The COVID-19 crisis has come to us almost by surprise, it has spread around the world in a way that has made us take drastic measures to stop it. Socially, occupationally and psychologically it is having repercussions on the entire population. We have had to defer our plans, stop our social life. In most, we have had to stop working. Closed companies, people who have lost their jobs or are on layoff and requiring financial aid from the State since they have lost their wages, unemployed people who are not able to find employment at the moment, self-employed workers who have seen their income decrease to more than 50%... Still, spending life continues its normal course. People continue to buy food and other household utilities, we continue to pay our bills. Visits the doctors, medication payments have increased ... Circumstances that are making the daily life a struggle. Being in isolation, locked up at home, is part of the precaution to be infected. But more important, it is a means of preventing the virus from spreading further and causing further social harm. Then, being in solidary with the rest of the community. This circumstance will be translated into higher holdhouses bills, added to less income, more social needs, increase of the poverty. Day by day it will get worse and worse. I ask to the electrical and gas companies to put themselves in the shoes of their customers. (I am writing to you now) I ask you, as a person to person, to be empathic with the circumstances. We all are responsible for the welfare of the rest. We all can make it work.

Because of restrictions which are required to save lives, during this emergency, many businesses and employees will face unprecedented strain on their finances, with businesses forced to shut and employees suddenly laid off. The proposed moratorium is aimed at preventing the health emergency becoming a long term economic emergency and adding to the homeless crisis. The key is that it needs to be not just a moratorium on payment, but a moratorium on the rent and interest being incurred. Otherwise at the end of the moratorium landlords/banks could come looking for, say, 3 months arrears resulting in a spate of people getting evicted and businesses closing down. It is recognised that this proposal interferes with property rights, but is proportionate to the unprecedented situation and to the restrictions being placed on people and the use of their property, so would be constitutional. This is an extreme measure, but a necessary one.

We now have less than 10 years to reverse the climate emergency. The solutions to climate change are good for all our other issues with * cleaner air * warmer homes * smaller energy bills *better public transport * localised economies * organic food * biodiverse gardens * rich wildlife areas * seas teaming with fish and other marine animals * a more equal society. Let Ireland lead the world on this.

This plan is outrageous and puts an excessive charge on the use of these proposed privately owned ATM’s, (approximately 1000 combined) which will most likely hit lower waged workers, students and people in receipt of social welfare payments, to name just a few. This proposal is another unjust ploy by Bank of Ireland and Allied Irish Bank to increase their profits, at the behest of the ordinary person. The aforementioned Banks have sold off branches, and reduced in person cash services at their branches. Furthermore, people in Rural Ireland will have to travel to find a Bank owned ATM in order to avoid this financial burden. I also call on the Irish Government and the Financial Regulator to stop this proposal from going through.

Students here pay around £4000 per year to attend university. These fees are a barrier to students from working class backgrounds and financial issues are a major cause of student distress and anxiety. The burden of balancing the books of the new NI Assembly should not be placed on our young people. Education is a right and should not be a commodity.

Consumers need to pressure cocoa companies to address child labor and farmer poverty IMMEDIATELY. All people should be treated fairly, not mistreated or abused, just to make a delicacy for someone else. We want to send a message to big chocolate companys to purchase cocoa from farmers who use fair work practices. So please sign my petition, buy fair-trade chocolate only, and send letters to these companys to inform them of your unhappiness with their disregard for human rights. Choose Fairtrade Labels. https://www.greenamerica.org/end-child-labor-cocoa/chocolate-scorecard In 2010, Green America launched the Raise the Bar! Hershey campaign with allies, demanding that Hershey take steps to address the issue of child labor in their supply chain. Thanks to sustained pressure from Green Americans and Hershey consumers, the two-year campaign culminated with a commitment from Hershey to move to 100% ethically sourced cocoa by 2020. The Raise the Bar! Hershey campaign demonstrates how powerful a united consumer voice is. We must continue to build on the success of the Hershey campaign, and pressure other leaders in the cocoa industry to make serious commitments to eradicate child labor.

It has been a devastating year for environmentalists and ocean advocates all over the world as Japan withdrew from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) on July 1st 2019 and re-commenced commercial whaling for the first time in over 30 years. For many years Japanese whalers hunted whales in Japanese and Antarctic waters under the guide if "scientific whaling", now although not fishing in protected waters of the deep southern ocean, they have began commercial hunting of whales in Japanese waters. In 2019, Japanese whalers killer 232 whales , including 187 Byrde's whales, 25 sei whales, and 11 minke whales. Despite global out-cry and a dwindling demand for whale meat consumption in the country, the Japanese government have now passed a law to fund commercial whale hunts and to promote the consumption of whale meat in schools, despite the meat being highly toxic and dangerous for human health. Read more: https://www.orcireland.ie/japanese-whalers-kill-223-whales-completing-their-first-hunt-in-over-three-decades Read more: https://www.orcireland.ie/japanese-government-to-fund-more-whale-hunts The slaughter of protected species like minke, Bryde's and sei whales are brutal and horrific, as whales are harpooned, sometimes with explosives. On contact with the animal, the harpoon spread open to prevent the whale from escaping and death is slow and excruciatingly painful. Whale populations around the world are facing a multitude of human impacts from plastic pollution to overfishing and entailments, the last thing the world's marine biodiversity needs is further over exploitation and abuse. Please SIGN our Petition to urge Japans Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe to STOP JAPAN COMMERCIAL WHALING to protect cetacean species in Japanese waters instead of slaughtering them for profit and boycott Japanese goods and services until they END WHALING. Please sign to urge Japans Ambassador Mitsuru Kitano to urge Japanese officials to END COMMERCIAL WHALE HUNTS in a bid to tackle the world's biodiversity loss crises! Join us for a protest outside the Embassy of Japan in Ireland, Dublin on February 13th to celebrate World Whale Day 2020.

Mary Harney sold every woman in Ireland down the river when she out sourced cervical smear tests to a laboratory outside of Ireland, which resulted in the death sentence of 222+ women. She was also part of this government that brought the country to its knees when her party agreed to the disastrous bank bail out. “It is a noted practice in institutions throughout the world and will leave a legacy for generations to come of those that helped to shape and build the environment they occupy. Mary Harneys legacy resulted in death and misery for many families, therefore she does not deserve to be honored in any way shape or form !

Its extremely important that farmers take the time to sighn this petition , as I feel its the first step and only step in rectifying the great imbalances that farmers are experiencing, when we as independent farmers elect our own representative to hold position as minister for agriculture, then we as a farming community can work towards resolving farmers issues re instating farmers rights equality something that is being rashioned at present, we can resolve the great imbalances being experienced

Market traders are experiencing a number of difficulties in our working conditions. We are dismayed and disappointed at the negative response from the Council. It is clear to us that there is no appreciation or understanding of the importance and value of the market to the city. Severe flooding in Churchyard Street , where Galway Market is located, has become a worsening issue over the past few years and gullies regularly overflow on rainy days, resulting in dismal conditions for both traders and visitors. It is becoming increasingly difficult for the traders to protect their stock and to maintain a business. As well as the flooding issues, loose paving stones in the area are a trip hazard for traders and public alike. We recently discovered that the Galway market area is excluded from the upgrading of the city centre pedestrianised zone and there is no plans to resurface the area or carry out much needed repair work to clear overloaded drains. These drains are connected to the mains sewerage system and when they overflow, they are a very unsavoury health hazard to the traders and the public. Despite repeated requests to the City Manager we have been unable to obtain a meeting with him or senior officials to discuss our issues. We urgently need to address this issue, which has become not only a hindrance to business but also a matter of public safety. This is a video about the situation - https://youtu.be/03MdmAeW97M

As part of our Irish culture and identity, as part of our community, to enhance our local economy this college needs to be reopened.

We, the undersigned, note: - The tenants of St Helen’s Court are threatened with eviction by a vulture fund - The current Notice to Quit is the fourth attempt in 3 years by vulture funds to evict these tenants - The current vulture fund and the one that previously owned the apartments are exploiting various loop holes in the residential tenancies legislation to bully and harass these tenants - The harassment is working and, so far, ten tenants have left the complex and found tenancies elsewhere - The remaining ten tenants are resisting the attempt to evict them and expect a hearing in the Residential Tenancies Board in the coming weeks We call on the Minister - To intervene in this situation and ensure Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council buy the apartments to provide affordable homes for these tenants. - Amend the current legislation to remove the loopholes that are currently being exploited by unscrupulous landlords and vulture funds. - Initiate legislation to outlaw all economic evictions.