Hazel Blears

Labour MP for Salford and Eccles

Internships offer a chance for a young person to demonstrate their ability and suitability to an employer over a set period of time, usually at least three months. They apply hoping that if they do well there could be a permanent job for them at the end of that period. But many of these internships are unpaid. It is estimated that 92% of arts internships and 76% of PR internships are unpaid... That is really damaging for people from less well off backgrounds when internships have become a pre-requisite for graduates looking to access some professions.

Douglas Alexander and Ivan Lewis MP

This summit offers the Prime Minister a chance to show Britain at its best, and the test for its success will be reaching agreement on some of the most challenging issues facing the international community. We hope he seizes that opportunity with both hands.

Máirtín Ó Muilleoir

Lord Mayor of Belfast

Today, the Obamas saw a Belfast transformed by two decades of peacemaking which only bore fruit because of the dogged determination of Irish America. President Obama reaffirmed America's commitment to stand with the peacemakers of Belfast as long as we continue to push forward.

Dr Ion Jinga

Ambassador of Romania to the UK

For Romanians living in the UK it is hard to understand why they have became targets in a political and media game they neither want nor need to play. Anti-EU rhetoric and misleading predictions from nearly a decade ago have combined to create a culture of blame which allows misguided stereotypes of 'bad' Romanians to flourish, unchecked.

Harry Cooper

A Brussels-based Brit

I find the notion of forcing a group of people to accept a view they do not agree with a horrifying one. I do not believe a church should be forced to marry people they do not want to, even if its policy may seem old-fashioned or bigoted. That change in stance has to come from within the church itself, otherwise it is a disturbing expression of totalitarianism.

Planet Ivy

News for the bored generation

As the coalition government tortures itself with an ongoing conveyor belt of poor decisions, internal squabbling and defections to that Ukip lot, are young people beginning to lose interest in politics? Or, with so much to divide us, from immigration, welfare, taxation to that big dirty European conundrum, are we at the beginning of a new and politically aware generation?

Jason Reed

Political blogger, writer, musician

Oh good, the obligatory news has broken that 'Super Strength Skunk' has invaded the isles and is wreaking havoc on UK shores. For those that work in drug policy, this story is similar to May Day: it comes round annually and leads to all kinds of pageantry - complete with bell ringing and the clashing of batons in a calamitous Morris-style jig.

Bidisha

Writer and broadcaster specialising in social justice, human rights and international affairs

In the days leading up to G8 there have been a series of focused campaigns, initiatives and events designed to raise awareness of specific policy issues which will be up for discussion at the summit. World hunger is one such issue, around which an impressively broad and powerful campaign called Enough Food For Everyone IF has mobilised, calling hunger "the great scandal of our age."

Jack Monroe

Passionate, if accidental, spokeswoman for the realities of poverty

Food banks are only dealing with the injuries, the deep gaping wounds left by fundamental flaws in the running of this country. They are not a solution. Children are starving, their parents are freezing. Something is wrong. To paraphrase Desmond Tutu, there comes a point where you need to stop simply pulling people out of the river, and you need to go upstream, and find out why they're falling in. There comes a point when you need to stop raging against the machine and shouting at the rain and instead, present solutions for the broken system.

Helena F Williams

Writing about politics, feminism, theatre, travel and whatever else she can work up a sweat about

There is a whole generation of voters out there, ready to be won if somebody can be bothered. Whilst I won't hold my breath, I'll keep an eye out (and a vote) for someone who can show that they care with real, helpful policies for Generation Y.

Dalia Ben-Galim

Associate Director, Institue for Public Policy Research

It might not be a new pair of socks, or even a toolbox, but a 'daddy quota' could be long-lasting and the best Father's Day present he'll ever have. That way dad might even have time to go to Iceland.

Benj Spiro-Hughes

Made in Manchester. Opinionated Blogger. Advocate of Common Sense.

We inhabit an odd country. A country happy to embrace people who strive for freedom and democracy abroad, even if they employ violent methods as well as peaceful ones. Britain has gleefully supported the Arab spring, the protests in Iran, Pussy Riot in Russia and detained Ukrainian ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

Allan Hogarth

Head of Policy and Government Affairs at Amnesty International UK

I explained to them that I actually understand and agree that many of the people on whose behalf Amnesty work are probably guilty. Guilty of insulting the president, guilty of being gay, guilty of standing up for women's rights. I explained that it's often repressive laws that puts many of the people on whose behalf Amnesty work behind bars.

Anne Marie Carrie

Chief executive of Barnardo's

Statistics published on Friday worryingly put the government on course to miss its legal duty to eradicate child poverty by 2020. It is a national scandal that the 21st Century, child poverty in this country is continuing to affect children's lives.

Melanie Ward

Head of Advocacy, ActionAid UK

Over the next two days leaders of the G8, the world's eight richest countries, will meet to discuss reforming the global tax system. Over these 48 hours, developing countries will lose £1.4billion to tax dodging.

Mehdi Hasan

Political director of The Huffington Post UK

The US president is cool, calm and media-savvy. But presidents must be judged by their policies, not their personalities. And, seen from a liberal perspective, US national security policies aren't pretty.

Robert Halfon

Conservative MP for Harlow, Essex

Today the Iranian people go to the polls for the first time since 2009's controversial reelection of President Ahmadinejad... Unfortunately, with hundreds of candidates disqualified and all the current Presidential hopefuls part of the ruling establishment and links with Ayatollah Khamenei, it is unlikely that there will be any reforms.