Our local businesses, environment and democracy are under threat from a trade deal currently being negotiated between the EU Commission and the USA. The deal is called TTIP and could outlaw local authorities’ support of local businesses, allow multinational corporations to sue us if councils deny fracking permits and open up services like water, health and education to privatisation. What’s up for grabs are the rules and regulations that force corporations to abide by standards that protect our health, our rights, our jobs, services and the environment. These regulations for example stop corporations releasing chemicals and products into the market before they are proven to be safe. They also make sure workers get their rights and that local communities are protected from environmental disasters. But if TTIP goes ahead corporations will get to have a say on policies that govern our daily lives - before we or even politicians get to see them. And if they don’t like the rules they will be able to sue governments when they make changes or bring in new policies that could potentially affect their profits. Right now in Canada a fracking company Lone Pine Resources Inc., is suing the government for its decision to not allow fracking in Quebec. They are able to do this because of an ISDS clause in another trade deal. In Egypt the government was sued by water company Veolia for attempting to bring in a minimum wage. Germany is being sued by Swedish energy company Vatenfall for €4.7 billion because of Germany's decision to phase out nuclear power. TTIP also removes barriers to US companies who want to sell their products in Europe. Right now the sale of US beef in Europe is very limited. Hormone injected beef is banned outright. Hundreds of councils across Europe have already said they don’t want TTIP. Because of people power politicians are waking up to the threat TTIP poses and to the fact that people aren’t going to stand aside and let our democracy and rights be sold off.

Because it means almost €2000.00 a year less in my pension. It is mostly women who are affected but there are some men who will loose out as well. I've lived in this country all my life and now I am being penalised. Can you help?

I have Muscular Dystrophy myself and have had to fight so hard, as have thousands of others, for the most basic things, From an accessible shower to basic walking aids. In fact I had to buy my own walker, as I was told there was a huge waiting list. This piece of equipment is vital for me to get around safely and now one of the wheels is not working on it. I and others want to have access to paid part-time work locally. Many among us are Hons Degree recent graduates.That is Level 8 and don't need other courses. It is very hard anyway to get into Level 9 courses locally full-time especially teaching as we find it next to impossible to find access to teaching practice in wide enough classrooms. Sadly that was my experience anyway in certain educational sectors.

pre hospital emergency care council will be the only accreditation body for first aid in the workplace. They are preventing qualified instructors from advertising this service. PHECC instructors are nurses , fire fighters , medical technicians and paramedics but Now PHECC are forcing them out of the market to the benefit of a select few larger companies. First aid instructors help us to save lives and PHECC wants to force us into unfair contracts without agreeing payment structures and without any rights as employees such as holiday pay or sick pay. Higher costs for life saving training will cost lives and will harm the public as a whole. Please sign our petition- we need life saving training of the highest standard available and accessible to all people not just the privileged few.

The finding of all defendants to be not guilty today is a victory for the #JobstownNotGuilty campaign. These seven people have had this hanging over them for over two years and have spent nine weeks in court. They are now vindicated and walk out of court proven to be protesters rather than the kidnappers Joan Burton and the Gardai said they were. What was exposed in court was as Sean Guerin SC said 'a conspiracy to pervert the course of justice'. It involved high-ranking Gardai telling lies in an attempt to present a protest as a kidnapping. This was a politically driven investigation vindictively designed to punish those who fought against water charges and wounded the political vanity of Joan Burton. It was an attempt to criminalise the largest movement of people power in decades, by presenting sit-down protests as false imprisonment. This is not over for any of us. Millions of euros were spent by the state in attempting to stand up the false charges of false imprisonment. A 17-year old was found guilty of false imprisonment on the same evidence in a judge-only court. That conviction should be overturned. Our fellow defendants face further charges including trumped-up charges of violent disorder in the coming months. Millions more will be wasted on pursuing them. All of these charges should now immediately be dropped and the attempts to criminalise protest should be stopped. Serious questions now need to be asked about the Garda conspiracy which saw Garda after Garda take the stand and tell blatant lies designed to incriminate protesters. Numerous Gardai took the stand to say they heard things that they couldn't possibly have heard, because they weren't said. The same Gardai failed to see things that did happen. It so happened that every false recollection served to bolster the prosecution case. Some of the lies were only shown up because of the existence of video footage that the Gardai didn't uncover. How high did this conspiracy go in Noirin O'Sullivan's Gardai? Large sections of the media effectively convicted us before our trial. Biased coverage against us continued in the course of the trial. Will those commentators who said we were guilty of false imprisonment now apologise and correct the record? Will the Labour Party apologise for its former leader attempting to criminalise a working class community and protest?

For equal treatment of people who are part of Irish society and who have contributed to building up our society even during the conflict, but who, because of partition and an oversight in the Good Friday Agreement may not get the same rights as they would, had they been living in the Republic. Brexit and Irish Citizenship Rights Campaign The aim: To secure an Irish citizenship right for non-Irish/non-British people with permanent right to reside and Indefinite Leave to Remain in NI for the free movement within EU Background Prior to the Belfast Agreement (the Agreement), the six counties in the North are part of the Ireland under Article 2 and 3 of 1937 Constitution. This means that ethnic minorities who were legally living and working in the North should has the same equal rights as an Irish citizen. Unfortunately, the Agreement has not reflected their Irish citizenship rights, as they contributed to the Northern Irish society during the conflicts, which is discriminatory under 1937 Constitution, the Belfast Agreement and applicable international human rights law. Moreover, the Agreement stated that any Irish or British born national has a right to dual nationality, and as per Annex 2, all persons born in NI to a parent who is otherwise entitled to reside in NI without any restriction. The right of adult i.e. parents or siblings of an Irish born child to Irish citizenship has not been covered by the Agreement which is also discriminatory. According to the Irish Citizenship and Nationality Act 2004 which implements the Agreement, any new born of ethnic minorities background before 1 January 2005 will automatically get the Irish citizenship. For those born after 1 January 2005 if either parent fulfils the criteria under 2004 Act, the new born will be an Irish. But ethnic minorities prior to the Agreement; and parents or siblings of Irish born children after the Agreement can only, on very special circumstances, apply for Irish citizenship, but this is at the discretion of the Minister for Justice and Equality. We firmly believe the principle of equality before the Law and non-discrimination under the 1937 Constitution, the Agreement and applicable international human rights law; and accordingly demand that ethnic minorities prior to the Agreement should automatically granted the Irish citizenship. Moreover, anyone who acquired the permanent residency and Indefinite Leave to Remain status under the UK immigration law in NI after the Agreement, has the same equal right to Irish citizenship in exercising Article 1 self-determination rights of the Agreement, as an Irish, British or both. The recent Supreme Court decision in United Kingdom on Brexit undermines the Agreement in which all the rights enshrined will be disappeared when Article 50 kicks in. Therefore, we need to protect the integrity of the Agreement. Our recommendations to the Irish government are as follows: • Protect the rights and the integrity of the Belfast Agreement; • To retain and to protect the Common Travel Area, under which people, animals and goods are freely to move; • To support a special status that based on the Agreement between Northern Ireland and EU which would ensure freed movement rights between Northern Ireland and EU member states; • To amend the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 2004 “anyone who acquired the permanent residency/Indefinite Leave to Remain/naturalised as British in NI has an equal right to the Irish citizenship”. Brexit and Irish Citizenship Rights Campaign Petition Letter: We, as the people of Ireland, demand that the Irish government: • Protect the rights and the integrity of the Belfast Agreement; • To retain and to protect the Common Travel Area, under which people, animals and goods are freely to move; • To support a special status that based on the Agreement between Northern Ireland and EU which would ensure freed movement rights between Northern Ireland and EU member states; • To amend the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 2004 “anyone who acquired the permanent residency/Indefinite Leave to Remain/naturalised as British in NI has an equal right to the Irish citizenship”. Signature: Date: Name (your full name): Your Postal code: Are you Irish or British citizen: Yes / No Are you ethnic minorities: Yes / No If yes, which ethnic group are you belonged to: Return this signature slip to the following address: Contact Email: