Because our current structure offers no vehicle to challenge unfair legislation and this is a major reason that people have become disaffected with politics. Also people may broadly agree with a Government direction but be very concerned about components of their program, this gives a finer grained power to manage Government that an in/out vote

The people of Scotland were given a binary choice in the Independence Referendum: independence or the status quo. A majority voted for the status quo. There was no third option that more powers be devolved to the Scottish parliament and no one voted for it. Why then are the wishes of the majority being disregarded by the Smith Commission while the wishes of the SNP, who lost the referendum, are being catered for? This is an outrageous situation and shows utter contempt for the wishes of the majority. The Scottish people must now be given a vote on whether or not the Scottish parliament, which refuses to respect the wishes of the majority of Scots, should be wound up. I believe it should. People have lost all confidence in politicians who they can see are not only contemptuous of the wishes of the majority but also grossly incompetent, wasteful of taxpayer’s money and irrelevant. They are fed up of their excessive taxes, irresponsible management of the Country’s finances, restrictive and unnecessary laws, rules, regulations and red tape that damages businesses, reduces people’s standard of living, strips them of their freedom, right of expression and liberty and harms the environment. We would all benefit from having fewer politicians, lower taxes and greater freedom. For these reasons, I believe that we would all benefit from shutting down the Scottish Parliament. Politicians are a force for bad that we can do without. Please sign this petition, circulate it to everyone on your address book and help get rid of superfluous politicians.

Someone who is a member of the Government should not hold discriminatory views. Read more here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-29628557

We need these grounds Grade 2 Listing to ensure their protection from any future work programs.

On the 13th October MP's voted 274 to 12 in favour of recognising a state of Palestine. The government have decided to ignore the wishes of our elected representatives. Out of over 50 speeches only 6 of these speeches spoke against recognition. The majority of the conservative party abstained from voting. This is a classic case of why the electorate feel disenfranchised.

This is important because presently the four Constituencies whose MPs are either Speaker or Deputy Speaker are not fully and effectively represented in The House of Commons. These MPs are unable to speak (save to referee the rest), vote, or bring early day motions in The House and as a consequence, all constituents in those constituencies do not enjoy the same right of representation as the rest of the population. If constituents in these four constituencies wish a matter to be brought to the House, there is no mechanism for this to happen. We have been told that the serving MP who is a deputy may "influence" their colleagues, but this is unaccountable and clearly unlikely to be effective. One MP strictly represents one constituency and it is doubtful that they would have the inclination, much less the time to effectively support a second constituency. MPs who hold the office of Speaker or Deputy Speaker become nothing more to their constituents than ribbon-cutting celebrities. To add insult to this injury, the MP in question takes a further £60,000 from the public purse to hold this disabling office.

Persons who have savings of £16,000 or more cannot claim certain benefits, such as Income Support, JSA or ESA. So why, when this Government is introducing some severe austerity measures against the poorer members of our society, are Members of Parliament, especially millionaire Members allowed to draw a salary and expenses from the Public Purse ?

Simply put this is undemocratic, if you allow UKIP, who's popularity mainly exists down in the South of England to take part in the UK general election debate, then you should for democratic purposes allow the SNP leader to take part in this debate also.

As opinion polls and recent election results predict that the general election next year will be close run, with no party winning an outright majority being a likely outcome. In this environment smaller parties, who themselves are seeing a large right in voter interest and memberships, are likely to perform vital roles in the formation of coalitions next year. These parties address the overall trend of voter apathy as well as a challenge to the traditional 2 (or 3) party system. As such the television debates offer a vital opportunity to get more voters involved in and aware of changes in the political system and increase declining voter turnout. It's possible to see from the below link that TV debates can help this considerably. http://www.ukpolitical.info/Turnout45.htm The Green party is an established party (founded 1990) which has one MP, one Lord, three MEPs and holds 160 local council positions. Membership for the party is over 20,000 with a rise of 45% in membership this year. This rise has been particularly big amongst the youth demographic which has seen a 100% rise in the last year. As this is a key demographic that has low voter turnout and highest levels of voter apathy, it is the responsibility of media outlets to help this demographic engage with politics. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/20/green-party-support-media-ukip http://greenparty.org.uk/news/2014/10/03/green-surge-membership-of-the-green-party-up-45-in-2014-alone/ The SNP is also an established party in Scotland (since 1934) which has 6 MPs, 2 MEPs, 421 local government positions (as well as their members in the Scottish Parliament) and 80,000 members. They have been called the 3rd biggest political party in the UK. Their membership too has since a large rise in membership over the last few years, partly due to the referendum, but has seen membership double since the referendum. They too are particularly popular amongst the apathetic youth voters and their credentials in increasing voter turnout is very much proven in the context of referendum. http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/snp-members-double-since-independence-referendum-1-3549827 http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/21/scottish-referendum-massive-voter-turnout-means-politics-changed-for-ever UKIP is too an established party (since 1993) with 1 MP, 24 MEPS, 370 members of local government and 48,623 members. They have seen a 3800 member rise in 2014. UKIP has been extensively covered by mainstream media in 2014 due to the European Parliament elections and recent defections from the Conservative party. UKIP have been representing themselves as a party that wants to decrease voter apathy and have had positive results at shaping the political debate in recent months. http://www.ukip.org/ukip_membership_crashes_through_35_000 http://theday.co.uk/politics/wind-of-change-blows-through-uk-politics

The Green Party has had an elected representative in Parliament since 2010 and therefore must be treated in the same way for broadcast debates as all of the other parties. This is vital for our democracy and will encourage voter participation and help to challenge voter apathy.

The long-standing and ongoing exclusion of the Green Party from the national discourse has not stopped it being the only national party that's still growing, other than UKIP. This demonstrates it is striking a chord with many voters, and is being held back only by the lack of fair coverage. Democracy and balance can only be enhanced by including the party in political discourse at all levels.

As we approach one of the most crucial elections in our history, at a time when our country is changing in very many ways, it is crucial that ALL democratically-elected voices are listened to. It demeans the intelligence and commitment of the voters of the UK to restrict access to political views, and to the very many good people who have chosen to give their lives to creating change for the better in our country.