JEREMY HUNT DESERVES TO BE FIRED BECAUSE HE SCHEMED WITH THE MURDOCKS TO HELP THEM WIN THE BSKYB DEAL

Jeremy Hunt Set Up A Secret Back Channel To Feed Information To News Corp. 

On April 24th explosive emails were released that show that Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt schemed with the Murdoch's to help them win the BSkyB deal. This is an outrageous breach of his public duties, but if we raise our voice now we can get him fired. Instead of properly scrutinising this deal, the emails show that Hunt set up a secret back channel to feed information to News Corp. One of the emails revealed that Hunt thought that it was crucial to weaken Avaaz's campaign. We had them running scared! Now, let us use our power to get David Cameron to remove Jeremy Hunt.

This is the top story across the country right now, and Avaaz is the best placed community to finally put an end to this crooked collusion between the Government and the Murdock Mafia. Sign the urgent petition to remove Hunt and send this message to everyone.

http://www.avaaz.org/en/fire.jeromy.hunt.2/?yl

Hunt was supposed to judge the BSkyB takeover in an independent, quasi-judicial manner. However hundreds of pages of internal News Corp emails and texts just released by the Leveson enquiry show regular correspondence between News Corp and Hunt's office. The emails show that Hunt shared" News Corps objectives" and sent confidential drafts of key statements to News Corp before making them public - a move News Corp itself say's was "absolutely illegal".

Despite this clear conflict of interest and lack of professionalism, Downing Street is digging in and insists that Hunt still has the Prime Ministers full confidence. But Cameron knows that he faces a vital decision for the credibility of his Government and our massive public outcry will force him to get rid of Hunt, and to reveal the full details of all his interaction with the Murdoch's and their staff. Hunt has shown that he is not fit for his role and cannot be trusted. He thinks this is business as usual and it is up to us to prove him wrong. Join the urgent call. Click the link and forward to all your friends. Together, we helped scrap the Murdoch Mafia's bid for BSkyB last summer. Now we have a chance to clean up the dirty politics that nearly allowed it to sail through.

Emma Ruby Sachs - Avaaz.org

NHS; THE 38 DEGREES SPONSERED EVENT TO COUNTER THE PRESENTATION MADE TO GP'S BY HEALTHCARE COMPANIES CAPITA & UNITED HEALTHCARE ON APRIL 24TH

More Than 22,000 38 Degrees Members Sponsored This Very Important Event -

Many Thanks To All Members

For Their Support. 

My Name is Dr Louise Irvine, I have been a GP for 27 years, and a 38 Degrees member for the last two. On Tuesday night, I spoke at our patient-sponsored event with some of the senior GP's who have been put in charge of deciding the future of local health services. Together, more than 22,000 38 Degrees members sponsored the event. Thank you so much for being part of it. It was really quite something. And not just because plenty of senior GP's turned up, despite already having spent all day being schmoozed by private healthcare companies.

The Event on Tuesday night helped convince me that although we did not manage to stop Lansley getting the NHS changes through Parliament, there is still a lot that we can do to protect our NHS. Those "RIP NHS" headlines were premature. I think that the NHS is now like someone with a chronic illness: if we do not look after it, bits might start falling off. But right now, the NHS is a living body, and one that we are all part off.

I heard senior GP's say how glad they were that 38 Degree members want to continue to campaign to protect the NHS. They responded positively to 38 Degrees members campaign ideas, and many said that they were willing to work with us. I heard speaker after speaker say it has never been more important for citizens to get involved and make themselves heard than now. We know that we can make a difference. Now we need to decide together what our priorities are. The 38 Degrees office team have just launched a poll to give all of us members a say. I have just voted on my favourite ideas - can you take a couple of minutes to do the same?

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/nhs-poll-april

I am lucky. As a GP I see every day how important the NHS is and the difference it can make to people's lives. So I have never doubted that the best future for our health service is a people powered one. Being involved with the 38 Degrees campaign to save the NHS showed me how many of us know that our health service is precious and worth protecting. Like most of us, when the Government pushed ahead with its plans and ignored our concerns, I felt sad and worried. But the response from 38 Degrees members since the law was passed has been incredible. Ideas have poured in for ways to continue to support the NHS. The office team have worked through these ideas, and asked NHS experts for their advice on what could work. Now we have a chance to decide which ones to prioritise in the weeks and months ahead. 

Like you, I have donated, signed petitions, and emailed my MP. I saw the effect of our huge billboard campaign and the thousands of letters and emails that we sent to MP's and the members of the House of Lords. I know that we are at our most powerful when we get together to set priorities, plan, and make things happen. So please get involved in setting the 38 Degrees priorities for the next stage of the campaign - vote now. Many thanks for being involved.

Dr Louise Irvine

TWO BIG PRIVATE HEALTHCARE COMPANIES ARE PLOTTING TO RIG THE FUTURE OF OUR NHS

NHS: A Message From The Sponsors - We Can Use People Power To Level

The Playing Field.

It's just been revealed that two big private healthcare companies are plotting to rig the future of our NHS. On Tuesday, Capita and United Healthcare are planning to schmooze leading GP's at a conference in London - the GP's now in charge of deciding the future of local health services. The big companies have got the money to gain influence and access. But together, we can use people power to level the playing field - and invite doctors to our own patient-sponsored event down the road, just after their conference finishes.

Capita and United Healthcare hope that the GP's will stick around for free drinks on them. Instead we can tempt them over to a very different kind of event! They will have the opportunity to hear from experts explaining the role that patients can play in helping to protect our NHS - and why they need to listen to us, not just big business. Can you chip in a £1 to become an event sponsor? We will put up the names of all the sponsors as the GP's arrive at the event. The contrast with the big money corporate sponsorship over the road could not be clearer. And the GP's will see just how many of us are ready to keep up the pressure to safeguard our NHS service.

Are you in? Click here now to donate a £1 and add your name to the list of sponsors. 24252 members are sponsoring the event so far.

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/GP-event-donate

Tuesday's event is a prime opportunity to start a new conversation with GP leaders. Lansley's NHS changes mean crucial decisions about the future of our NHS are now in these GP's hands. We can show them that 38 Degrees members will be watching their decisions carefully - and that we plan to do all that we can to protect our NHS.

 We do not have a lot of time to pull this together. But that is the power of our movement. 38 Degree members can move quickly when we get a chance like this to stand up for our NHS. Already we have got a venue, and a panel of healthcare professionals and experts lined up to speak. Zoe Williams, a Guardian columnist who has written about our NHS campaign has agreed to chair. Now it just needs you to make it happen.

A few ago 38 Degrees members voted overwhelmingly to carry on campaigning to save our NHS. This is our chance to get Down to business. Please help show the GP's that the future of the NHS does not have to be all about private companies and big money sponsorship - chip in you your £1 now. Thanks very much for making this happen.

David Babbs - 38 Degrees

BEHIND THE SCENES IN EUROPE, BIG DECISIONS ARE NOW BEING MADE ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE

Will David Cameron Show His Support For Climate Change When He Makes His

Green Speech In April ?

"David Cameron has a key role in making sure that there are EU targets to reduce emissions by 30% by 2020. 38 Degree members have a vital role to play in ensuring David Cameron shows his support in his green speech which is due to be made on April 26th". Right now, behind the scenes in Europe, big decisions are being made about climate change. Experts say that what is needed are targets to reduce emissions by 30%. But some European leaders are starting to lose their nerve.

David Cameron has a key role to play. But at just the time that we need him to stand strong, he is losing the support of his own top Conservative Ministers on tackling climate change. Cameron knows that his support for a 30% target is crucial. Without it, other leaders may use his silence as an excuse to drop out of the Europe-wide climate effort.

Together we can convince Cameron to stand strong and back the 30% climate targets in his key speech on April 26th. Thousands of messages from 38 Degrees members will prove that whatever his Ministers are saying, the public want real progress on Climate change. Click here to get started: -

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/david-cameron-green-speech

If Europe is allowed to reject tougher targets, it will set back the final fight against climate change across the world. Tougher targets will be a big step towards cleaner energy, green jobs, and falling level of emissions. There are rumours of a tug of war going on inside the Government. Conservative Ministers will be putting the pressure behind closed doors - let's make sure Cameron knows that the public will not stand by and watch him throw away this opportunity in the fight against climate change. We know that it can work. Last year, thousands of us contacted Cameron to tell him not to water down the UK's own target - and we won.

Becky Jarvis - 38 Degrees.

GOVERNMENT SPYING ON ITS OWN CITIZENS: OUR TASK IS NOW TO GET OUR RESPONSE UP TO 150,000 SIGNITURES?

David Cameron Claims That His New Snooping Plans Will Make Us All Feel Safer. 

David Cameron's proposed new Internet snooping plans which it is claimed are designed to make us safer are going to be pushed ahead rapidly. But really these proposals are about big brother powers to spy on us all, and not just serious criminals.

100,000 of us have now signed the petition to say that the Government should not be allowed to spy on us, our friends and our families, without any kind of warrant or reason.

Parliament comes back from its Easter break next week - can you help us to get past the 150,000 signatures before then?

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/stop-the-snooping-plan

Marie Campbell - 38 degrees

WE MUST HURRY IF WE ARE GOING TO SUCCEED IN STOPPING THE SECRET LOBBYING THAT IS CARRIED OT BY THIS COALITION GOVERNMENT

We Have 48 Hours In Which To Try And Put An End To The Secret Lobbying Used BY Corporations To Capture Our Politicians.

Right now our Government is often beholden to highly paid corporate lobbyists who get special access to our leaders. To fix this the Government plans a mandatory register for lobbyists who meet MP's, officials and ministers, but its proposals have loopholes the size of Big Ben, allowing three quarters of the lobbyists to continue their shady trade in Secret. Worried about backlash from this leaky proposal, the Government has opened up a public consultation - Let's send a wave of messages now calling on politicians to close the loopholes and to protect us from secret lobbying. Click below to have your personal message submitted directly to the Government.

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_the_secret_lobby/?vl 

"Two hundred grand to 250 is premier league - the first thing we want to do is get you at the Cameron/Osborne dinners." This is what the then treasurer of the Conservative party recently promised to journalists posing as potential doners. Once again we are seeing an intimate relationship between big business and the Government, one where many of the lobbyists are former politicians and vice versa. The US already has strict rules for lobbyists, including compulsory registration for anyone acting on behalf of foreign countries or for political gain, but in Britain it is an unregulated free for all.

The Government knows that there is a problem and has drafted a proposal to tackle lobbyists, but the proposals would exempt the majority of the lobbying industry as powerful in-house lobbyists would not need to register. Let's push the Government to make its measure comprehensive, and help clean up our politics, send your message now. From ACTA to sweetheart tax deals and the NHS, Avaaz members have stood up against lobbyists undermining our democracy through secret deals and unregulated access. An ambitious lobbyist register could help rebalance our politics away from big business towards people power.

Alex Wilks - Avaaz.org

ITS IMPORTANT THAT WE DO NOT ALLOW THIS COALITION GOVERNMENT TO CARRY OUT ITS ANNOUNCED PLAN TO SPY ON ALL ITS CITIZENS

The Government Is Determined To Push Its Plan To Spy On All Of Us Through "As

Soon As Parliamentary Time Allows."

The Government has just announced a plan to spy on us all, to be pushed through "as soon as Parliamentary time allows." They want to see details of who we call, text and email, and which websites we visit - without any kind of warrant or reason. They want to force phone and Internet companies to install special devices to provide all this data on each and every one of us. Experts are lining up to condemn this idea as intrusive, expensive and ineffective. But we know that when the Labour Government announced similar plans a few years ago, a huge outcry was needed to make them back down.

So let us build a massive petition right away, to show David Cameron that British citizens will not put up with their Government spying on their every move. Please click here to add your name now: -
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/stop-the-snooping-plan

A final version of the plan is due to be announced in just one month's time. We need to move fast if we are to get this scrapped before then. A big petition right now could persuade David Cameron to rethink before he commits himself to deeply. His officials will report the rising number of signatures to him. And they will warn him that he can expect voters to challenge him every step of the way. A number of MP's from different political parties are already expressing unease. Liberal Democrat and Conservative MP's know that when Labour was in power, they publicly opposed these kinds of plans. public pressure could now push enough MP's to tell David Cameron that they will not vote for this large scale invasion of their voter's privacy.

Add your name to the petition today.

David Cameron claims that this will make us safer. But this is about spying on all of us, and not serious criminals. It's already perfectly possible for the Government to monitor people suspected of serious crimes, with proper permission and oversight. And serious criminals will inevitably find ways to hide their on line identities. Most importantly, this is not the kind of Britain that we want to live in. We should not respond to criminals by abandoning our principles and scrapping basic civil liberties. We should not treat every citizen like a potential criminal who needs to be monitored. Help stand up for our right to privacy when we browse the Internet or phone our friends.

Please sign the petition and spread the word now.

Marie Campbell - 38 Degrees.

SIGN UP TO THE BIG SWITCH TO STOP THE GAS AND ELECRICITY COMPANIES FROM RIPPING US OFF.

This Is a People-Powered Effort To Stop Unwarranted Increases In The Price

Of Gas and Electricity.  

Its incredible in just a couple of weeks, over 200,000 of us have signed up to the Big Switch - a people-powered effort to stop gas and electricity companies from ripping us off. But if we are going to take on these big energy bullies and win, we need to be bigger - much bigger. The big switch is making history. It's a simple idea - using the Internet, we bring together gas and electricity customers across the country in a pledge to switch their supplier. Then we work with consumer experts at Which? to negotiate cheaper rates on our behalf. Once we have driven the hardest bargain possible, we switch to the supplier offering the best deal.

At the beginning of April the Which? negotiators will be rolling up their sleeves to start negotiating the cheapest prices. The more people that sign up quickly, the more impact that can be had on the negotiations. Please get involved, do not miss out, click here to sign up. https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/the-big-switch

A quick reminder of how this works: -

1. Sign up - join other 38 Degrees members to get a fair   deal on gas and electricity.

2.  Share it with your friends - the more of us who get involved, the stronger our bargaining position.

3.  Bargain - we work with Which? experts to negotiate with gas and electricity companies.

4.  Switch - if you like the deal we negotiate, you can switch easily on line.

Sign up now, you can always pull out later if you like. Then forward this email to any friends and family who also want cheaper bills. 

Becky Jarvis - 38 Degrees 

PS. After more than a year of controversy and debate, the Government has got its NHS plans through Parliament. Now need to decide together what we need to do next. Shall we carry on with our work to protect the NHS? There is still time to vote YES or NO for continuing the campaign to protect the NHS. Click here https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/NHS-vote

PLEASE SIGN ARTHUR STREATHFIELD'S PETITION TO REVERSE THE FREEZE ON THE AGE RELATED TAX ALLOWANCE.

Britain's Biggest Pensioner's Organisation, The National Pensioners Convention Is Backing Arthur's Petition.

Britain's biggest pensioner's organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC) is backing a new online petition started by pensioner Arthur Streatfield, from Bath, calling on the Government to reverse its decision to freeze the age related personal tax allowances for the over 65's from April 2013. The petition can be seen at http://epetitions,direct.gov.uk/petitions/31778

Dot Gibson, NPC General Secretary said: "Since the Budget announcement on Wednesday 21st March, we have been inundated by pensioners like Arthur who are outraged that the chancellor is giving a tax cut to those earning over £150,000 whilst pensioners on little more than £11,000 per year are having their tax allowance frozen. There has been a lot of nonsense published in the media, about pensioners having so far been cushioned form the austerity measures, but they have already seen cuts to their fuel allowance, a reduction of their state pension increase because it is now linked to the lower Consumer Price Index rather than the Retail Price Index. Rationing of care services in the community, closure of day care centres, changes to disability benefits and caps on housing support.

It's time that we came out fighting and this petition is just the start. The Government needs to recognise that older people are an asset and not a burden; and that we contribute £40bn every year in taxes, unpaid voluntary work and caring for family members. We not only need to reverse this latest attack, but also to campaign for higher state pensions, proper care and an end to fuel poverty."