Anti-homeless spikes, along with other defensive architecture, have been around for a while now, and we shouldn't stand for them anymore. They not only have a practical impact on homeless people's lives, disallowing them from sitting or sleeping in certain sheltered locations, but they also help to propagate the feeling of division in our communities, creating an 'us and them' mentality. This means there is less interaction, less communication and therefore ultimately less understanding of why people end up sleeping rough, and what we can do to help. Getting rid of these spikes is a small gesture, but a huge step in acceptance and care, which will help to break down barriers, allowing us to engage more fully with the poverty and need which lies on our very doorsteps.

Thousands of people are making journeys to Europe at great risk to their lives, to flee from war and danger. They have left everything behind - homes, jobs, almost all possessions, many bringing babies and children with them. Britain has a proud and noble history of admitting refugees - the kinder-transports before the last war saved many children, we admitted fleeing Kenyan Asians , we admitted Vietnamese boat people. Most of us have never faced anything like the loss, danger and fear the migrants are driven by. They go in over-crowded boats knowing they may drown, but take the risk , because what they leave behind is so terrible. We should in decency and compassion admit a fair and generous number of migrants to the UK and take the lead in encouraging all of Europe to do the same. I was on a ferry near the Greek island of Samos and about 50 migrants were brought on board. As we left the boat , next to me was a man holding the hand of a toddler, and we smiled at each other. I have a grandson about the same age. There was nothing I could do to help them then, but this country can and should help. Imagine if it was you or your family?

Thousands of tonnes of food is wasted every year by Tesco. Recently, however, the supermarket chain has expanded a scheme to donate all edible food to charity to 10 of its stores in the UK. This is a step in the right direction but it is still not enough. Everyday people in the UK are forced into food poverty; more and more people are becoming homeless and dependency on food banks is growing. It is disgusting that people must rely on food banks, but it is even more disgusting that perfectly good food is being wasted when there is such a need for it.

It is a form of child cruelty. Severe pain and fear is inflicted upon infants unnecessarily. It serves no purpose other than to satisfy the parent's vanity. Other forms of physically harming children are illegal- this should be no different.

In the runup to Christmas 2014 my local Tesco store - Ilkley, West Yorkshire - placed posters next to the checkouts listing the store's extended opening hours over Christmas. The posters also invited customers to take a photo of the poster if they wanted their own record of the opening hours. So I did. As Christmas passed I forgot about the photo and may even have deleted it. A week ago,almost 6 months later, I was suddenly surrounded by the Store Manager, Head of Security and 3 other senior managers, frogmarched into a private corridor and interrogated, military style, as to why I have been systematically been taking illicit photos of the store staff on numerous occasions during the past 6 months! I explained to the Store Manager that this was completely untrue and that I have never taken 'illicit photos' of the staff on numerous occasions, but simply a photo of a poster on 1 occasion as described above. He refused to believe me and has subsequently informed me that his staff regard me as a major threat to their health and safety, a potential security risk to the store and that, furthermore, I am now the subject of a police investigation into the incident. Further enquiries to Tesco Head Office have revealed that this is standard Tesco policy which will be applied to each and every Tesco store in the UK. Although the specific circumstances of this case may be seen as ridiculous and laughable, they mask a much more serious and sinister trend. I have been treated by this store as almost a potential terrorist for simply taking a photo within a Tesco store. There was no suggestion at the time that this photo would be published, distributed, downloaded onto the internet or posted in any way to a third party. It was taken for purely personal use and, incredibly, at Tesco's own invitation. There is nothing illegal, as far as I am aware, about my actions. Yet Tesco have responded by treating me as a potential serious criminal. What is deeply disturbing about this is that if you are a photography student, photographer, journalist, artist or simply a law abiding member of the public who wants to engage in the hobby of photography you will be treated almost like a terrorist presenting a major threat to public safety by this company. This case introduces a major challenge to civil liberties and human rights of every single member of the public in the UK who happens to have a camera (or camera phone) in their possession while on Tesco premises. This is why I think a campaign should be launched to pressure Tesco to change this draconian policy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P-z10pKGdc The new Minister for Disabled People, Justin Tomlinson MP says the most important part of his job is to offer "disabled people the same opportunities to reach their goals as non-disabled people." Yet on 30 June the government will close the Independent Living Fund (ILF) which provides essential support to disabled people with the highest support needs to live in the community amongst friends and family. The closure of the ILF means that the 17,500 disabled people who are currently able to employ assistants to help with everyday tasks from getting out of bed to going to work, will instead be forced into care homes or effectively imprisoned in their own homes. Last year, a high court ruling about the decision to close the fund referred to "the inevitable and considerable adverse effect" this would have on disabled people and how "independent living might well be put seriously in peril for... most (or a substantial number of) ILF users." This is because the government will give responsibility for the fund to cash strapped local authorities which will not be able to cope as they are already suffering huge cuts of 26% to social care funding with a further £10 billion cuts in the pipeline. The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services has said it cannot take any further pressure and disability experts agree that the future looks bleak for disabled people. The governments of Scotland and Northern Ireland have committed to create their own versions of the ILF, and the Welsh government has said it will put money aside to help recipients for 9 months. This leaves people currently receiving the ILF in England unprotected. Sometimes it's hard to know what the right thing is. This is not one of those times. Please sign the petition now and tell Prime Minister David Cameron and his new minister Justin Tomlinson MP to keep the Independent Living Fund open, or at least ring fence the money at local authority level. Remind them that the UK is better than this.

The Queen's Speech includes an 'Extremism Bill' that will “strengthen the role of Ofcom so that tough measures can be taken against channels that broadcast extremist content”. According to a leaked letter from Cabinet member and former Culture Secretary Sajid Javid these measures involve “a fundamental shift in the way UK broadcasting is regulated” and would move Ofcom from being an independent regulator “into the role of a censor”. The Government should not be allowed to dictate what we can or can't watch on TV. Please sign and share this petition to stop this unacceptable clamp down on freedom of speech.

'Education Other Than At Schools' (EOTAS) provides a service which is in very high demand. In addition, there are so many more children still on the waiting list, due to the limited amount of teachers that they have at the moment. The Council is intent on cutting the tuition team further (from 12.6 to 4 full time equivalent teachers ). That’s not enough! It’s going to mean a great deal of children like me are not going to get the education they need and deserve. Under the new proposals, children with mental health issues will no longer be eligible for home tuition and the Key Stage Four Pupil Referral Unit, a provision for pupils for whom school is not suitable, will be shut down. For two and a half years I received home tuition. I was so ill that I couldn't even get out of bed and there wasn't really a question about whether or not I could get into school. I had two wonderful home tutors who not only were my teachers but became great friends. They made my lessons not only manageable but also fun and made me eager to learn. They got me through my GCSE's, helping me achieve an A, two B's and two C's, where most people including myself thought I might not pass any of my exams. I know so many kids personally that are really very ill/disabled and are in receipt of home tuition or have received it in the past. Over and over I have heard of the invaluable support, teaching and guidance that these teachers have given. I'm now far better, my condition has stabilised and I have just had my 17th birthday. I am my studying my A-levels in college, looking at universities and considering a career in politics and art. None of this would be possible without my fantastic home tutors. Without Home Tuition, I would just have been another NEET statistic (Not in education or in employment training). Most of time the kinds of children that are in need of home tuition are the ones who will need to rely on their education most in future. The team are highly skilled, highly qualified and experienced teachers. This is not just about keeping their jobs. It’s about looking out for all the vulnerable children that need an education! Once this service is gone, it's gone. There’s no getting this service or these teachers back. What if your child in the future is unable to attend school? What if for some reason you or your child develop symptoms that make going to school difficult if not impossible? Save our services! You never know when you ‘re going to need help! Thanks

Lord Janner was excused from standing trial for serious sexual offences toward children on the basis that the dementia that he suffers was too advance. If this is truly the case he is then also unfit to be a member of a parliament commitee and should be removed. If he is fit to remain then he is also fit to stand trial, and be forced to face the consequences of the alleged abuse.

The Barclay brothers have a long history of questionable activities. Whilst their business dealings may be legal they are morally repugnant. Their hotels have not paid corporation tax for many years. They recently won £1.2 billion from the UK treasury relating to the VAT affairs of a company they bought - the VAT problems didn't even happen while they owned it but they are happy to profit from it. They are trying to ruin the channel island of Sark by buying as much property on the Island as they can then mothballing it - this is ruining a small special community. Whilst they retain their knighthoods they are a stain on anyone else with a similar honour. They do not deserve this honour.

The political conversation being had at the moment is skewed towards reducing, removing or abandoning key components of our Human Rights legislation and we disapprove of this. It was a Conservative Party pledge to replace the UK Human Rights Act (1998) with a British Bill of Rights. The reasoning behind it was to reclaim sovereignty for the nation-state with regards to Human Rights. In doing so, all those concerned have shown a fundamental lack of knowledge about how the EU, the ECHR, and the British legal system, interface with one another. Not only do we think the British Human Rights Act does a good job at protecting the British people's fundamental rights and liberties, we think the further guarantee of a European level is useful to ensure that human rights are respected and developed. To not be part of the ECHR would be to be in the same boat as Belarus, Europe's last formal dictatorship. Britain is greater than that.

In 1998, around the time the Human Rights Act was enacted in the UK, Michael Gove publicly called for hanging to be brought back. Michael Gove does not represent UK public opinion on justice and should resign as Justice Secretary and not touch our Human Rights.