We have a unhealthy relationship with alcohol and some politicians seem to be more concerned about protecting the profits of Diageo and publicans than of taking a stand in favour of the health of our people. They pay lip service to the problems caused by alcohol abuse, yet are quite happy to go along with the Diageo (Guinness) marketing charade that this practice supports. We hear excuses that banning drink driving will cause rural isolation. It is possible to go the the pub and order something other than an alcoholic beverage. Driving is a responsibility - not a right. Ask any A&E staff member or any one in a refuge for victims of domestic violence about the effects caused by excess alcohol use if you feel that this is harmless. Ireland has far more to offer than just a pint of Guinness. Shame on our politicians for ensuring this is what we are best known for and perpetuating the stereotype of "the drunken Irish". Personally I find it demeaning and offensive. I hope there are other like minded people who will sign this petition to end this practice.

The decision of the Bank of Ireland to delete their ATM Irish Language Option devalues the Irish language. There are tens of thousands of Irish speakers and hundreds of thousands of Irish people who greatly value the Irish language as part of their identity. As customers we have great purchasing power and with our purchasing decisions we can effect great change in how private companies engage with us. Is céim siar agus léiriú dímheasa ar an nGaeilge an cinneadh fáil réidh lei ó na UBManna Banc na hÉireann. Tá an earnáil baincéireachta go dona maidir le héascaíocht a dhéanamh do Ghaeilgeoirí an teanga a úsáid. Tá sé do-dhéanta ráitis a fháil, baincéireacht ar líne a dhéanamh nó seirbhís custaiméara a fháil trí Ghaeilge in áit ar bith. Bhí Banc na hÉireann go sainiúil ag déanamh iarrachta tacú leis an nGaeilge agus í a chur ar fáil mar theanga roghnach sna UBManna. Bhí fíorbheagáin costais i gceist le seo, d’fhreastail sé ar riachtanais teanga na mílte duine agus thug sé deis don bhanc meas a léiriú ar chuid lárnach dár bhféiniúlacht. Faraor, tá an Banc ag cúlú siar ar an rogha theanga seo a chur ar fáil – cé gur rud beag a bhí ann, bhí sé luachmhar. Ní chuireann an earnáil phríobháideach an Ghaeilge nó cearta teanga san áireamh in aon chor agus ní inghlactha an scéal é. Nuair a chuirtear an Ghaeilge san áireamh i gcúrsaí brandála, margaíochta agus seirbhís custaiméara ag an earnáil phríobháideach, téann sé seo i bhfeidhm ar an bpobal i gcoitinne. Leis an gcinneadh is déanaí atá déanta ag Banc na hÉireann, tá díluacháil ar an dteanga á dhéanamh acu. An mbeidh an tseirbhís seo ar fáil sna ceantair Gaeltachta nó na Bailte Seirbhíse Gaeltachta cosúil leis an nGaillimh? Tá sé seo ag cur isteach ar na hiarrachtaí atá ar bun ag an bpobal agus an rialtas an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn mar theanga laethúil sna ceantair Gaeltachta agus ar fud an stáit. Is iomaí fadhb tubaisteach a bhí ag na bainc le deich mbliana anuas. Bhí ar shaoránaigh an Stáit seo teacht i dtarrtháil orthu. Is é is lú dóibh a dhéanamh ná rogha theanga a thabhairt dóibh ionas go mbeidh siad in ann cumarsáid a dhéanamh i cibé acu dár dteanga náisiúnta gur mhian leo. “Mar Chathaoirleach ar An Euro Gaelach, táim ag tathant ar dhaoine a gcuid míshástachta a léiriú maidir leis an gcinneadh seo agus picéadú a dhéanamh ag a mbrainse áitiúil de Bhanc na hÉireann, Dé hAoine, an 1ú Mean Fómhair idir a 1:30pm agus 2:30pm."

Donegal is a county which is deprived and often neglected by the Government and by corporations. As customers of Three Ireland we feel we deserve the same service as those in other areas who are charged the same rates for better quality internet. We ask that Three Ireland improve the quality of their internet for their customers in Donegal. We'd also like Three to make it clear once and for all as to to whether there is upgrade work being done in the county and when do they expect the work to be completed. Finally we ask for a reduction in the rates until such a time as we in Donegal receive the same standard of service as those in areas with high quality internet.

The Residents of St. Helen's Court have been served with eviction notices by the Vulture fund which owns the building they live in. They will become homeless within a matter of weeks if this isn't stopped. Vulture Funds like Apollo Global Management are buying up more and more property in Ireland and this type of behaviour will become the norm unless our Minister for Housing steps in to stop it from happening. Simon Coveney, our last Minister for Housing, was forced to intervene because of people power to stop a similar eviction which was due to take place in Limerick Strand Apartments. It's time now for Eoghan Murphy to do the same. Homelessness continues to grow in Ireland - and stopping evictions like this are one of the key ways of stopping it from getting any worse.

Food workers and trade unions in the food export sector of Honduras and Costa Rica continue to be subjected to unsafe working conditions and not having their legal rights fulfilled. The estimated 25,000 people employed in the melon export sector in Honduras, of which 70% are women, regularly work 12-14 hour days, 7 days a week. The International Labour Rights Forum (2012) reports that 85% of workers earn less than the minimum wage [1]. Fyffes has been at the centre of several shocking scandals involving trade union violations and abuse of workers in Honduras and Costa Rica. A report by the US Department of Labor (2015) [2] detailed a litany of exploitative practices, ongoing labour code violations and ill-treatment of workers by the Fyffes subsidiary SurAgro in Honduras, including: That the company failed to pay the minimum wage, the 13th and 14th month bonuses, the seventh day bonus, and overtime; Failed to provide personal protective equipment and potable water; imposed a 300 HNL (US $14.40) penalty for missing a day of work (even with permission from a supervisor) in addition to that day’s salary; Threatened workers with dismissal for speaking with the Honduran Secretariat of Labor and Social Security (STSS) The general union in the United Kingdom, GMB, has called the actions of SurAgro one of the worst cases they have recorded, having documented “a shocking litany of abuse and exploitation on the part of Fyffes subsidiaries in Honduras” [3] and commented that “Fyffes... have no respect for domestic or international law governing workers’ rights and must be brought to book” [4]. In January 2016, workers at the Fyffes subsidiary became the first workers in the melon export sector to unionise and a local branch of the agriculture trade union STAS was formed. The following day, four trade union leaders were locked up in an office and threatened by the Chief of Security until they signed a document renouncing their union membership [5]. In an equally sinister occurrence, it was reported by the International Trade Union Confederation that on 13 April 2017, the trade unionist Moisés Sánchez (General Secretary of STAS’s sub-branch at Fyffes’ subsidiary in Honduras) was kidnapped, beaten and threatened with death if he continued his trade union work [6].  In May 2017 Fyffes was suspended from the Ethical Trading Initiative [ETI], an alliance of companies, trade unions and NGOs that promotes respect for workers' rights around the globe, finding that “the actions and approach taken by SurAgro [the Fyffes-owned Honduran melon plantation at the centre of the allegations] … contravene the open approach to legitimate trade union activities that ETI would expect within the supply chain to an ETI member” [7]. Despite the sale of Fyffes to the Japanese Sumitomo Corporation in early 2017, the Irish business news website Fora reported in June 2017 that David McCann and the “senior management team” based at the Fyffes head office in Dublin were handling the negotiations between the complainants, ETI and Fyffes [8]. Therefore, the Latin America Solidarity Centre is joining with other trade unions, NGOs and international Civil Society Organisations and demanding this actions from Fyffes.

We the undersigned believe that the decision of Callan Community Network (CCN) to issue a formal Notice to Quit to the Droichead FRC is clear evidence that CCN is now unwilling to resolve the current difficulties through meaningful dialogue. Prior to issing the eviction order CCN have also previously walked away from talks with Droichead FRC & the Friary Trust. The Board of Directors of Droichead FRC have always engaged in a positive and progressive manner and at all times have acted in the best interests of those families who use the community childcare facility and the wider Callan community generally. The decision by CCN to issue a formal Notice to Quit has jeopardised the long-standing community childcare service, placed several jobs under threat and has caused significant distress to the service provider, its employees and dozens of local families. In addition, CCN has, to date, ignored repeated calls from service users, local residents and a number of public representative’s to formally withdraw the Notice to Quit. We therefore request that they issue a public statement of resignation within 14 days being supplied with this petition and signatures. This, we believe, is the only avenue available to us that will protect the future of our community childcare service, its employees and service users from further distress and uncertainty. We will be submitting signatures along with a letter requesting resignation.

Inadequate advertising took place for the issue of this licence. No public consultation meetings were held to inform the residents of Bantry Bay of this proposed mechanical harvest by a company from Tralee. No regard is being shown to the pristine marine environment in Bantry Bay which is home to many species protected by Irish, European and International legislation i.e. White Tailed Eagles, Otters, Choughs to name but a few. An Environmental Impact Assessment is not required for this licence! An extensive Environmental Impact Assessment should be done before any mechanical harvesting of native kelp is allowed in any Irish coastal waters. No regard has been shown for the people who rely on tourism and marine activities such as fishing in the bay to make a living. The Kelp forest slows the wave action approaching the land, so removal of this kelp forest may lead to more coastal erosion along the Bantry Bay coast.

English Language teachers generally lack basic workers’ rights such as sick and holiday pay, pay scales, payment for training/professional development, permanent contracts/ contracts of indefinite duration (regardless of length of service), maternity/paternity pay, and access to pensions. The Unite ELT branch committee have requested a meeting with minister Richard Bruton which has been refused. We are asking you to support our campaign calling on the minister to meet with representatives of English Language Teachers to discuss regulations governing basic working conditions for teachers.

Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Indicate how it proposes to implement all the recommendations of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse and indicate the time frame for doing so; (b) Institute prompt, independent and thorough investigations into all cases of abuse as found by the report and, if appropriate, prosecute and punish perpetrators; (c) Ensure that all victims of abuse obtain redress and have an enforceable right to compensation, including the means for as full rehabilitation as possible. Call to action : please show your support by commenting via change.org also uplift.ie and sharing this cause via social media Thank you to you and your supporters X p.s. no abusive language

Queen's is now a leading UK university - but for all the wrong reasons. Figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) show that in 2017 - QUB's female professors earn an average of almost almost 15% less than their male colleagues - an average gap totalling £11,798. To put this into some perspective - this is the highest pay gap among the 24 leading UK universities, known as the Russell Group. It's entirely unacceptable that in 2017 a leading publicly funded university pays men 15% more than women for the same job. Join with Uplift today and sign our petition to demand the Vice-Chancellor and Senate of Queen's University take meaningful action today to address and reverse this shameful pay gap.

Bernie is giving a speech on June 4th which sold out after 1 minute. There are thousands of people who are willing to pay to hear him speak, to hear a voice for the people. Someone who stands up for the environment, all people and the planet as a whole. My hope is that hearing Bernie speak could spark the revolution that is needed in Ireland so we can transform our country and go back to the values it was founded on.

On behalf of the DCU Students' Union, which consists of nearly 17,000 students, we are troubled by the new updates from Campus Residences Ltd., for the upcoming 2017/18 academic year. These include; - A 9% rent increase for Hampstead Accommodation. - An 11% rent increase for SPC and Larkfield Accommodation. This is a 49% rent increase in two academic years. I know that Campus Residences Ltd., only recently took it over but an 11% increase comparable to the quality of Larkfield accommodation type is unbelievable when you take into account the quality of accommodation provided on both campuses. - An 8% rent increase in some areas of Purcell House Accommodation. - That some rooms on Postgraduate Accommodation will see a 23% rent increase. It's hard enough to find accommodation for our students and for the college to drastically increase the cost of rent for our students at a time when we're having an accommodation crisis in Dublin shows a lack of compassion for the daily student struggles. We're asking Governing Body to come down from their Ivory Tower and realise that their demands are unrealistic and unfair.