It is not natural to put children into uniforms for all of their childhood. Be in no doubt that they sap some of the light and levity out of the child and out of the school. They introduce fear and conflict because they involve enforcement, punishments, reprimands, and alienation. Schools become that bit more hostile to many children. Teachers waste enormous amounts of time enforcing and harassing and haranguing students about the clothes they are wearing and very stupid things like the colour of their shoelaces. They are expensive, restrictive, uncomfortable, oppressive and outdated. They reflect a right-wing conservative need for ultra-conformity to control children. In France it is Le Pen's neo-Nazi's who want to introduce uniforms. They are counter to modern educational philosophy which values plurality, problem-solving, creativity and self-expression. Ireland and Malta are the only two EU countries with this widespread practice, both with a British colonial past and a widespread smothering conservative, Catholic control of schools. It is a myth that uniforms protect children from bullying. In the wider European continent, out of 40 countries, uniforms are the norm in eight, and all eight of those report above average levels of bullying (Statista 2018). Rather than trying to make everyone look the same (impossible anyhow) by enforcing ridiculous dress and appearance rules, better for school to focus on developing children's ability to be resilient, accept themselves and other people for who they are in all their wonderful human diversity.

The Killester Raheny Clontarf school planning area (KRC SPA) has seven secondary schools. All are taxpayer-funded and all are controlled by religious institutions. Five of the schools are single-sex. Of the remaining two schools, one prioritises children from Protestant backgrounds and the other is a small Catholic school. We have raised this issue repeatedly with the Minister for Education, Norma Foley, through representations in the Dáil. Through questions to her Department we have learned that there is a serious lack of secondary school places in the KRC SPA. The statistics we received from the Department of Education show, for example, that year after year between 60% and 70% of boys who finish sixth class in the KRC SPA leave the area for secondary school. This is unsurprising as only one of the single-sex schools mentioned above caters for boys. The schools in our area are already oversubscribed and the statistics show we need a new one. We need a school that offers parents a choice. Please sign the petition and let’s make sure it’s a non-religious school that boys and girls can attend together.

Let's make Mullingar accessible to everyone, bring the bus!

Citibank is one of the dirtiest banks in the world. Israel is one of its most important markets. Citibank has facilitated the purchase of weapons by the Israeli military and we are seeing the devastating results of this. Already the second largest funder of fossil fuels in the world, it is giving more money to fossil fuel companies such as BP who are exploiting the war on Gaza to drill for gas off Gaza's coast. Over 25,000 people have been killed over 100 days of Israel's onslaught in Gaza. Hundreds of thousands are at risk of disease and starvation as Israel refuses to allow aid to enter. Despite this mass suffering, Israel is planning to extract the natural resources off the coast of Gaza through licensing, drilling and extraction. This is all underpinned by funding from Citibank. We know that only outside pressure can stop Israel. Citibank has its main European offices in Belfast and Dublin, and has received over £40 million in public money from Invest NI. We need to take a strong stand across this island against Citi profiting from Israel's brutal attack on the people of Palestine.

Both my parents are hard of hearing, they had three children with full hearing. We grew up with sign language, with subtitles on the telly and with an appreciation for how hard things are for deaf people. There's 103,000 deaf or hard of hearing people in Ireland. They deserve a decent subtitling service, regardless of the T.V station, show or type of programme. Unfortunately subtitling is patchy, sometimes out of sync or sometimes not provided at all. Please support this by adding your name.

The exclusion of Russia from Eurovision in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine was hugely significant and demonstrated Eurovision's capacity to take an ethical stance on human rights. Martin Österdahl, Eurovision’s executive supervisor, previously spoke about this decision regarding Russia, stating, "When we say we are not political, what we always should stand up for are the basic and ultimate values of democracy."

Israeli military action in Gaza and the ongoing conflict in the Occupied West Bank have led to appalling suffering and loss of life for Palestinians and to a deteriorating humanitarian situation, which is unprecedented.  Israel has disregarded all calls for a ceasefire and for allowing adequate delivery of humanitarian aid. Israeli military have caused the death of over 35,000 people, the destruction of 80% of civilian building and infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, water, sanitation and energy infrastructure.  Senior politicians in the Israeli government have openly declared their intention to continue their military action, which is a breach of international law and which has been recognised as amounting to genocide by many international experts.  In addition to the unspeakable level of suffering in Gaza, the oppression and illegal treatment of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories is well documented. In the world of sport, it is undeniable that Palestinian athletes may at this time not be in a position to participate in any sporting events: the killing, injuries, and maiming of people, the destruction of houses, displacement of the vast majority of the Gazan population, lack of nutrition, water and sanitation, the appalling state of healthcare facilities, would make it next to impossible to even consider participation in sport at any level. For this reason, we believe that there are grounds to act on Israel’s disregard for human rights of Palestinians, by urgently implementing measures in respect of Israel’s participation in international sporting events. 1) We call on Sport Ireland to condemn the invasion and ongoing military action in Gaza, which is a blatant violation of international law, as well as of the Olympic Charter; 2) We call on Sport Ireland to request that the International Olympic Committee take action in relation to Israeli’s actions in Gaza, and implement the following measures:  - Athletes with an Israeli passport may not be considered for participation in the Olympic Games Paris 2024;  - IOC to issue recommendations to all Sporting Federations in relation to Israel’s participation in international sporting events, including the following: a) That no international sports events be organised in Israel; b) That no Israeli flag, anthems or other national symbols whatsoever should be displayed at any international sports events; c) That no Israeli government or state officials should be accredited for or invited to any international sports events; d) That the Olympic Committee of Israel is no longer entitled to operate as a National Olympic Committee, as defined in the Olympic Charter, and cannot receive any funding from the Olympic Movement. As individuals involved in Irish sport, we have a moral obligation to take action in relation to the ongoing violation of human rights of the Palestinian people. We therefore call on Sport Ireland to act in line with its values and to use its role within the international sporting community to try and put a stop to this destruction and restore humanity.

These actions would: Bring an end to Ireland's trade with and investment in the illegal Israeli settlements in Occupied Palestine (in accordance with the Fourth Geneva Convention) Would end the Irish State's support for the gross violation of human rights being perpetrated by Israel; and would support the Palestinian people's right to self-determination https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/2023/28/ (Occupied Territories) https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/2018/6/ (Illegal Settlements) https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/documents/atrocity-crimes/Doc.33_GC-IV-EN.pdf https://www.nad.ps/en/publication-resources/faqs/recognition-palestine

the Cox family need a dog because it will teach us responsibility, commitment, to get off screens,be more active, sharing and will also give us emotional support.

We, the public, patients, parents, carers and workers are standing up to support our underfunded public services and underpaid public servants. While the Secretary of State uses your pay award as political football, we support your action for better pay and services - because we all depend on them.

I am calling on you to boycott St. Patrick's Day Celebrations at The White House this year. This would be a powerful sign of solidarity with Palestine that would reflect the feelings of Irish people & have a massive impact around the world. You are either against genocide in Gaza or you are not. I will not vote for any politician who travels to Washington & shakes the blood-soaked hands of Joe Biden.

We believe that implementing roundabouts instead of traffic lights can enhance traffic flow, reduce congestion, and improve overall road safety. Sign this petition to advocate for the installation of roundabouts in our community. Let's create a smoother and more efficient traffic experience for everyone!