I am committed to being part of the Irish Left, and helping this country to move more to the left. As part of this, I have had the privilege of attending the "School Strikes for the Climate," to support Ireland's young climate activists. These children and teenagers have shown themselves to care more passionately about fixing the climate crisis than many of Ireland's adults. In 2015, we had the same-sex marriage referendum. We saw that year how many of our young people really care about making our country a more equal and fair place. Our teenagers have things to say, so I strongly believe we should let them have their say. It is time for us to lower the minimum voting age in elections and referendums to sixteen. To do so would not only make Ireland a more equal country, but it would help to bring fresh input and ideas into the national conversation. So please sign this petition to Leinster House and share it with others. Thank you.

It ensures the safety of sex workers. As a result of the March 2017 bill, which criminalised clients and allowed sex work to be legal, as long as they worked alone, the violence against sex workers has increased by 90%. If sex work was decriminalised, they could work together to avoid threats to their safety and protect each other from clients that could commit robbery, assault, or rape, as clients are aware of how the law could work in their favour.

The climate crisis means that government in NI should commit to keeping fossil fuels in the ground. In August last year, earthquakes from fracking in the UK were big enough to damage people's homes. Fossil fuel company Tamboran have an application to start fracking in Co Fermanagh sitting on Diane Dodds desk and if this gets the green light will cause devastation to local communities, nature, people's health and livelihoods. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-48191165

Theophilus Ndlovu, aka 'Touché', came to Ireland seeking asylum in July 2016 and has spent the last 3.5 years living in Direct Provision in Galway. As a talented spoken-word and hip-hop artist, Theo has made enormous contributions to the Irish community, performing at countless cultural and charitable events across the country. He is a founding member of the multicultural music project 'Atmos Collective', and has facilitated numerous music workshops in Galway - teaching, motivating and inspiring hundreds of young people along the way. He is an irreplaceable member of the collective, which was recently granted funding by Galway 2020 as part of their 'Small Towns Big Ideas' scheme, to host community music workshops in the city and county over the next 12 months. Atmos Collective and this incredible project simply could not and will not exist without him! Theo came to Ireland young and alone. He has talent, passion, and is doing his absolute best to give something positive back to Irish society. His ongoing creative output demonstrates that he is dedicated and well-integrated into the creative community. Impressively, it has all been of his own initiative, despite his challenging circumstances. Hardworking and with an infectious energy and positivity, he has been an outstanding role model in the community and an incredible asset to both Galway and Ireland. We cannot afford to lose him! Recently, Theo has wrestled with anxiety and depression, brought on by his time in Direct Provision. We have a humanitarian duty to support and protect those who have had to endure this inhumane and degrading asylum system. Despite all of this, Theo is now facing an imminent deportation order. Only Minister Charles Flanagan has the power to grant 'permission to remain' to Theo and prevent his deportation. PLEASE take the time to sign this petition and to email the Minister and the Taoiseach, at [email protected] and [email protected], pledging support to Theo and his future in Ireland – which has become his home. Contact [email protected] for more details or an email/letter template!

Tens of thousands of mainly plastic election poster will be put up during the next election campaign. We don't need them. They are a polluting waste of time, money and resources. They reduce the democratic process to a meaningless exercise in Airbrushed face recognition. They cost a lot of money which at best favours parties and individuals with deep pockets and at worst leaves Politicians indebted to wealthy donors and lobbyist.

Better productivity. More efficient usage of time Employee satisfaction Lower unemployment rates And most importantly it is better for the environment as we won’t produce as much greenhouse emissions.

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.

If mental health promotion was given a more central and compulsory role in the curriculum the wellbeing of the young people would improve. The communities we work in are some of the most deprived areas in the UK. The suicide rate is around 70% higher in deprived areas than non-deprived areas, and rates of pupils needing tuition due to anxiety and mental health continues to be high. We need schools and the Education Authority to monitor how our schools are addressing mental health.

Because domestic violence is'the great taboo' We men have to speak out loud and clear to say it is wrong. It's always wrong and can never be condoned or justified. It's past time we hear men speaking. Come on men...stand together with our women.

There are two species of seals in Irish waters, the grey and the harbour seal but in recent years Artic visitors such as bearded, walrus and most recently a hooded seal have arrived on our shores. We have many things to learn about how seals use our coastline and these species are protected under the Wildlife Act, 1976 and its amendments and the EU Habitats Directive as they are important indicators of ecosystem health. Indeed the recent sightings of such northerly species have been a cause for concern and it is of interest that we monitor such important indicator species in a time when the planet faces climate crises and is undergoing the 6th Mass Extinction. Read more here: https://www.orcireland.ie/call-to-cull-seals-in-irish-waters and here: http://www.ecoevoblog.com/2019/03/05/seal-cull/

Many of us in Ireland have extended family or good friends living in Australia. Cousins, aunts, uncles, colleagues, former school-friends, online pals - we all almost certainly have people there we care about. To the best of my knowledge air quality is around 200 times worse than what is considered a major health hazard and the equivalent of smoking around 40 cigarettes in their capital city. Thankfully, for now, the direct death toll is low; if we are proactive in helping and inspiring others to act we can make a real difference. It's not to late yet but time is of the essence. They need someone to step up for them. When we look at other English speaking countries like the UK and US it is quite obvious that, for all their size and influence, they aren't in a position to lead on this. It can be tempting to shirk away from our duty to our fellow man and worry about only our island and maybe our allies on mainland Europe in such complicated times, but please remember that their population contains among it descendants of our own ancestors who were sent there because of the famine (for they stole Trevelyan's Corn so our younger ancestors might see the morn), and a native people who suffered in turn from how our desperate ancestors were used by the British Empire to steal their land from them. They are not a people we can turn our back on in their moment of crisis, because as small as we are we have the power to get the ball rolling. Once we do it can create monumentum that will encourage our allies to follow suit, and put pressure on larger governments to do the same. To be blunt: We can act, and we should act, so we must act. It is the right thing to do.

The traffic lights at Raheny village are anti-pedestrian and punish people who travel on foot - particularly older people, young children and people with disabilities. This must change immediately.