WIPO Puts Podcasting Back In Firing Line

From BoingBoing: WIPO meets to screw up podcasting, Barcelona, June 21

The United Nations' World Intellectual Property Organization has called a last-minute meeting on June 21 in Barcelona, out of the normal diplomatic venues to try to ram through the Broadcasting Treaty. This treaty gives broadcasters (not creators or copyright holders) the right to tie up the use of audiovisual material for 50 years after broadcasting it, even if the programs are in the public domain, Creative Commons licensed, or not copyrightable.

The Barcelona meeting brings together lots of latinamerican broadcasters -- who no doubt love the idea of a new monopoly right that they get for free merely for broadcasting a work. Bringing these casters in is a way of undermining the effective opposition to the treaty that's come from countries like Brazil and Chile.... This meeting is especially deadly, because it looks like they're trying to sneak podcasting back into the treaty, after agreeing to take it out at the last big meeting in Geneva.

The good news is, it's open to the public. If you're a digital rights activist in Barcelona -- or just someone who cares about how big corporations are taking away your rights to use works freely -- then you need to be at this meeting.

UK Podcasters Meet BBC

Conrad Slater (left) and "Podcast" Paul (right) observing BBC Television Centre in April sunlight

A group of UK podcasters spent two hours in deep in the bowels of BBC Television Centre yesterday discussing UK podcasting. Chris Vallance of Radio Five Live's Pods and Blogs invited British podcasters to discuss podcasting, broadcasting and where the two might meet up. We were joined by Rhod Sharp, host of "Up All Night", BBC radio producer Dominic Laurie, and Rebecca Myatt from World Service Outlook who expressed her interest in finding podcasts for their audience of 140 million.

Present at this historic event were a mixture of podcast producers from businesses deriving income to passionate enthusiasts, all reporting rapidly quickening growth in the podcast phenomenon, which was attributed partly to the BBC's recent promotion of podcasting. There are well over 250 active UK podcasters right now and it was acknowledged that it is beginning to emerge as a source of talent with new ideas and voices emerging.

Inital talk was about the freedom and independence enjoyed by the podcasters as opposed to the relatively tight restrictions which apply to BBC podcasters. Rhod Sharp described podcasting as being "six feet under the totem pole" as far as the BBC were concerned. Paul Pinfield made the point that the BBC set globally acknowledged standards. Chris Vallance played some podcasts from Germany and Pakistan, making the point that these were genuine voices, untouched by editorial considerations or censorship, and speaking in a natural way that non-broadcasters use.

There was discussion about how the BBC is set up to respond to and deal with citizen-submitted media from mobile phones, etc, with the example given of images coming in from July 7th London bombings. The BBC podcast "experiment" was debated, and issue of MCPS-PRS podcast license was raised, the BBC not yet aware that such a license exists. Rhod Sharp commended the Creative Commons concept as a flexible and easy to understand licensing system for UK citizens which could be easily adopted.

What made podcasting different was it's genuineness and intimacy, said Janet Parkinson from Flashing 12, a self-confessed hobbyist. Responding to emails and having interaction with your audience was crucial, she said. UK podcasting output is distinctive, has good production values, and does well internationally, observed Neil Dixon. The Britcaster forum which he runs was was intelligent and remarkably "troll free"; he acknowledged that he had to deal with spurious entries to his British listing from people who wanted to be in the "British only" listing and noted one new addition per day. Paul Pinfield who spoke of his interest in the business side of podcasting and offered his view that podcasting would soon replace local radio, which was "total crap". There was strong group of music podcasters present.

Dean Whitbread talked about the empowerment of podcasting, where the writer producer and editor has the advantage of being able to vary formats and combine media in original ways, adding different kinds of material to the same RRS feed. I asked whether an independent podcast used by the BBC would automatically be covered by existing BBC agreements regarding music licensing - the consensus was yes, it would be. Mark Crook pointed out that as podcasting was now on school curriculums, we could expect to see more young people becoming podcasters as they learn to use the tools.

As the discussion ended, the quietly smiling 23 year old Phil "Bitjobs" from Birmingham was spirited away into the bowels of BBC by a crew "looking for somewhere domestic" to shoot a TV interview.

After the meeting we were joined by filmmaker Conrad Slater, and Adrian Pegg, as the debate re-convened in local Shepherds Bush pub the Defector's Weld for a Britcasters get-together. The jolly-up centred around the benign figure of Neil Dixon who set up the Britcaster forum one year ago.

In this recording, Chris Vallance interviews the assembled podcasters, as with multiple recording devices, they record him interviewing them. At one point Podcast Paul's microphone is clipped to a pint of beer, and my Sony Minidisc recorder is balanced on a sauce bottle.

There is widespread praise for Roger Smalls, Neil Dixon describes himself as the Daddy and confesses to many moods, Podcast Paul admits that UK Podcasters are Radio Caroline, Paul Pinfield talks business and praises Vobes, Deek Deekster gives bandwidth and expresses his pleasure in finding folk music in urban Isington, Janet describes her fascination for podcasts from other countries for learning about other cultures, as global podcast culture emerges - her magazine Podcast User has been going three months and is now being downloaded in 80 countries. In the longer version, Conrad Slater talks about and demonstrates the creative use of a small stereo condenser microphone.

Edited interview - 14:49

Unedited interview - 19:24

© Deek Deekster 2006. Podcast Nation: "Nation Shall Cast Pod Unto Nation.".

Podsafe Or Not Podsafe?

The following extract from the Britcaster Forum debate on proposed MCPS-PRS Podcast Licencing.

I have mixed feelings even about the whole "podsafe" concept - some of the best music i have ever heard in dance music especially, is completely 100% ILLEGAL - and superb all the same. I think it's necessary to maintain our magpie culture at grassroots level - as TS Eliot said, a mature artist steals - for it to be vital.

Once podcasting starts to seriously commercialise, gets easier, and hordes of talented newbies really start to appear, it will be a different thing altogether. people = money = which changes everything.

In the UK, Pre-Nominet, it used to be that in order to get a domain name, you simply went to the naming committee and asked for it. can you imagine anyone NOT charging for domain registrations now?

Legislators and "authorities" everywhere have this kind of scenario in mind with the explosion of podcasting and the whole citizen-driven media thing. there are so many people doing it, and vested interests everywhere really want in. look how much Murdoch paid for MySpace.

In the end, the one thing that can damage podcasting as it emerges is bad legislation. There is a lot of educating to do of those who would legislate - explaining for e.g. podcasting is not file-sharing, not radio, nor publishing, nor broadcast - and that so long as it does no harm, it has the right to be treated as a new and different thing, and to evolve in relative freedom develop its own unique formats.

That for me is worth doing and would be the primary reason for going back to MCPS-PRS, en masse, and saying to them, here's how we'd like to be, this is what we think is fair for the UK, this is what we think is equitable.

If we do it promptly, loud and clear, we might even be listened to. Which won't affect my rebellious and defiantly pioneering friends one iota, but which may make a lot of difference to the thousands of nice people who are all just about to show up and go podcast.

I guess we need to see what consensus there really is among UK podcasters on these issues. There is a poll here about the MCPS-PRS licensing scheme for UK Podcasters.

G8 Fails To Save Planet

"At the heart of the communiqué is a disappointing failure by the leaders of the G8 unequivocally to recognise the urgency with which we must be addressing the global threat of climate change," he said.

"Make no mistake, the science already justifies reversing - not merely slowing - the global growth of greenhouse gas emissions. Further delays will make the G8's avowed commitment in this communiqué to avoid dangerous impacts of climate change extremely difficult."

"In its communiqué the G8 talks of 'facing a moment of opportunity' while, at the same time, turning away from that moment." - Lord May of Oxford, President of the UK's academy of science, the Royal Society - BBC

London Paralysed By Bombs

All around me, explosions are rocking London, at least 6 since 8.45am, the nearest of which at Kings Cross happened a little over a mile from here. I can hear helicopters overhead and sirens from ambulances and police cars. The top deck of a bus was blown off in Tavistock Square. There are at least 2 dead, people have lost limbs, probably more than 100 injured. The capital's transport system, buses, underground, trains, has been totally stopped.

The London police chief Sir Ian Blair (not everyone in charge here is called Blair) just asked everyone here to stay where they are and not to call the emergency services unless life is threatened. Breaking news via the BBC is that Al Qaeda are claiming responsibility, 200 words on a European website laying claim to this death and destruction.

The atmosphere is so far calm, Londoners responding with customary stoicism. There is plenty of time to panic. It has not really sunk in yet. The phone networks are saturated. Images are just arriving from wrecked underground trains captured on mobile phones. People are still trapped at Kings Cross station, apparently.

What a twist in this nation's history - one moment proud and happy hosts of the G8, celebrating for having won the Olympic bid, our leaders on a moral mission to make poverty history and save the planet, the next thing, solemn and tragic.

Live 8 Claims Moral High Ground

Chenigall Suseela, 14, Wins Divorce To Study

In a landmark victory for women's rights, Chenigall Suseela, a 14-year-old girl in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh has won a battle to have her two-year marriage to a teenage boy annulled.

"It is thought the first time in the state's history a child bride has successfully fought the centuries-old tradition of marrying girls off young.Village elders agreed to grant Chenigall Suseela, who had threatened to commit suicide, the annulment. Suseela said that she wanted to go back to school. Her parents admitted they should not have married her off without her consent." - BBC News.

Also at BNN.

Five Podcast 9

Ten minute documentary coverage of the Legalise Cannabis March and Rally, London, 15 May 2005. (24MB).

Europe Leads Way In Third World Poverty Relief

The UN wants world poverty halved by 2015, and claiming a breakthrough in the fight against world poverty, today European nations agreed to increase to double its development aid to poorer nations. In five years time, the EU's aid to poor countries will be worth an extra £14 billion ($26 billion) annually. UK Chancellor Gordon Brown said "huge progress" had been made.

The 15 richest EU member states have agreed to set a new spending target - at least 0.51% of their national wealth - on the developing world by 2010. The other 10 poorer, mostly eastern European member states - who joined the EU last year - agreed a 0.17% target.

The goals, which were approved by UK International Development Secretary Hilary Benn and fellow EU ministers, are an attempt to revive momentum towards achieving a United Nations target to halve world poverty by 2015. The UN target would involve 0.7% of national wealth being spent on development by that date. The target, which was set 35 years ago, has only been achieved by four EU countries - Denmark, Sweden, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Five others - the UK, France, Belgium, Finland and Spain - have set firm dates to meet it.

UK Chancellor Gordon Brown hailed the aid increase, but said it was now important to bring together all the world's richest nations to sign up to a single plan. He hoped the plan could be agreed when Britain chaired the G8 summit at Gleneagles in July. He said he was sure America would support efforts to increase the amount of aid going to the developing world. Mr Brown said: "What we have seen is all 25 European Union countries - the poorest and the richest - coming together to promise that aid, which was $40bn last year will be $80bn by 2010.

"So Europe is saying it will double aid. It is putting that money to health and education and particularly into Africa." - BBC

Ditto BNN

Mass Extinctions Threaten Future Of Humanity

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), the most comprehensive audit of the health of our planet to date, has published a warning that "if we continue with current rates of species extinction, we will have no chance of rolling back poverty and the lives of all humans will be diminished." The MA has been drawn up by 1,300 researchers from 95 nations over four years.

"Changes in biodiversity were more rapid in the last 50 years than at any time in human history," said Dr Georgina Mace, the director of science at the Institute of Zoology, in London, UK, and an MA synthesis team member.

"And when you look to the future, to various projections and scenarios, we expect those changes to continue and in some circumstances to accelerate.

"Future models are very uncertain but all of them tell us that as we move into the next 100 years, we'll be seeing extinction rates that are a thousand to 10,000 times those in the fossil record."

A third of all amphibians, a fifth of mammals and an eighth of all birds are now threatened with extinction. - BBC, MA

Ditto BNN

Mobile Phone Tumour Risk Three Times As Likely In Rural Areas

"...country residents using digital mobiles were three times as likely to develop a tumour compared to urban users, who had about the same risk of brain tumours as the general population.

For malignant brain tumours, the risk was eight times as high for those living in a rural area, but the numbers were very small, the researchers warned.

Lead researcher Professor Lennart Hardell said the cause of the increased risk seemed to be the higher emissions from the phones in rural areas because the base stations were further apart than they would be in cities and towns." - BBC News reports this Swedish Research.

Five Podcast 8

Deek Deekster discusses nuts, politicians, politics and podcasting with International Bicycle Thief and rounds up coverage of UK election 2005 from Funk.

A Tremendous Honour And Privilege

It has been a tremendous honour and privilege to take part in the period drama of national transition.

I am watching today's TV with tea and ice cream, laughing at Peter Snow and the mad BBC Graphics.

Chastised Blair, biting his lip, promising to do better - "I.. We.. I, the Government" he said on the steps of Number 10, and "We've got to listen to the people" in that earnest voice of his. And that about summed it up for me. King Blair let off with a spanking. Pull your socks up, bring the troops home, stop the US bombing Iran, and make sure Palestine gets the West Bank back in full, you bad man.

Then the surprise of Michael Howard's magisterial statement of stepping down, having turned around his party's fortunes, determining to make sure the Conservative leadership selection process was reformed before he did so.

The LibDem massive has been bigged up, Charles Kennedy's frowning red face and confident stomp making him look just like a ginger partridge. He looks so lary! He's promising to make 3 party politics a reality. Actually that's a big change on the political map, and they won't be able to force ID cards on us so easily. A return to more truly parliamentary government is surely a good thing.

It took all the Labour big guns to win this, from Gordon Brown, instantly brought in from the cold to be a massive electoral asset, to prominent anti-war politicians like Robin Cook and Tony Benn. Will there be enough cohesion in the Labour party to survive Blair's passing?

This ritual loss of a night's sleep and obsession with minutae is something 24 hour news media has bred in some of the population but by no means all.

Earlier I overheard the following conversation: "Who won?" "Same lot." "You vote?" "Na." "Me neither."

I think I might have another cup of tea.

Deek Deekster Retires From Politics

Deek Deekster has announced his retirement from politics, in order to spend more time unwinding.

Labour Hold Islington South

Emily Thornberry Labour 12,345 39.9 -14.0
Bridget Fox Liberal Democrat 11,861 38.3 +10.2
Melanie McLean Conservative 4,594 14.8 +1.1
James Humphries Green 1,471 4.8 +4.8
Patricia Theophanides UK Independence Party 470 1.5 +1.5
Andy the Hat Gardener Monster Raving Loony Party 189 0.6 +0.6
Chris Gidden Independent 31 0.1 +0.1
Majority 484 1.6
Turnout 30,961 53.6 +6.2

Islington South Recount On Cards

I have just returned from the count at the Sobell Centre, Islington, where I have seen Bridget Fox (LibDem) and Emily Thornberry (Labour) polling neck and neck. There is already talk of a recount.

Politically Correct And Incorrect Election Birds

Islington South and Finsbury - two polling stations off Upper Street, 3pm, 5/5/5.

Warm Spring Day Sees London Voter Turnout Up

Voter turnout in the densely populated urban consituency of Islington South and Finsbury, is so far up on the last general election in 2001, said Labour and LibDem workers outside the local school turned Polling station in Laycock Street, near Highbury Corner, London, this afternoon.

Both estimated a rise of between 2% and 3%, which suggests that the many predictions of low turnout could be wide of the mark. It has yet to be seen if this is localised. Weather conditions are favouring the south, north London experiencing pleasant sunny spells and occasional showers, while the north is experiencing damper conditions.

Ditto BNN

Vote!

"I'm also proud of the way we do things here. We're a small country, physically, but the system is elegant - it took minutes to present my polling card, collect the ballot paper and vote - fortunately we've no local elections here this time around for some reason though there are else where (I suspect this is something to do with being a Unitary Authority) - it's a strange and somewhat naive way of doing it. But the fact that by 3(ish) tomorrow morning we will have an *actual* rather than predicted vote is something I think we ought to be proud of too.

If you are a British Citizen living in the UK then get out and vote or shame on you! Regardless of who wins." - Dave O'Neill, Atomic Razor

Vote Blair, Get Blair

"There are a great many similarities between Labour today and the Conservatives at the beginning of the 1990's. If Blair continues to push his agenda, the backlash that will eventually come about may make Labour's 18 years in the wilderness look like the blink of an eye." - balders, The UK Today

Just Voted (Not) Labour

"Tony Blair and his servile fawning MPs in the commons ( Roche et al ) have only themselves to blame. Iraq, tuition fees, Civil liberties, PFI, David Blunkett, war on terror, the clampdown on immigrants and refugees is the reason i will not be voting labour.

I wonder how many people across the UK are saying the same thing." - karenexile, trousered elephant

Tony Benn To The Rescue

"The 80-year-old former cabinet minister yesterday swallowed huge doubts about the Iraq war to spend three hours talking to a list of wavering voters provided by Labour campaign headquarters.

Mr Benn, ostracised as a socialist eccentric by Mr Blair for nearly 10 years, was rung by sheepish Labour officials at his London home. He said the call was a sign that Labour was in recovery. "To have them ring me to help them out, well it shows this election means Labour is returning to what it was."

He admitted that his calls to a list of potential switchers had been hard going. "I am president of the anti-war coalition so there is no point saying Iraq has been anything but a disaster. I have been campaigning for 63 years and I will always support Labour. It is a trade union party and socialist party. It has done good things." - Guardian.

Election Jitters

"Am I worried about the outcome of the UK General Election? Hell yeah! The pundits and the Press Corps have no idea what is going on in the marginals. The predictions are of a Labour victory with anything between a 10 and 100-seat majority. But if predictions are that precise then surely other outcomes, such as a hung Parliament or worse, cannot be ruled out.... I wonder how much of the PM's fretful performance will have put off undecided voters. Clearly the strategy was to alarm the Labour stay-at-homes into turning out and voting after all. Blair has shown plenty of political nous in the past though; perhaps I should suspend judgement and wait to see if his tactics this time have pulled the iron out of the fire again." - Mike Brunavs, Yateley, Hants - Left Thinking

It's That Voting Time Again

Decision time is upon the British nation, and with as much as one third of voters undecided in key marginals there is still no definite indication of Labour's inevitable victory. The last NOP Poll puts Labour on 36% and the Conservatives on 33% which is within the margin of error to produce an upset Conservative win.

Official Monster Raving Loony Party Leads The Way On Votes At 16

There was widespread call today for votes at 16. The only UK party to have this policy in their manifesto is the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, and as Andy "The Hat" Gardener explains here, all their best policies get pinched. Abolition of the dog license, passports for pets...

"The UK's 1.5m 16 and 17-year-olds would become further alienated from the democratic process if they continued to be excluded from voting, claimed the Votes at 16 coalition. The group said that if people at 16 were able to leave home, get a full-time job, pay taxes, raise children and join the armed forces they should also be able to vote. 'They have considerable responsibilities...but adult society does not consider them responsible enough to vote' Louise King, Children's Rights Alliance
Lowering the voting age could also help to reinvigorate the youth vote by forcing MPs to take an active interest in the issues that concern young people, they said.

The group - which also includes the Children's Rights Alliance for England, British Youth Council and Children's Parliament in Scotland - have written to the party leaders, asking them to promise to extend the franchise.

The letter urged them to "demonstrate their faith in and respect for younger citizens by working to ensure that 16 and 17 year-olds are no longer unnecessarily denied a stake in their democracy". Louise King, of the Children's Rights Alliance, said: "At 16 and 17, young people's lives are as rich and varied as at any other age. " - BBC

Libs Gung Ho In Leeds

"He was very confident of picking up votes from Labour from the large student and academics' vote over top-up fees and Iraq. He also said the Conservative organisation was weak in the seat. As I left Headingly I passed tables piled with 'blue ink letters', an end-of-campaign appeal from the candidate in the style of a personalised letter. I sense a Lib Dem gain." - Times Election Blog.

UK Election Iraq Tremors Felt In Washington

"Thus the cooking of the books to justify the Iraq war was known at the time, not just in Washington but in London as well. Claims that the intelligence reporting on Iraq-both CIA and British-were simple errors of interpretation should be considered settled. And as for Bush's purposefulness in attacking Iraq, a Joint Chiefs of Staff "lessons learned" study from the war shows that the president signed a national security directive to finalize plans and deploy for the invasion at the end of June. All this happened before any of the diplomatic activity that the Bush administration represented as its main course of action." - John Prados, TomPaine.com

Postal Vote Fraud: Bradford Conservative Arrested

"Second held in vote fraud inquiry. Detectives investigating allegations of election fraud in Bradford have arrested a second man. The 51-year-old is being held by police as part of an inquiry launched last week following claims made against Conservative councillor Jamshed Khan. A newspaper alleged that 13 people had applied for a postal vote at his Bradford home. A 38-year-old man arrested on Tuesday has been released on bail pending further inquiries, a spokesman said." - BBC

Top Tories Ready To Replace Howard

"Recriminations over Mr Howard's election strategy are intensifying as the campaign enters the home straight.

While the Tories give Mr Howard credit for the professionalism of the campaign and for turning the party into a fighting machine again, they accuse him of waging a battle too narrowly focused on core voters' concerns about issues such as immigration.

"The tactics are good but the strategy is uncertain," one senior Conservative said. Another accused Mr Howard of failing to come up with an overall vision, and for mounting a "Victor Meldrew-style campaign" that was too negative and too focused on the Tory leader himself, at the expense of his senior colleagues.

One Conservative candidate who would seek to stand in a leadership election, said: "This is the most sour, repellent, uninspiring campaign I have known."

Dissatisfaction with the message endorsed by Mr Howard, and the party's standing in the polls has formed the backdrop for the Tory leader's rivals to start jockeying for position." - FT

Islington Greens Target Undecided Voters

Islington South and Finsbury Green Party candidate James Humphreys has written and printed this leaflet specifically aimed at the mass of undecided voters. - Five exclusive.

Labour Lead Fragile In Marginals

"Labour's claim to be at greater risk in its key battleground seats than the national opinion polls suggest is true, according to a Guardian/ICM marginals survey today.

As all three main parties manoeuvre for last minute advantage 48 hours from polling day, ICM's campaign polls data shows that Labour's vote share in 108 key seats where it faces a strong Tory challenge is down from 47% in 2001 to 41%.

The Tories have maintained their share of the vote at around 36%, suggesting their strategy of focusing money and personnel on re-winning lost marginals may inflict damage deep within Labour's post-1997 comfort zone." - Guardian.

Tories: Just An English Party

"On May 5 the British people will be electing 646 MPs. Of these, 529 will represent English seats. Of the 117 non-English seats, on current projections the Tories will be doing well to win 10 – that is well under 10%. Or, to look at it another way, given the desperate weakness of the Tories in Scotland and Wales, they will have to win more than 60% of the seats in England if they are to have any chance of gaining power in a UK election. That is a very stark disparity: 60%-plus in England, 10% or less in Scotland and Wales." - The Herald via Gareth, Campaign for an English Parliament.

One-Third Of Voters May Yet Change Their Mind

According to Mori's final poll for the FT, Labour has a 39 per cent share of the vote among those absolutely certain to cast a ballot on Thursday, 10 points ahead of the Conservatives, with Britain's third party - the Liberal Democrats - on 22 per cent. If this were replicated on polling day, Labour would have a majority in the House of Commons of 146 seats, assuming a national uniform swing, slightly down on the current margin.

Labour's 10-point lead marks a big increase on the lead of just two points which the party enjoyed in Mori's last survey for the FT published six days ago.

The huge increase in the lead could be the result of a highly aggressive stance which the Tories adopted against Tony Blair, the prime minister, in the middle of last week. Some Conservatives last night suggested that the tactic by Michael Howard, the Conservative leader, of branding Mr Blair a "liar" over the Iraq war had backfired badly. - FT

UK Election Just Not Cricket

Michael Howard may be lagging in the polls, but he has kicked off a plethora of football analogies after his comments on ITV on April 25th about the beautiful game.

BBC: "The election campaign is "going to penalties" and will be a "very close" result, says Tory co-chairman Liam Fox. In a reference to Michael Howard saying it was possible to come back from 2-0 at half time, Dr Fox said the Tories had the best team and the best captain."

News of the World: "The Tories are a Coca-Cola Championship team. Labour aren't Champions League material. But they do play in the Premiership. Tony Blair's squad are on balance, the best team to be given the chance to take this great country forward."

Sunday Express: "The Tories offer Britain a way back to reality, back to truth and honesty in British politics. Michael Howard may be the underdog, two-nil down at half-time, but there is all to play for."

With Blair on a sticky wicket over Iraq, does nobody realise the cricket season has started?

Thorpe Blasts Blair And Howard Over Iraq

Jeremy Thorpe, Liberal leader from 1967 to 1979, has angrily criticised both Blair and Howard over Iraq. "In agreement, like Tweedledum and Tweedledee, Mr Blair and Mr Howard have jettisoned the argument of the existence of weapons of mass destruction as the justification of going to war with Iraq. Both have conceded that even if they had known that the intelligence report was inadequate they would still have taken military action. The political outcome has been disastrous. Every Labour and Tory candidate should be asked to vote against any use of force unless authorised by a United Nations resolution or where the security of the UK is threatened or where British citizens are at risk on foreign soil.

"The Liberal Democrats subscribe to the... considerations. Labour and Tory candidates should be challenged to do likewise." Mr Thorpe, who will be in Devon for the closing stages of the campaign, said he believed Labour support was "haemorrhaging" and that the Tories had made "no impact" on voters. - BBC

Foot, 92, Takes On BNP

"Foot arrived in the High Street, on what was his 70th anniversary of joining the Labour party, pushing a Zimmer frame that doubled as a seat. When supporters came up to meet him he took his glasses off and tipped his head to one side to listen. At 92 years old he was as articulate as ever. Looking at literature from the BNP that had been circulated locally, he said. 'They are a disgrace to this country. We had a similar problem with Mosley in the East End. They came in and tried to steam up hatred on racial grounds. Labour led the opposition to Mosley then, and they will do it today with the BNP. People have to vote Labour to stop this.' " - Observer

Margaret Hodge has a real political fight with the BNP in Barking.

Blair : Iraq Is Hurting Labour

BBC picture of PM not smiling

"Tony Blair, in the Observer, said he could still lose the election, and that he did not know whether the issue of Iraq might damage him in the vote. He said: "The fact that a week out from the election campaign, when the Tory campaign has collapsed, you have got Michael Howard calling me a liar over a war he urged me to undertake - I think people see through that. "The question is whether some of the mud sticks. The honest answer is, I don't know." - BBC / Observer.

Five Podcast 7

Interview with Melanie McLean, Conservative Party candidate for Islington South and Finsbury.

Five Podcast 6

Chat with Dave Bones from MalungTV News and Socialist Wanker about UK Politics, Blair, Howard, Galloway, and the future of Independent Media.

Smoking Gun Found

"The Earth is absorbing more energy from the Sun than it is giving back into space, according to a new study by climate scientists in the US. They base their findings on computer models of climate, and on measurements of temperature in the oceans. The group describes its results as "the smoking gun that we were looking for", removing any doubt that human activities are warming the planet." - BBC.

Wonder what this news will do for the Greens.

Xenophobia Loses Conservative Votes

"I can understand xenophobia, but from the son of an immigrant who fled oppression in his home country? Come on. That alone eliminates any possibility that the Conservatives will get my vote next week." - Eamonn Sullivan, London

Parties Seeking Watford Women

"The three main parties will be battling for women's votes at the forthcoming election. Opinion polls show that older women are amongst the most likely section of the population to vote, but are more fickle than men of a similar age. Those who voted Labour in 1997 and 2001 are far less certain to do so now. By contrast, young women tend to be far more disillusioned with party politics and need persuading that it's worthwhile voting at all." - BBC Radio 4 analyses Watford (audio)

Brown: MPs Should Decide Future War

"Gordon Brown has said he believes that MPs should be allowed to decide whether Britain goes to war in the future. In an interview with the Daily Telegraph newspaper, the Chancellor said the precedent set in 2003 - which allowed Parliament to vote before the Iraq war - should remain in place." - BBC

Labour Maintain Lead But Fear Losses

Average standing in the last 10 opinion polls - source UK Polling report.

Paddy Power are already paying out on straight "Labour to Win" bets, and yet Labour are fearing for "Blaenau Gwent... the safest Labour seat in Wales, the fifth-safest in the UK and.. the political base of Aneurin Bevan and Michael Foot" - FT

Howard Blair And People-Smuggling

"as for people-smugglers what is it that howard is sniffing because it is sure powerful stuff. people smuggling isn't occurring because it is easy to get into the uk, it's happening because people are making lots of money out of some poor wretches who want to have a better life for themselves. making it harder for legitimate immigrants or asylum seekers to enter the uk is not going to worry the gangs who operate people smuggling rings, it is going to encourage them. they are going to be making more money out of the misery of others. but it will be ok because the official statistics will be down and howard and blair can say - look what we did." - Pat, London - iampat

Iraq: The Economic Cost

"Mr. Blair would like the debate to get back to what he insists the electorate really care about: the economy, education, the NHS, etc. So in this vein let's also examine the Iraq War." - NA, Cambridge - The Watcher

Smart Voters Strike Tactical Deals

"There are thousands more like Allison - strangers in constituencies across the country meeting online and trusting each other to vote on their behalf. Think of them as the electorate's avant-garde: a network of smart voters striking deals across tactical voting networks with the aim of circumventing the UK's venerable voting system that has rendered their votes irrelevant in previous general elections. - The Guardian." - Complete Lack of Surprise.

This Election's Very Tight Indeed

Tony Blair, BBC London News.

Five Podcast 5

Interview with Andy "The Hat" Gardener, Official Monster Raving Loony Party candidate for Islington South and Finsbury.

Cook: Don't Desert Labour Over War

"Cook talked long and entertained. He blended facts and anecdotes, wisdom, humility and twinkling wit, in an effortless, masterly way. I listened, and yet he still failed to convince me. I may have resigned from the government, but I will go to my grave clutching my Labour membership, he said. Of course you will Robin. The party is the only one that will work for single mothers and young unemployed. Probably correct. Vote for Emily, she is in the great tradition of independent lefties. Yes, she may be, that remains to be seen. I was impressed, pleased to be there, but not won over." - Blog of Funk

Five Podcast 4

Robin Cook, Jeremy Corbyn, Emily Thornberry. Public meeting: Why Islington residents who opposed the Iraq war should vote Labour. 43MB Video.

Galloway: "Go And Take Drugs"

"I asked Galloway how many Muslims had been murdered by his friend Aziz. The correct answer: even more than have been slau