might be required to use irregular ways...but no human being is illegal'. This petition supports the use of the word 'undocumented' instead of 'irregular' as 'irregular' retains connotations of otherness and deviation from a perceived norm, marking individuals as abnormal and continuing to estrange migrants. For more information see: http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/06/24/dispatches-why-we-should-outlaw-illegal http://picum.org/picum.org/uploads/file_/TerminologyLeaflet_reprint_FINAL.pdf http://www.un.org/esa/population/migration/index.html14 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Matthew Bevington
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Stop loud aviation at Bristol Balloon FiestaThe four-day event every August is Europe's largest balloon fiesta, and is a celebration of a gentle and fairly low-carbon way of getting up in the air. It's a wonderful sight to see the balloons in the sky above Bristol. As such it is a lovely event that local people can support and be proud of. Having a helicopter flying noisily around disturbs the peace of the area, going on all day long on an otherwise peaceful summer weekend. Visiting fighter jets make a horrendous noise for tens of thousands of neighbouring residents, and terrify wildlife. The jet that buzzed over for 20 minutes on the Friday afternoon this year made a deafening noise, shook the earth, shattered the peace over a wide area, and left the unpleasant smell of burnt aviation fuel. These noisy forms of aviation burn huge amounts of fuel, flying in the face of Bristol's credentials as European Green Capital 2015. The extreme noise they produce is at odds with an otherwise peaceful and beautiful event.114 of 200 SignaturesCreated by Bill Roberts
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Save Doseley Wildlife HabitatThe area is one of abundance wildlife and varied plant life and wild flowers. It holds a huge population from shrews to badgers. Aquatic life,songbirds, grass snakes, slow worms, common lizards, adders, it is regularly used by members of the local community and walkers. There is a public right of way/footpath which it seems developers want to incorporate into their site, the pathway existed in 1840 for certain and possibly before. This area also forms part of the Dawley Heritage trail. Road access is poor as is street lighting and it would create a significant hazard having the entrance impede the junction with an historic railway bridge which is currently suffering from vehicle strikes even now.106 of 200 SignaturesCreated by Victoria MacLean
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No EU referendumWe, the undersigned members of Unite, were disappointed by Unite's decision, announced on 2 July 2014, to urge the Labour Party to commit to holding a referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union.[1] We believe this decision by Unite's Executive Council was a mistake. It does not reflect our wishes, it was taken without consulting Unite's members, and it demonstrates race-to-the-bottom politics. We believe the UK should remain a member of the EU because membership enhances UK workers' rights, including via the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.[2] We believe the best way to ensure the UK remains a member of the EU is for political parties to reject referendum calls and instead make the case for continued membership. With no referendum, there would be no risk of the UK exiting the EU. We note that the Conservative Party rejected the Charter when previously in power, and that it is only thanks to the Labour Party that it covers UK workers.[3] We note that because the Conservatives have committed to a parliamentary vote in favour of an in/out referendum on the EU, the only realistic prospect of avoiding such a referendum and saving the Charter is for the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats to commit themselves against such a vote.[4] The Liberal Democrats have already done this.[5] We emphasise that neither this petition, nor the act it requests, brings any injury to or discredit upon Unite or any member of Unite. On the contrary, the act requested would strengthen Unite by demonstrating Unite's commitment to the EU's protection of worker's rights, and would help to forge a Labour Party that will provide a real alternative to the Conservative Party in opposition and at the next General Election. REFERENCES: [1] http://www.unitetheunion.org/news/unite-urges-labour-party-to-hold-eu-referendum/ [2] http://ec.europa.eu/justice/fundamental-rights/charter/index_en.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charter_of_Fundamental_Rights_of_the_European_Union&oldid=614017036#Legal_status [3] http://socialrights.net/community-charter-of-fundamental-social-rights-of-workers/ [4] http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/02/david-cameron-eu-referendum-pledge-disaster [5] http://www.libdems.org.uk/european_election_manifesto_2014 Image source and license: https://secure.flickr.com/photos/skuds/3736995016/12 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Sam Kuper
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Remove VAT from children's shoesParents are often paying this tax for ten years; during which children can need three pairs of shoes a year. This is an unreasonable burden on household budgets already under strain.18 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Ann Goddard
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Save Strood's Bryant Road LibraryBecause The Library here is quiet and 302 people petitioned against the move and The Council took no notice of 5000 signed signitures We had tones of meeting with them still no notice was taken We have to stop them David Cameron would not interveen with the Medway Council our Facebook page get ignored so what next please61 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Daren Terry
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CANVEY KEEPS FLOODING – PETITON FOR CHANGEFollowing the recent bout of flooding, yet again affecting many householders and businesses on this Island, we now believe it is time to make our voices heard. We want and need to get results from Essex County Council, Castle Point Borough Council, Canvey Island Town Council and the Environment Agency, to ensure that the present infrastructure of drainage is upgraded to be able to cope with the increasing number of homes and businesses on the Island and to ensure proper maintenance of the pumps around the Island keeping them fully operational at all times. Too many people have been affected too many times by flooding that could be avoided. Loss of personal belongings, damage to buildings and property, losses to businesses - this is a problem that will not go away without these agencies addressing it fully and that time is now.99 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Anne Earl
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No house building on London's Green BeltLondon is a huge city which could spread out for many miles more if allowed to. The Green Belt was created to allow Londoners to have some fresh air and nature, trees, plants and animals which is vital for our mental and physical health. London does not need to be any bigger than it already is.113 of 200 SignaturesCreated by Jenny Almeida
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Ethical Sponsorship in FootballFootball is traditionally a working class sport with a significant proportion of supporters being of a low income background. This is particularly the case where Blackburn Rovers FC are a relatively small club, where the majority of its fan base is in Blackburn itself. The town arguably has more social deprivation than many in the UK, and as such, the population is likely to be more vulnerable to be taken advantage of by fee charging claims management companies, debt advice companies etc. Blackburn Rovers FC is the most important organisation to the town of Blackburn in the 21st century, and there is therefore a moral duty for it to reflect the needs of the community around it. The football club would gain significant respect if it were to display charities such as the Citizens Advice Bureau and Step Change or an ethical private company such as Payplan on its shirts. This would be a statement that the club acknowledges the level of financial difficulty a large proportion of the town and its fan base faces. It would also encourage other football clubs to do the same where fans are feeling increasingly distanced from their football clubs with television deals coming into hundreds of millions of pounds and accusations of tax evasion now commonplace.63 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Richard Godley
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The BBC should report what's happening in the world and the UK not what it thinks we should hear.Next time it may be an issue you feel strongly about that is reported less than fairly. You may not agree with my politics but everyone on 38 degrees seems to agree that we should always get the best information. On the 15th of July there will be 1000's protesting outside the BBC. See if they report it, because they did not report the 10,000 outside the Israeli embassy last Friday.64 of 100 SignaturesCreated by karen bett
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Save Kew Gardens funding.Kew Garden is the largest oldest and biggest repository of plants and plant research in the world. The Governments and Defra's irresponsible action in cutting its grant aid and nudging it towards privatisation is a sacrilege, when we are dealing with the world's greatest. Rather our Government fund our own world ranking expertise than waste money on funding countries like India with overseas aid.It has achieved fame for being the world's greatest centre for botanical research, a place where the planet's rarest plant and tree species are preserved and studied. But now Kew Gardens, established more than 200 years ago, is set to become the focus of an international battle following an intervention by renowned biologist Jane Goodall, who has denounced a recently inflicted budget cut as "unbelievably stupid". Goodall, who carried out pioneering work on the behaviour of chimps, has written to the environment secretary, Owen Paterson, urging him to hand out £5m to restore the centre's budget in the wake of financial cuts imposed by the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs. "To read that 125 professional staff members are set to lose their jobs because of cuts in government funding is shocking," Goodall says. In an interview with the Observer, she revealed that she had made contact with several Kew scientists while researching her book, Seeds of Hope. "There is a tremendous feeling of anger and frustration there and I share it. This an unbelievably stupid thing to do. This is the mother of all other botanical research centres. Britain should be proud of it, not dismantling it. It is like tearing up the union jack. That is why I wrote my letter. I want my protest to go viral. I want thousands and thousands of people to protest as well." Last month a petition demanding the restoration of Kew's budget – signed by more than 100,000 people – was handed to 10 Downing Street, while 34 MPs signed an early-day motion expressing alarm "that vital international conservation work would be threatened should further cuts take place" at Kew.84 of 100 SignaturesCreated by mick goddard
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To secure a piece of land for the communityPlease see the body of the petition66 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Amal Basu
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