Last year, the UK government said it was no longer willing to support rescue missions in the Mediterranean designed to come to the help of migrants who find themselves in distress at sea. This is in violation of internationally recognized minimum humanitarian standards. More than 20,000 men, women, and children are estimated to have lost their lives in the past two decades, while trying to cross the Mediterranean in search of a safe place to live. The majority of these people are refugees escaping violence, persecution, and hardship from countries like Libya and Syria. It is the duty of the international community and in particular the EU to minimize loss of life and do as much as possible to rescue as many people as possible.

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

-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.

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.

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.

The "NHS Bill 2015" campaign is calling on all General Election candidates to sign up to the new "NHS Reinstatement Bill", and is already attracting cross-party support. The “Campaign for an NHS Reinstatement Bill 2015" has produced an “NHS Reinstatement Bill” which sets out the legal steps needed not only to reverse the failings of the Health & Social Care Act 2012, but to fully restore the NHS in England as an accountable public service. Unless we all keep the pressure on MP's of all parties in the run up to the next election, our voices will be lost in the spin, sound bites and agendas. We were fooled in 2010 by false the promise of no NHS re-organisations. With the secret TTIP negotiations ongoing, now, more then ever, everyone has to make their voices heard regarding the NHS. Please contact your MP and prospective parliamentary candidates and ask them to support Professor Pollock's "NHS Reinstatement Bill", and ask them if they do not, why not? You can reach your MP via https://www.writetothem.com/ For further information, please see: https://www.opendemocracy.net/ournhs/caroline-molloy/new-law-proposed-to-stop-nhs-becoming-simply-memory

Only 49% of current MPs were born in the area they represent and very slightly more (51%) completed their secondary schooling in their constituency. In England those born within their constituency stands at just 43%. There are many MPs elected via a so-called "safe-seat" who have had nothing to do with the people and the area they seek to represent. We should all be represented in parliament by someone who has solid links with the people and place he/she purports to speak for. Clearly many people leave their town of birth to live elsewhere, and politicians are no different. However, a minimum residency ruling would help create a better understanding by our MPs of the needs and concerns of local people and therefore a more repesentative parliament.

Services are being broken up and sold off to private companies for them to make profit from crime. Criminal Justice should be above the profit incentive and motivated by justice, the clues in the name. People are being put at risk by the creation of artificial barriers between staff, depending on who they work for. This is very bad for the sharing of information and risk management. Work is already being skewed towards working with those who will be the best bet to comply, rather than according to risk. A lot of what was previously done to protect the public is becoming impossible because of a ludicrous diversion of resources. Staff in the private companies will not need to be trained as they are in the public sector. They will be dealing with violent domestic abusers and others who pose a real risk to the public. The Probation Service was already a high performing organisation that had exceeded targets set for it by government. This privatisation politically is driven and is not cost effective or in the interests of the public.

With a yes majority in Westminister we will be in a very strong position to fight for Scotland without being sabotaged by No parties. If we can achieve a pro-indy government we have the future of our nation back in our hands. Without a Yes majority Scotland will be back in its box, this is why we must focus the YES from each constituency so that we achieve a majority over the divided (Labour, Tories, LIb Dems, UKIP, BNP, ect) No vote.

So Scotland gets the exact revenues from fisheries and oil and gas revenues that is due Rightfully due to Scotland.

Despite years of equality legislation and the declared will of many policy-makers, women continue to be subject to economic, health, safety and power inequality in the UK. These inequalities are experienced strongly in England where women’s inequality is increasing under current public policies. In recent years we have seen attacks on legislation intended to promote greater equality, existing legislation not being implemented adequately and a regression in public attitudes to the principles of equality and social progress. The recent Queen's speech and Government Programme address only some of these issues and only in part. The SW Women's Manifesto calls for action are now even more important. We call on The Minister and all Government and Opposition MPs to pledge support to our ‘calls to action’. We have identified a number of positive, achievable actions that would make a significant difference to women’s lives, making women: • safer; • healthier; • more financially secure; • a greater presence in public policy making We believe these policies would improve the lives of children, vulnerable adults and the elderly, irrespective of gender. We are particularly concerned that women from BME communities continue to be more disadvantaged, even more than other women, and that the position of women is becoming worse relative to that of men. The discussions are moving more towards ‘families’ and women as individuals are disappearing from the agenda. See: http://www.fairplaysouthwest.org.uk/manifesto