I work in education. I have been a Labour supporter all my life and voted labour in each general election. If push comes to shove I expect I will do so again but only because there isn't an alternative. The point is, it will be painful for me to vote because I find it difficult voting for Ed Miliband. And I'm a Labour supporter! If it's this difficult for me, how difficult is it going to be for all the marginal voters any political party relies upon to win a general election.

And here my point is, most the campaigns and good work 38 degrees get involved with are undermined by the fact there isn't a credible alternative. There isn't a Labour party fit to govern on the horizon under the leadership of Ed Miliband.

Maybe I'm wrong. I guess the views expressed here will help to determine this.

Roll back some if the changes that Thatcher made to the Housing Act to bring back long term assured tenancies as a viable alternative to buying.

Bring in a new 'sitting' tenancy whereby renters get the security of being able to rent somewhere long term.

Landlords should also get the protection they didn't used to get by being able to evict tenants who don't keep the property up, or behave anti-socially towards their neighbours.

This would give people who do not access to the property market a chance to put down roots and call somewhere home. If you have more emotion invested in your rental, you're far more likely to look after it. This would also help to build more communities as tenants would not be so transient.

I agree like anyone that the system needs to change in the UK. We just can't afford to keep going like we have been.There are many issues with it. People who have been in the 'system' for many years with a bad back, however they have never had a scan or a procedure. I have a genuine bad back,had scans, many procedures and operations and pending more. I have paid into the system my whole life, but I am unable to work at the moment (I am still employed). Yet I have been messed about for 4 months in regards to Employment Support Allowance, recently declined. Which I will challenge and take as high as I can until I get the right decision. But I have seen so many pitfalls in the process. I propose the following.

1. The Gov offices to sort out their process - This is what private business have to do, they should be no different. I have lost count of the letters I have been sent in error. This may sound minor and petty, but each letter/postage and time must cost £1. Multiply this by how many letters are sent in error and this will be MILLIONS of £ a year in savings

2.ATOS healthcare assessments - Where to start on this! I know my medical assessment has not even recorded the information correctly. They even have issued letters to brain injured people telling them they should go to work. They are clearly inadequate and in most cases are not medically trained. These are the people that have the power to spend Gov money or decline it. The Gov pay them to have the contract for undertaking these assessments. The assessment is then sent to a caseworker. Like anything - They should keep it simple. What should happen is the caseworker should contact the persons GP and get a report including consultants updates. They will then see if its a genuine case, from a medical professional that sees their patient regularly and has access to their medical records. Instead of caseworker going to ATOS, ATOS spending up to an hour with a person, then typing their report and sending it to the caseworker. These have been so inaccurate that there are many people then appealing and costing more Tax payers money in appeals. People winning their appeals is running at between 40-50%.

These changes would save alot of money and without having the figures from the Gov I can't quantify it, but I can guarantee that it would save millions of £'s a year if these basic two steps were implemented.

Thank you

New pension reforms in the Public Service Pensions Bill give Uniformed services a normal pension age of 60 recommended by Lord Hutton who was commissioned by government to compile the pension reform report which this Bill is based.

The MoD Fire & Police Services should have the same status but the Government don't want to recognise them for the work they do. Because they are civil servants they are subjected to a retirement age linked to state retirement age with normal civil servants.

Lord Hutton has spoken out in the House of Lords saying if he had known of the MoD Fire & Police Service he would have recommended they were included as uniformed- it was an over sight. All his recommendations have been followed by government to date.

Legal advice is there would be a potential equality law challenge if there retirement age were higher than 60. How could the government be allowed to break the law while passing legislation- abhorrent!

We have the full support of the Labour Party & other leading MP's

An amendment was passed on the 12th February which gives equality but it goes to the House of Commons next week were the government will try to overturn it. We need your support to help equality win the day!!

Please sign the e petition in support of the MoD Fire & Police Services-equality for people of the same profession which Lord Hutton recommends.
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/46535
Can anyone really see firefighters & police office doing their jobs at ages of up to 68!!

This is an ideal opportunity to demonstrate our total lack of confidence in our Government's shocking and demeaning attacks on something us British should be proud of – our Welfare Benefits, our National Health Service and our care for all members of our society.

Tory Politicians have scraped the barrel by referring to a hugely dysfunctional family as an example of benefits claimants. The biggest chunk of money spent on benefits by far is paid to pensioners who have paid national insurance contributions all their lives for the privilege of a very meagre sum. The second biggest chunk of money is paid to the working poor. Tax payers are subsidising wealthy company owners and managers who don’t pay their staff enough. The Government are currently discussing abolishing or reducing the minimum wage.

Tax payers are also subsiding private landlords by giving them housing benefit. The abolition of fair rents has seen private rents increase dramatically since the 1970s – way, way above inflation.

It is such a shame that so many people who work but are not very wealthy believe the bias in our national media - listening to and reading what the wealthy establishment want us to think and there appears to be no depths to which they will sink. There is an exclusive elitist club that the Government supports and is part of. They are trying to divide and rule us for their own ends and taking away our connection with fellow human beings.

The benefit ‘scroungers’ are the landlords, the land owning farmers (lots of subsidies), the chief executives and the company managers. I am sure you could add to this list.

This attack on benefits as well as the relentless march of a small minority making massive profit from services for the public such as health, caring for people, water and utilities are creating a Britain I am deeply ashamed and saddened about.

We have to find a way to change course and not letting ourselves be divided is crucial.

I am asking you to voice my objections to the new bedroom tax imposed by this un-elected government and making un-just laws which will affect the poor people by any government who are there to look after them not to tax them to despair. People who live in two or three bedroom properties who will have to pay for extra rooms not occupied is wrong the government is targeting the poor, they are only there to help them. People living in these houses have made them their home and have spent a considerable amount of money maintaining the house by decorating, installing, kitchens, bathrooms, carpets, fencing, driveways the garden. These and many other things all costing a lot of money and putting a lot of themselves into the house. There is also the neighbor-hood they have become a part of the familiarity of the surroundings where they have lived for quite some time. This at an age where some people it will have adverse affects on the mental/psychological effects, which will come upon them. Extra worries of how to pay for new things as stated above at an age and time where money is limited, mainly because they are on some kind of benefit and also will find it hard to find a job because of their age and the reality of the job market. People who will now feel there is no point in spending money on the house they live in and making it into a home. As one day they will have to leave because they will be taxed to live in a house seen as, just as a temporary residence. This government or any government have not got the right to play with people’s lives and mental states. Using this and past governments failures on its housing. They have failed in building new houses to cater for the people which have increased from natural growth and immigration. The government have seen poor people living in a property, (which they are entitled to) by a government elected by them to provide their right to a home as an easy target. This is outrageous. It is their home and should not have the housing benefit reduced and slowly but surely force them out by getting into arrears. When finally they leave where do they go how do they pay for new things what happens to all the work they have spent on their house money or love what happens to the community they belong to? The government are destroying people because they are poor and have no job or on a benefit. Make the rich pay as they have trillions not like the poor on pennies. I would be very grateful if you can take time in to forwarding this to the relevant people. As I feel it is very important to protect the poor. The government have gone above themselves and need to be brought down. The public should decide public servants should listen. They know exactly what they are doing by forcing them from their home which is illegal. To pay money/tax from their benefit which is their money they are entitled to, to pay for food and pay utilities ie water, food, gas and electric not for rent.
There is many more things which I have missed but generally this sums up the government is wrong they either do not care or have not thought about all the implications which will arise from this new tax. Some people will disagree and say why should you live in a house to big and tax- payers should not have to pay. This is the government's tactics of fooling the general public that people on benefits are ripping the tax-payer off when this is not the case. The government are playing with people's attitudes and way of thinking for their political gains at the expense of the poor and needy with a lot of these people through no fault of their own have to be on benefits which is theirs. The government should not force people out of their homes it’s as simple as that. They have spent money looking after these homes and now you an unelected dictator is telling me leave all my things and go and live in a smaller place with no carpets decor garden. It has taken me years to make my house into a home which i am entitled to you as the government have failed to provide houses for all the people you keep letting in and for the poor people who already live here. Stop sending our money to other countries and start looking after people from this country. Also get back all the trillions you let the bankers and greedy corporations take not to tax poor people poor because you look after the rich. You are the public's servant obey. You are all acting like roman emperors.
Thankyou. finally I have just before xmas done my kitchen but needs tiling painting needs finishing but now I have given up this is how many people will feel consequently now will stop improving where they live as there is no point when you will have to leave all your work and dedication and care and love behind to start again as an old person with no money no will no interest in starting again in a scruffy drug alcohol infested estate designed by your local planning and government get rid of this whole system and let people rule fairly the rich are suppressing the poor to maintain even higher the time is now before we all barcoded chipped like dogs and fed soylent

Drinks industry to sponsor police vans, ambulances and wards that they depend on for their profits

Large sums of money are used in policing the effects of Alcohol use and abuse. The alcohol industry, brewers, distillers, distributors and retailers all benefit from this aspect of our culture. But we all fund the cost of policing drunkenness, driving while over the limit, damage to goods, property and person, and the associated hospitalisations. The drinks industry is taxed no more heavily than health neutral businesses. Perhaps they should be. Why shouldn’t the “polluter pay”?
Let’s see “Sponsored by Blackbreads” on the side of police vans that mop up the drunks.
“Sponsored by Guiless” on the side of ambulances that collect the injured innocents from road traffic accidents.
And the “The Scotch Whiskey liver transplant ward” and similar, in large capitals on hospital wards.
Perhaps a member who has ready access to the sums for this idea could flesh it out.
I wonder what proportion of the NHS budget for example is committed to this side of their work?