European Political News

This week's Britblog Roundup is at Philobiblon.

Come back on Wednesday morning for the podcast, which is a short interview about the roundup on Radio 5's "Pods and Blogs" programme.

This morning Charlotte Green totally lost it on Today on Radio 4, after reading out a short piece about an 1860 recording of a human voice on smoky paper (which sounded like Just William playing his comb). Unfortunately she giggled through an obituary of Abby Mann. Here's the clip.

This morning I caught a news item on the Radio about Alistair Darling being barred from pubs for all the tax rises in the price of drinks. Here is the audio. Download audio file (20080326-bbc-radio4-today-alistair-darling-barred-from-pubs.mp3) I first heard about this movement from the Devil: Johnstone Urges Pub Ban For Darling Following an Edinburgh landlord’s decision to ban the Chancellor [...]

The Daily News Roundup is a selection of stories from the media and websites. It includes News and Comment, and also stories from both Wales and Scotland. Occasionally it includes an obituary or a blog item. The aim is to highlight unusual stories, or interesting angles on the main stories - to highlight items that you may not find elsewhere.

Click through to the Wardman Wire for the written summary.

I have not done a Daily Roundup today, as there are two reports coming out later this morning about weekly events at Holyrood and Westminster on the Wardman Wire. There will also be the first introductory column in our new “Senedd Circular” column by Pippa Wagstaffe, who edits the “Miss Wagstaff Presents..” blog watching the Welsh Assembly Government. Miss W is currently in a hiatus - so I may post the introductory column. The “Circular” Title was inspired by the shape of the chamber, rather than a plan view of any Senedd member after too many political lunches, or the path followed by debates. Really. The link to find ALL our weekly reports from Parliaments is here. Tags: daily roundup, the skinny, matt wardman, wardman wire, mattwardman, independent newspaper

To mention it once again, I continue - since the hyperlinks which they broke when they redesigned their website continue to be broken, and I have received no response to requests for them to sort it out. I have added this paragraph to the Daily Roundup template. Here is today’s roundup of stories. Comment Simon Jenkins (Comment is Free) - Closure mania ignores the real cost of axing post offices The state pursuit of shortsighted savings is ripping the heart from communities. No wonder Britain is up in arms Jonathon Freedland (Comment is Free) - London’s election holds the future for progressive politics, not just Ken Livingstone needs voters to take the issues and candidates seriously in a contest that will have repercussions nationwide Economist (Economist) - A setback for Mr Sarkozy The ruling centre-right Union pour un mouvement populaire (UMP) suffered heavy losses in municipal elections on March 16th, in what was widely viewed as a protest vote against the president, Nicolas Sarkozy, whose popularity has slumped sharply. Economist (Economist) - A ravenous dragon The hunger of China for natural resources has set off a global commodity boom. Developed countries worry about being left high and dry, but the biggest effects will be felt in China itself, says Edward McBride. News BBC (BBC) - Watching Ken re-election launch At the launch of his official campaign at the Royal Festival Hall on the south bank of the Thames, Ken Livingstone aimed to persuade seven million Londoners that he is worth another go at the helm. Johny Caldwell (BBC) - Pub had Good Friday Agreement link Imagine the scenario: a man pulling you a pint in a pub tells he was involved in negotiating one of the most significant documents in both British and Irish history. Nicholas Watt (Guardian) - McGuinness: there was no need for Bloody Sunday inquiry Sinn Fin regarded Bloody Sunday inquiry as not necessary, says Blair’s former chief of staff Frances Gibb (Times Online) - Damning ruling that Heather Mills tried to bar is published Heather Mills was castigated yesterday as a greedy fantasist who indulged in make-believe; a less than candid witness and a woman whose claims about her marriage to Sir Paul McCartney were devoid of reality. Carolyn Asome (Times Online) - Top designers join fad for putting pre-teens in adult clothes Beyond Boden: designers like Marc Jacobs and 3.1 Phillip Lim are creating stylish clothes with eye-watering prices Times Online (Times Online) - Text of full judgment: Heather Mills v Sir Paul McCartney Neutral Citation Number: [2008] EWHC 401 (Fam). Case No: FD06D03721. IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE FAMILY DIVISION THE HONOURABLE MR JUSTICE BENNETT. Between : James Paul McCartney Petitioner/Respondent - and - Heather Anne Mills McCartney Respondent/Applicant Scotland BBC (BBC) - Tony Benn to give Holyrood homily The veteran politician and former Labour MP Tony Benn is to lead the time for reflection at the Scottish Parliament later. BBC (BBC) - Rapist met open jail criteria Robert Foye, 28, admitted raping the 16-year-old in Cumbernauld in August last year after absconding from Castle Huntly, near Dundee. Blogs Richard Spencer (Telegraph) - A stand-off with Chinese police Those patriots who fear that corruption and weakness have fatally damaged the ability of China to defend itself need not fear: today, the forces of law and order were pitted against the sharpest wits The Daily Telegraph could offer (viz., me), and won hands down. Tags: daily roundup, the skinny, matt wardman, wardman wire, mattwardman, independent newspaper

To mention it once again, I continue - since the hyperlinks which they broke when they redesigned their website continue to be broken, and I have received no response to requests for them to sort it out. I have added this paragraph to the Daily Roundup template. Here is today’s roundup of stories. Comment Max Hastings (Comment is Free) - The Iraq experience has laid bare the limits of raw military power The next US president must reject the juvenile Bush vision, reach out to Iran and seek justice for the Palestinian people AC Grayling (Comment is Free) - Precious liberty As civil liberties come under ever greater pressure, it is time we exposed the old lie that says the innocent have nothing to fear News BBC (BBC) - Devolved policing crucial - Bush President George Bush has stressed the importance of devolution of policing for Northern Ireland. BBC (BBC) - Over 108,000 in detention in UK More than 108,000 people are being held in detention in Britain, amounting to two in every 1,000, a survey suggests. BBC (BBC) - Extent of secret links between government and IRA revealed The full extent of a secret 20-year back channel between the British government and the IRA is revealed today by Tony Blair’s former chief of staff, who declares that the peace process might never have been possible without the link. Economist (Economist) - Adam Smith - The economist’s house is on the (free) market IN MOST countries it would have been marked by a fanfare of press releases and a long roll of fund-raising drums. Not in Scotland. This week Edinburgh’s city council put on the market the house where Adam Smith spent his last 12 years, from 1778 until 1790. Advertisements in the property sections of local newspapers seek offers in excess of ?700,000 ($1.4m) for a 17th-century house of historical interest, but fail to point out its connection with the father of modern economics. Telegraph (Telegraph) - Bryony Gordon Toytown was left reeling at the weekend when Mr Plod announced to a packed press conference that he was investigating resident fox Basil Brush for making racist slurs against Rosie and Jim, the famous ragdoll travellers. Alex Pell (Times Online) - Hey, Facebook, just let go of me Joining the networking site is easy but closing down your potentially embarrassing account is not Times (Times Online) - IOC finds no reason to hide pollution risks Organising body says that tests have revealed that air quality will be good enough to compete in. Scotland BBC (BBC) - Row over ambulance complaint rise The Scottish Ambulance Service has defended its performance after figures showed that the number of complaints had more than doubled in three years. Christopher Martin-Jenkins (Times Online) - Ryan Sidebottom fulfilling promise for England Six years shalt thou labour and on the seventh have thy reward. Thus might one paraphrase a familiar biblical text to summarise the rise, fall and rise again of Ryan Sidebottom, the left-arm fast bowler with the Charles II curls who has become England’s key to success in New Zealand. Wales BBC (BBC) - Assembly building success story The Welsh Assembly’s new home was built broadly on time, on budget, and reached the highest environmental standards, a financial watchdog has concluded. Tags: daily roundup, the skinny, matt wardman, wardman wire, mattwardman, independent newspaper

This week I have combined the Britblog Roundup no. 161 and the audio podcast, since I have stepped into the breach at the last minute. Here is the podcast. Rather than leaving an extra item on the end this week, I’ve included Chris Vallance’s interview with the editor of the Spy Blog looking at how difficult it is for bloggers to remain anonymous. Here’s the podcast. Have a listen while you read the roundup. Download audio file (20080318-britblog-review-podsandblogs.mp3) JEEcamp Last week I went to a meetup called JEECamp , which describes itself thus: JEEcamp is an opportunity for a range of people to get together to talk about how on earth journalists and publishers can make a living from journalism in the era of free information, what the challenges are, and what we’ve learned so far. It is also an opportunity for people with different skills and experiences to network, share those experiences, and perhaps suggest partnerships or new projects. There were a wide range of journalists and self-publishers present, and a number of new projects were presented. There is a segment about JEEcamp at the start of the Britblog podcast, and I will be posting some more reflections later today or this evening. The website I mention is myfootballwriter.com, run by Rick Waghorn. Simulcast what? How we do the Britblog now. You may recall that a couple of weeks ago the Pods and Blogs programme was reorganised to make it shorter and sweeter (so to speak). You can find the details on the Pods and Blogs blog. The Britblog Roundup segment has been changed from “recording a phone call” to “making a simulcast”. The difference is that there is still a phone conversation, but that separate recordings are made of both halves of the conversation at a higher quality level, and then edited into a single conversation later. In this case, you can hear me “popping” my microphone once or twice. For the full Pods and Blogs Podcast to download and the Shownotes, visit Chris Vallance’s site. The Podcast Feed is here. It really is very well done, and should be on anybody’s subscription (not just a plug - I mean it). Civil Serf and Blogger Anonymity The big story this week. A blogging Civil Servant has withdrawn her snarky and possibly confidentiality-rules breaking blog after it came to the attention of the Sunday papers. First of all, Chris Vallance’s interview with the editor of the Spy Blog looking at how difficult it is for bloggers to remain anonymous. Download audio file (20080318-britblog-review-podsandblogs-spy-blog-civil-serf-interview.mp3). Then a couple of links: Simon Dickson from the Puffbox PR Consultancy has grabbed the vacated web address, and provided a potted history of the affair. Kudos for your nimbleness, Simon. Aside from the rumpus, the most notable feature has been - and this may be the first time it has happened - the use by Tom Watson MP (and Cabinet Office Minister) of his blog to launch an impromptu consultation about how (and if) Civil Service bloggers should be regulated. Pugh throws a Barney An outrageous story that has broken over the weekend, which demands editorial comment (sorry if you don’t like that). Gary Pugh, Scotland Yard’s DNA Database Supremo is arguing that we should be screening children into normal sheep and potentially criminal goats from between the ages of 5 and 7. Disgusting. For my money, this policy displays a level of consideration worthy only of a Trumpton puppet, and Mr Pugh deserves demotion to be a Toy Fireman in Childrens’ Television (minus pension, and after dismissal for Gross Misconduct for poisoning the values of the Police Service). That way at least he can give enjoyment to Primary School children rather than trying to place a permanent stain on the lives of some of them before they may have even learned to read. In my opinion this is a vile proposal, which deserves to be given an immediate, deep and contemptuous burial. There has been coverage from various sources. I don’t think I have seen any positive coverage, apart from Johann Hari who suggests that the solution is to have all new babies entered into a national DNA database. Personally, I would rather emigrate than condone such a policy. Thankfully the Association of Chief Police Officers has “distanced itself” from Pugh’s comments, but the idea that this proposal could be seriously considered by even a single senior policeman makes me shudder. Some blog coverage: Spy Blog has a summary and roundup of the current story, which includes an account of past use and abuse of the DNA database. Mr Eugenides has a clear view: Anyway, where do you draw the line? If you’re identifying the “biggest threats to society”, are there any factors that you don’t feel comfortable using to pre-screen children? Why don’t we just put all black people on the database, Gary? What’s that? You’re already doing that? Well, isn’t that nice. How inclusive of you. No second-class citizens here. Tim Worstall is most succinct, under the headline “Splutter”: Come on guys, Minority Report was a dystopian vision, not an operating manual. and Alix Mortimer writes on Lib Dem Voice: Childrens Minister Beverley Hughes then (In 2005) acknowledged the dangers of criminalising children and said: I dont think you can tell whether a three-year-old is likely to become a criminal. Wonder what shell say this time? And a Cooks Tour of Other Stories My London, Your London has a review of Brilliant Women at the National Portrait Gallery. Devil’s Kitchen has an hilarious take on the life-experience required to be a politician - especially a Green one keen on composting. Southall Black Sisters has been under threat due to a withdrawal of Council Funding. Womensphere has an update. Leonie Kate has an account of fitting two weekends of activity into one. Unmitigated England has a tale of a strange pub name. Graham Harvey blogs about Local Food, Tesco and independent Garages. Paul Flynn MP is celebrating the first birthday of his blog The Early Modern Whale has a post entitled “Giant Noah and fossil teeth“. I leave you to investigate. Back to the Devil, who stabs Ed Balls in the front. If you read this one at work, I will not be responsible for the consequences. The kindest comparison is with Grima Wormtongue. Norman Geras opines on the Significance of the Apostrophe in International Law. Lord Bonkers is writing his Diary. The Political Animals are being a touch sceptical. Lenin’s Tomb has a photo-report of the 5th annual “Troops Home” demo. Mr E is back with the Seven Deadly Sins. Mike Power reflects on the death of Chief Constable Mike Todd. Barkingside 21 is interested in pigeons. Miss Prism goes into poetry. Tom Papworth asks Why Freedom Matters? And finally the Diamond Geezer writes about how to get a Free Blue Badge Guide in London. And it’s nearly breakfast time, so that - said Matt - is that. Tags: britblog roundup, britblog, audio, podcast, bbc pods and blogs, bbc podsandblogs, chris vallance, matt wardman

This morning there was a short interview on Start the Week with Clay Shirky (where do they get these names?) - author of a new book Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations - about how the possibilities of building alliances quickly makes protest easier. Here’s the conversation (which is about 10 minutes): Download audio file (20080317-bbc-radio-4-start-the-week-andrew-marr-clay-shirky-here-comes-everybody.mp3) And here’s a quote from the conversation with respect to blogging: Political bloggers are characterised as: “Single young men with a libertarian outlook”. Clay Shirky replies: “That’s not the problem - it is more of a sense of having the permission to speak in public.” That is an interesting distinction; and I think I agree with him. As I’m coming into contact with a wider range political bloggers, more and more of them seem to be distinctly older than “young”. “Libertarian” is probably right, though. There are more details of the book here. Clay Shirky has started writing a blog with updates here. [Update 2pm. Looks like we need to apply these techniques. Having read this by Mr Eugenides today, and this in the Guardian: Primary school children should be eligible for the DNA database if they exhibit behaviour indicating they may become criminals in later life, according to Britain’s most senior police forensics expert. Gary Pugh, director of forensic sciences at Scotland Yard and the new DNA spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), said a debate was needed on how far Britain should go in identifying potential offenders, given that some experts believe it is possible to identify future offending traits in children as young as five. ‘If we have a primary means of identifying people before they offend, then in the long-term the benefits of targeting younger people are extremely large,’ said Pugh. ‘You could argue the younger the better. Criminologists say some people will grow out of crime; others won’t. We have to find who are possibly going to be the biggest threat to society.’ This is not Italy in the early 1920s, it is Great Britain in 2007. This proposal is morally and ethically repugnant, and Mr Pugh’s position is untenable. If they must detect unacceptable tendencies in Primary School, then why not try sniffing under the armpit rather than pfaffing about with DNA databases - probably far more reliable, and just as respectful of the rights of the individual. Our Chief Constables are severely screwed-up in their thinking and their ethics, and we have a cancer growing in the police service. How do we root out these totalitarian tendencies?] Tags: political blog, here comes everybody, clay shirky, organising without organisations, flashmob

To mention it once again, I continue - since the hyperlinks which they broke when they redesigned their website continue to be broken, and I have received no response to requests for them to sort it out. I have added this paragraph to the Daily Roundup template. Here is today’s roundup of stories. Iraqi Interpreters Deborah Haynes (Times Online) - Iraqi interpreters and families prepare for new lives in Britain Iraqis who risked their lives working for Britain have been cleared to resettle in the UK, with the first families expected to arrive next month, The Times can reveal. The first wave will include seven former interpreters who have met the strict criteria for resettlement and have chosen to come to Britain. Many others have accepted cash payments to stay in Iraq or decided to resettle in a neighbouring country such as Jordan or Syria. Comment Jeff Jarvis (Comment is Free) - A smothering embrace - Bebo AOL - which is paying $850m for the social networking site, the other Facebook - is where innovations go to die. Remember Netscape? Bought for $4.2bn and now dead. News BBC (BBC) - All MP claims may be published The Commons has been ordered to publish details of the claims of 14 MPs under Freedom of Information laws. Sources say all claims may be published by December. Economist (Economist) - US Election - The scrap is getting uglier THE Democratic race for the presidential nomination has settled into a pattern. Barack Obama gains momentum, and is nearly crowned the winner. Then Hillary Clinton wins a high-profile contest and makes a comeback, before Mr Obama builds up steam yet again. Mrs Clintons latest resurrection came with big wins in Texas and Ohio. But now Mr Obama is back. Over the weekend he won a caucus in Wyoming and on Tuesday March 11th he emerged as victor at a primary in Mississippi. He won both by margins of over 20 points. Deborah Summers (Guardian) - Brown dampens Mandelson hopes of second term at EUGordon Brown last night moved to quash the hopes of Peter Mandelson of staying on as EU trade commissioner, despite suggestions earlier this week that the feud between the pair was diminishing and Mandelson was prepared to serve a second term. Elissa Gootman (NYT) - For Bronx Schools Dancers, the Moves Are Irish With a student body that is 71 percent Hispanic and 27 percent black, Public School 59 does not seem an obvious home for a thriving Irish dance troupe. And when Caroline Duggan first arrived from Dublin at age 23 to try her hand as a New York City public school music teacher, it wasnt. Many of her students had never heard of Ireland. Why, they wanted to know, did she talk funny? Rosa Prince (Telegraph) - Revealed: what MPs can claim on expenses The John Lewis list was released under the Freedom of Information Act after weeks of pressure. The list of allowances is used by finance officials to pass or reject MPs’ expenses claims for decorating their second homes and buying household items. Until recently it was kept secret even from MPs who were not given formal guidance on how much they could spend on individual items. It shows that MPs are allowed to spend £10,000 for a kitchen and £6,000 to install a new bathroom. Air conditioning units, beds, food mixers and rugs are all allowed, while carpets and wood flooring can be bought at £35 per square metre.” James Bone (Times Online) - Prostitute Ashley Alexandra Dupre behind Eliot Spitzer sex scandal cashes inAshley Alexandra Dupr, a struggling singer, uploaded a new track to Amie Street, an online music-seller, hours after she was exposed as the prostitute Kristen talking on tape about the disgraced Eliot Spitzer. Suzy Jagger (Times Online) - Father and daughter team duped 15,000 pensioners out of £35mAround 15,000 British pensioners are thought to have been duped out of more than $70 million (£35 million) by a father and daughter team working an aggressive investment scam in Florida. Scotland BBC (BBC) - Salmond’s Trump action cavalier First Minister Alex Salmond took a cavalier approach to his involvement with Donald Trump’s £1bn Scottish golf resort, a parliament committee said. BBC (BBC) - High heels spark car parking rowA councillor said she has been denied free parking that would save her walking half a mile in her high heels for meetings with the public. Wales BBC (BBC) - Inquiry into stabbed vicar deathA heath watchdog is examining why a man with paranoid schizophrenia who stabbed a vicar to death was not identified as a threat. Tags: daily roundup, the skinny, matt wardman, wardman wire, mattwardman, independent newspaper

This is a short segment about the Civil Serf blog imbroglio from The World Tonight on BBC Radio 4, an interview with Catherine Sanderson, who wrote the Petite Anglaise blog about her life in Paris - which cost her her job. Catherine Sanderson makes some perceptive comments: for totally pseudonymous blogging your content must be as anonymous as your name, and the devil is in the detail. The segment is 4 minutes. Download audio file (20080311-bbc-radio4-world-tonight-civil-serf-interview-with-petite-anglaise.mp3) At around 3pm I will be publishing an article “How to blog about your employer”. This is the excerpt. There are 7 ways I can think of to blog about your employer: 1. Don’t 2. Persuade them to let you. 3. Be anonymous, but not anonymous enough. 4. Ask, and risk a “no”. 5. Be totally anonymous and notorious. 6. Do it as part of your job. 7. Employ yourself. In this article I describe each option, and my assessment of the pros and cons - where they occur. If you do blog about your employer, any option (except number one) should make your life more “interesting”, for a time at least. Tags: politics podcast, David Hartley, Labour party, Doug Hope, ukip, matt revell

To mention it once again, I continue - since the hyperlinks which they broke when they redesigned their website continue to be broken, and I have received no response to requests for them to sort it out. I have added this paragraph to the Daily Roundup template. Here is today’s roundup of stories. Comment Mail (Daily Mail) - Sultry in sequins: Holly looks just like Toon sex symbol Jessica Rabbit It’s another week and another plunging neck line for controversial Dancing on Ice presenter Holly Willoughby. Clad in a daring, curve-hugging scarlet gown, the glamorous star, who is becoming famous for her revealing style of dress, resembled racy cartoon character Jessica Rabbit. Philip Webster (Times Online) - Petrol price rises and penalties for gas-guzzlers as Chancellor Alistair Darling goes green He will give tax incentives to companies that opt for greener vehicle fleets. And in a further move to show his green credentials Mr Darling will announce that Britains first five-year carbon budget, setting out the way independent experts believe that the country should meet the target of reducing emissions by 60 per cent by 2050, will be published next year alongside the main Budget Ed Pilkington (Guardian) - Bush vetoes move to ban water torture President George Bush maintained his collision course with the Democrats in Congress over the use of torture when he wielded a rare presidential veto on Saturday to block legislation that would have banned the CIA from applying force when interrogating terror suspects. News BBC (BBC) - Clegg urges new political system Nick Clegg says he will never join a Labour or Tory cabinet, but will push instead for a new type of government. BBC (BBC) - Pienaar view: Clegg looks comfortable After a trying week, Nick Clegg has come through his first party conference looking surprisingly comfortable - almost relaxed - in the role of leader. Philip Johnston (Telegraph) - Britain must not betray the Commonwealth How many of us any longer feel an affinity to the billion or more people who belong to this extraordinary comity of post-colonial nations? Quite a few, I suspect, especially to those with whom we share a common kinship. William Rees Mogg (Times Online) - And for our next lie . . . the great EU betrayal The facts about the Lisbon treaty are relatively simple, but the implications are deeply disturbing. In May 2005, the Labour Party won a general election on a manifesto that included a commitment to hold a referendum on the European constitutional treaty. BBC (BBC) - I did smash Sinn Fein - Paisley Speaking on the BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show, he said Sinn Fein could no longer be true republicans because they were in part of the British government. Gordon Brown (FT) - Time for the third act in public sector reform Time for the third act in public sector reform Louise Story (NYT) - To Aim Ads, Web Is Keeping Closer Eye on You A new analysis of online consumer data shows that large Web companies are learning more about people than ever from what they search for and do on the Internet, gathering clues about the tastes and preferences of a typical user several hundred times a month. Scotland BBC (BBC) - Info requests centre on politics Ministers and councils have been the subject of almost two-thirds of requests to the Scottish Information Commissioner, a report has revealed. BBC (BBC) - Information act hailed a success The rate of freedom of information appeals in Scotland is double that in England, it has emerged. Wales BBC (BBC) - Concern at cross-border services Patients and politicians in Wales have voiced concern about devolution eroding the shared use of public services such as health with England. Tags: daily roundup, the skinny, matt wardman, wardman wire, mattwardman, independent newspaper

To mention it once again, I continue - since the hyperlinks which they broke when they redesigned their website continue to be broken, and I have received no response to requests for them to sort it out. I have added this paragraph to the Daily Roundup template. Here is today’s roundup of stories. Comment Henry Porter (Comment is Free) - Why I told Parliament: you’ve failed us on liberty After a celebrated two-year campaign to protect our freedoms, The Observer’s Henry Porter was called last week to give evidence to a panel of peers and MPs assessing whether a Bill of Rights is necessary for Britain today. Here is his impassioned submission Mail (Daily Mail) - Cambridge University sex attack victim did NOT want fellow student punished It took a jury just two-and-a-half hours to clear 23-year-old Cambridge University graduate Jack Gillett of sexually assaulting a fellow student after a night of drinking. She claimed that after they kissed he had repeatedly ignored her pleas to stop as he pulled off her clothes in his room and pinned her to the ground and groped her. But the judge questioned why the case had ever been brought to court. Here a close friend gives a compelling insight into how the 22-year-old woman found herself in a judicial process she could not halt and the motives behind her reporting the case. For legal reasons she must remain anonymous " Sara is not her real name ” Antonio Maria Costa (Guardian) - Every line of cocaine means a little part of Africa dies The UN’s drugs tsar denounces celebrities such as Amy Winehouse for adding to the misery of already vulnerable countries News BBC (BBC) - Thatcher resting at London home Baroness Thatcher is resting at her London home after spending the night in hospital undergoing tests. Economist (Economist) - Chinese art-buyers are in overdrive FEW of the international specialists who deal in Asian art could have predicted the outcome of the main sale of the season at Christies in London last November. Of the ten most expensive lots, eight went to Chinese buyers, including an early 15th-century Song porcelain flask that was not in the best condition. James Politi in Washington (FT) - Obama wins Wyoming Democratic caucus Mr Obama clinched 59 per cent of the vote in Wyoming, against 40 per cent for Mrs Clinton, with 96 per cent of precincts reporting. Both candidates had campaigned in Wyoming ahead of Saturdays caucuses, the latest contest in the increasingly bitter battle to face Republican John McCain in the US presidential election in November. Paul Harris in New York (Guardian) - The most powerful people in American politics Their email accounts are full and their phones are ringing off the hook. They are the superdelegates - the 795 Democratic bigwigs who will now decide whether Obama or Clinton will become their party’s candidate for president STEVEN LEE MYERS (NYT) - Bush Veto of Bill on C.I.A. Tactics Affirms His Legacy Mr. Bush vetoed a bill that would have explicitly prohibited the agency from using interrogation methods like waterboarding, a technique in which restrained prisoners are threatened with drowning and that has been the subject of intense criticism at home and abroad. Many such techniques are prohibited by the military and law enforcement agencies. Obituary Telegraph (Telegraph) - Carol Barnes After a year as a radio reporter with the BBC, she joined ITN two years later. Her early assignments as a reporter included the return from exile of the Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979 and, two years later, the Brixton riots (which Barnes covered while seven months pregnant with her daughter). Scotland BBC (BBC) - Talks over scrapping council tax Talks have taken place between the Scottish Government and the Liberal Democrats over scrapping the council tax in favour of a local income tax. Tags: daily roundup, the skinny, matt wardman, wardman wire, mattwardman, independent newspaper

To mention it once again, I continue - since the hyperlinks which they broke when they redesigned their website continue to be broken, and I have received no response to requests for them to sort it out. I have added this paragraph to the Daily Roundup template. Here is today’s roundup of stories. Comment Jakob Illeborg (Comment is Free) - Danish doormats The Swedes were supposedly wiping their feet all over Denmark - thanks to Ikea. But no one had checked the facts Global Muslim networks - How far they have travelled (Economist) A Turkish-based movement, which sounds more reasonable than most of its rivals, is vying to be recognised as the world’s leading Muslim network Clare Dyer (Guardian) - Medical tests after rape may be handed to NHS Responsibility for the medical examination of rape victims may be taken away from police and handed over to the NHS, amid concerns that services in some parts of the country are short-changing victims and contributing to the low conviction rate for rape. Joanna Bourke (Times Online) - Mini-skirt or burka - my choice What is it about the way women dress that excites so much fury? In Johannesburg, a young woman was recently stripped, sexually assaulted and paraded naked by a group of taxi operators as punishment for wearing indecent clothes. News BBC (BBC) - Lib Dems plan tax for super rich Lib Dem treasury spokesman Vince Cable says he wants to end the “ridiculous anomaly” which sees the owners of homes worth millions paying only council tax. Ian Urbina (NYT) - To Revive Hunting, States Turn to the Classroom When David Helms was in seventh grade, he would take his .22-caliber rifle to school, put a box of ammunition in his locker and, like virtually all the other boys, lean his rifle against a wall in the principals office so he could start hunting squirrels as soon as classes let out. Roya Nikkhah (Telegraph) - Local council to buy out doomed post offices Essex county council is set to become the first local authority to take over the running of post offices that have closed. Lucy Bannerman (Times Online) - Forced marriage fear prompts a national count of missing girls Ministers have called on local authorities to carry out immediate checks in 15 areas that have been identified as forced-marriage risk zones, after it emerged that 33 girls had vanished from the school roll in Bradford alone. Obituary Andrew Roth (BBC) - Lord Pym of Sandy After long and frequent battles with Margaret Thatcher in the privacy of cabinet, Francis Pym’s final defeat came at a pre-election press conference in 1983. Then foreign secretary, Lord Pym of Sandy, who has died aged 86, dared to contradict the prime minister in public. He said he would be satisfied with a majority of 50 to 100, while Thatcher proclaimed the sky as her limit. Scotland BBC (BBC) - E-count causes vote result delay Electronic counting should not be used in Scottish elections until improvements to the system are made, the Electoral Commission has said. It comes after a council by-election declaration was delayed by more than 12 hours after a technical fault. The same counting software was used for the Cambuslang East count as that used in last May’s chaotic Holyrood election. Wales BBC (BBC) - Six Plaid AMs to refuse pay rise Six of Plaid Cymru’s 15 assembly members say they will refuse to take an inflation-busting 8.3% pay rise. Tags: daily roundup, the skinny, matt wardman, wardman wire, mattwardman, independent newspaper

To mention it once again, I continue - since the hyperlinks which they broke when they redesigned their website continue to be broken, and I have received no response to requests for them to sort it out. I have added this paragraph to the Daily Roundup template. Here is today’s roundup of stories. Comment Victoria Brittain (Comment is Free) - Spanish practices The collapse of Spain’s extradition case against el-Banna and Deghayes should lead to an official British acknowledgement of their innocence Guy Herbert (Comment is Free) - The politics of identityThe Labour ID card schedule, announced today, makes a mockery of the joined-up government it is supposed to embody Economist (Economist) - Why the Grand Canyon has been floodedFloods once raged through the canyon every year. Snow from as far away as Wyoming would melt and swell the Colorado river to a flow that averaged around 1,500 cubic metres (50,000 cubic feet) a second. Every eight years or so, that figure rose to almost 3,500 cubic metres. These floods infused the river with sediment, carved its beaches and built its sandbars. Telegraph (Telegraph) - If Livingstone loses London, he will have only himself to blame The formidable political machine that is Ken Livingstone has started to leak oil. London’s mayor has not yet broken down, but his pistons are no longer pumping quite so freely. A nasty noise is emanating from City Hall engine, as friction over corruption allegations tests Team Ken’s mettle. David Cameron (Telegraph) - Do not ignore feelings over post office closures Post Offices provide much needed services for millions of vulnerable people in this country, particularly the elderly, and Labour has been closing almost 10 a week since 1997. Post Offices often provide the only community service in rural areas and the strength of public protest against closures is being ignored by this Government. News Norma Cohen in London (FT) - Companies face bigger pensions risk levy Companies with pension schemes heavily reliant on risky investments such as equities will pay far higher premiums to the Pension Protection Fund under proposals to be unveiled this year. Duncan Campbell and Ian MacKinnon in Bangkok (Guardian) - Lord of war arms trafficker arrestedIf Viktor Bout did not exist, a thriller writer would have invented him. A former Russian lieutenant, he became one of the world’s biggest arms dealers, flying his ancient Soviet planes into battlefields from Liberia to Afghanistan. His clients have included the Taliban and the US government, African warlords and the UN. NYT (NYT) - Party Donations Show G.O.P. Edge The Democratic National Committee ended 2007 nearly flat broke, with cash of $2.9 million and debts of $2.2 million. Since then it has raised some money, paid down debt and managed to put $3.7 million in its piggy bank. This compares, however, with $25 million that the Republican National Committee has in cash on hand, after having raised $97 million since the beginning of 2007. Christine Buckley, Grainne Gilmore and Miles Costello (Times Online) - The British status as a financial leader is under threat, Alistair Darling is cautionedIn separate warnings, the CBI and the ABI said that if the Government made hasty changes to banking regulation and pushed ahead with changes to rules on capital gains tax and nondomiciled workers, the financial services sector and the countrys reputation would be damaged. Nick Ray/The Times (Times Online)- Grudging GPs give in and agree to open evenings and weekends Family doctors have reluctantly decided to open in the evenings or at weekends after being bulldozed into an agreement by the Government. GPs accepted a set plan to work extra hours but 98 per cent of those in a poll said that the Government method of negotiation was not acceptable and that their hand had been forced. Wales BBC (BBC) - Assembly members get 8.3% pay rise Welsh assembly members are set to receive an inflation busting pay-rise of 8.3%, bringing their salaries more in line with MPs at Westminster. Tags: daily roundup, the skinny, matt wardman, wardman wire, mattwardman, independent newspaper

The roundup is a compendium of last week’s outstanding posts in the British Blogosphere. Britblog Roundup No. 159 (2-Mar-07) is hosted at Suzanne Lamido’s Blog. 5 minute spot on Radio 5 Live 2 Mar 2007: Download audio file (20080304-britblog-review-podsandblogs.mp3). For the full Pods and Blogs Roundup to download, visit Chris Vallance’s site. Tags: Tags: britblog roundup, britblog, audio, podcast, bbc pods and blogs, bbc podsandblogs, chris vallance, matt wardman

To mention it once again, I continue not to link to the Independent - since the hyperlinks which they broke when they redesigned their website continue to be broken, and I have received no response to requests for them to sort it out. I have added this paragraph to the Daily Roundup template. Here is today’s roundup of stories. Comment Economist (Economist) - Simba Makoni is getting up steam President Robert Mugabe may face a real challenge in the election on March 29th Guardian (Guardian) - Can you do me a quick cow head?From Damien Hirst to Mark Wallinger, many major artists now rely on legions of helpers. How do they feel about their often uncredited roles? Patrick Barkham reports Mikhail Gorbachev (Times Online) - Memo to Medvedev: democracy counts Russia has elected a new president. I voted, and I urged not only my friends and family but all citizens of Russia to go to the polls and cast their ballots - despite the fact that the result was predictable, even programmed. News BBC (BBC) - Paisley to quit as first minister Northern Ireland first minister Ian Paisley is to stand down from the post in May, he has announced. He also said he would be resigning as leader of the DUP, a party he has led for almost 40 years. He will continue as MP and MLA for North Antrim. “ BBC (BBC) - Fire chiefs plea on flood rescues Scotland fire chiefs believe their service should be the single agency in charge of flood rescues. Joanna Chung and Jennifer Hughes (FT) - FSA cold calling in insider trading clampdown Traders and investors are being cold-called by the City regulator in its latest bid to gather evidence of potential insider dealing crimes. James Rossiter (Times Online) - Chancellor Alistair Darling to close loophole in finance deals based on ShariaThe Government brought in changes to the stamp duty regime three years ago amid concern that homeowners opting for Sharia-compliant mortgages were paying stamp duty twice. The 2005 Budget brought in measures to correct this anomaly but inadvertently created a tax avoidance opportunity that property developers have rushed to exploit. More than ?1 billion of commercial property deals over the past two years have escaped stamp duty at 4 per cent. Chris Brooke (Times Online) - Dozens of missing schoolchildren feared forced into arranged marriagesDozens of children are missing from school amid fears they have been forced into arranged marriages, it was revealed yesterday. In Bradford, 33 children remain unaccounted for after being off school for at least two months with no explanation. Obituary AP (NYT) - Dungeons & Dragons Co - Creator Dies at 69 Gary Gygax, who co-created the fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons and is widely seen as the father of the role-playing games, died Tuesday morning at his home in Lake Geneva. He was 69. Scotland MARTYN McLAUGHLIN (Scotsman) - Pulling plug on water monopoly Whether it is a newsagents in the Shetland Islands, or a major housebuilding concern in Edinburgh, tens of thousands of Scottish businesses will have the right to choose their water and sewerage suppliers from the beginning of next month. Telegraph (Telegraph) - Questions over ?1,500 tax subsidy for Scots In a move expected to reignite tensions between the Westminster and Edinburgh parliaments, Mr Brown has told Alistair Darling, the Chancellor, to look again at the Barnett formula. Downing Street confirmed last night that the review - which could end the much-maligned formula - had been ordered to inform the debate. Mr Darling will present its findings in the next few months.” Wales BBC (BBC) - Plea to legalise flags on platesA campaign calling on the UK Government to allow national flags such as the Welsh dragon to be displayed on car number plates has been launched. Tags: daily roundup, the skinny, matt wardman, wardman wire, mattwardman, independent newspaper

Here is today’s roundup of stories. Comment Giles Fraser (Comment is Free) - Intimations of mortality We have lost the art of plain speaking when it comes to death - and that is not healthy for children Naomi Klein (Comment is Free) - It is no slur to be called a Muslim The turban photos affair was a missed chance for Obama. If he really is to repair the world, he must tackle this Islamophobia Economist (Economist) - Whorehouses and American nostalgia MY DAD, who lived a long good life, always used to tell us kids that a town without a whorehouse was a stupid place in which to live. So wrote one woman in a letter to Helenas daily newspaper in 1973. Montana may not want to bring back its old brothels, but everywhere I went, there seemed to be one or two on the list of things to see. News BBC (BBC) - MPs apologise for motorbike error The influential Commons Public Accounts Committee of MPs has apologised to motorcyclists after wrongly suggesting 40% of motorbikes were untaxed. BBC (BBC) - Political quakes hit parliament The magnitude of this earthquake only really emerged inside the House when Labour’s David Winnick suggested that reform of the expenses for MPs, under Mr Speaker, was not really going fast enough. Guardian (Guardian) - Provinces pay price for green Olympics Reservoirs around Beijing are being tapped to flush out the foul, polluted waterways in the centre of the city and to fill the fountains and keep the grass green in the Olympic park. Meteorologists are even firing silver iodine crystals into the clouds to induce rain. NYT (NYT) - In 2008 Politics, Rhode Island Defies Its Size For the first time anyone can remember, this small state is relishing its role in the presidential primary cycle. Scotland BBC (BBC) - Holyrood will not give back powers Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Nicol Stephen has said his party would oppose any UK Government move to take powers from Holyrood. BBC (BBC) - MSPs vote to scrap endowment fee Students will no longer have to pay the graduate endowment fee when they finish university, after MSPs voted to abolish the charge. Sport Times Online (Times Online) - Timely Andrew Strauss century cements Test place Andrew Strauss was a relieved man after hitting a timely century for England on a rain-hit final day of the last warm-up match for the Test series with New Zealand. Wales BBC (BBC) - ?15m plan to aid Menai economy The Welsh Assembly Government says it wants to see an economic hub of industry and tourism for Anglesey and Gwynedd based around the Menai Strait.

Here is today’s roundup of stories. Blogs Economist (Economist) - Montana’s problem with new drivers’ licences Montana is larger than Germany or Japan"around 150,000 square miles. But the cities are small and scattered widely across the state, and this time of year the roads tend to be icy and treacherous. Comment Ali Eteraz (Comment is Free) - The prophet and politicsThe Prophet Muhammad was the first person to establish an Islamic state - and he should have been the last NYT (NYT) - For Obama, a Taste of What a Long Battle Holds If Mr. Obama becomes the Democratic presidential nominee, he is sure to face an onslaught from Republicans and their allies that will be very different in tone and intensity from what he has faced so far. Ben Macintyre (Times Online) - The Arts as Religion Art is our new secular religion. Just look at the motives of the criminal and the benefactor News BBC (BBC) - The most spied upon people in Europe Germany’s highest court has ruled that spying on personal computers violates privacy, but governments across Europe are under pressure to help their security services fight terrorism and organised crime. Here, BBC reporters give a snapshot of the extent of surveillance across Europe. James Mcintosh (FT) - Hedge Fund Implodes One of Londons most successful hedge funds imploded Thursday when Peloton Partners put the assets of its $2bn flagship fund up for sale and froze its remaining fund after geared mortgage bets left it unable to meet lenders demands. Guardian (Guardian) - McLaren rally round unsackable Dennis after Italian police raidsMcLaren last night dismissed rumours that their chairman Ron Dennis could be fired in the wake of the continuing Italian criminal investigation into the team’s involvement in the acquisition of confidential Ferrari design information. Richard Tyler (Telegraph) - Sting in the tail of CGT changes The Government has decided on the most severe way of introducing its new capital gains tax regime by insisting on a controversial measure that will catch thousands of Britain’s most successful entrepreneurs who have already sold businesses. Scotland BBC (BBC) - Clegg sets target for Lib Dem MPsThe Liberal Democrat leader is to set his party the task of doubling its tally of Scottish MPs within six years. BBC (BBC) - Trump disappointed over inquiryThe US tycoon Donald Trump has described as disappointing the decision to hold a public inquiry into his ?1bn golf resort application. Wales BBC (BBC) - Best practice of E.coli butcher A butcher at the centre of an E.coli outbreak had featured in an Welsh Assembly Government publication promoting local businesses.

The roundup is a compendium of last week’s outstanding posts in the British Blogosphere. Britblog Roundup No. 138 (25-Feb-08) is hosted at Redemption Blues. There was a 5 minute spot on Radio 5 Live’s Pods and Blogs show 26 February 2008: Download audio file (20080227-britblog-review-podsandblogs.mp3). For the full shownotes of the Pods and Blogs Show, and to download the whole show (well worth it), visit Chris Vallance’s site. The roundup is a compendium of last week’s outstanding posts in the British Blogosphere. I have a couple of posts in this week - but you’ll have to go there to find out which ones. Welcome to the 158th edition of the Britblog Roundup, which, in affectionate homage to Mr Eugenides, master of the witty title, I shall dub the When Worlds Collide edition. Without further preliminaries let us proceed to the substance. A cup of tea is recommended for full enjoyment. Tags: britblog roundup, britblog Tags: britblog roundup, britblog, audio, podcast, bbc pods and blogs, bbc podsandblogs, chris vallance, matt wardman

Here is today’s roundup of stories. The lead story this morning is about the earthquake which wobbled my chair at 12:56am. Fran Yeoman (Times Online) - Earthquake hits Britain, 5.3 magnitude Britain was shaken by a huge earth tremor at 12.56am this morning which was felt by people from Yorkshire to the South Coast. Comment Martin Kettle (Comment is Free) - Talking TurkeyThere is no more fascinating country in Europe at this moment than Turkey, so why do we know so little about what’s going on there? News BBC (BBC) - Assessing Cameron’s Sharia speech Much of his speech in fact, which discussed the need to strengthen British identity, sounded enormously similar to some of Gordon Brown’s previous statements. And unusually, the Conservative bloggers have not bitten at this story so far. It is rare for them not to dissect a major speech from the party’s leader, but this time perhaps they feel it has all been said. BBC (BBC) - Lib Dem ordered out of EU debate Lib Dem frontbencher Edward Davey has been ordered out of the Commons, after angry protests to the deputy speaker. Economist (Economist) - An IPO for Visa - Play your cards right On Monday February 25th Visa said that it would soon go ahead with an initial public offering (IPO) of around half of its shares, which might raise as much as $18.8 billion. Given the dark mood at most of Americas leading financial institutions what has motivated Visa to embark upon what would be, by a comfortable margin, Americas biggest IPO? FT (FT) - Olympics water diversion threatens millions The diversion of water to Beijing for the Olympics and for big hydropower projects threatens the lives of millions of peasant farmers in Chinas north-western provinces, according to a senior Chinese government official. Vikram Dodd and Nicholas Watt (Guardian) - Terror remands over 28 days will be rare, minister tells rebel MPsAs the government prepares for a battle over its anti-terrorism bill, the Home Office minister Tony McNulty said the new powers would only be triggered on exceptional occasions. NYT (NYT) - Oil Hits a High; Some See $4 Gas by Spring Gasoline prices, which for months lagged the big run-up in the price of oil, are suddenly rising quickly, with some experts fearing they could hit $4 a gallon by spring. Kaveh Solhekol (Telegraph) - Fast cars, models and . . . QPR: In life, you need to be happy Flavio Briatore wants to get married and settle down one day, but for the time being the 57-year-old is happy running a Formula One team, owning a football club and dating a supermodel. Scotland Brian Taylor (BBC) - More sorrow than angerThe justice committee of the House of Commons had sojourned to Edinburgh to find out how this devolution business is getting on. (Or at least five committee members - three of them Welsh - plus associated clerks.) It was an intriguing occasion. Dignified not solemn, polite but incisive, detailed but ultimately, and inevitably, inconclusive. At least at this stage.” Wales BBC (BBC) - Calls to axe park planning powerThere are calls for Brecon Beacons National Park to be stripped of the power it has to grant planning permission after long-running concerns. Blogs Nick Robinson (BBC) - I’ve caused a stirIf you ladle it out, you’ve got to take it, as the old saying goes.

Here is today’s roundup of stories. Comment Madeleine Bunting (Comment is Free) - Secularists have nothing to fear from women wearing headscarves Separation of church and state should not preclude the assertion of religious identity - as Turkey is learning Polly Toynbee (Comment is Free) - One last chance to resist the temptations of gamblingThere is an important social difference between letting people seek out a harmful pursuit and thrusting it at everyone Rowan Williams (Guardian) - It is adults, not young people, who are a public menaceThe sight of young people gathering on streets and in shopping centres is one of the things that can create alarm or suspicion in adults, who think such groups are going to be abusive or extreme in their behaviour. But today’s report from the Good Childhood inquiry ought to challenge many popular misconceptions about young people and our shared public space. Andrew o’Hagan (Telegraph) - A care home and dark secrets in Jersey Stuart Syvret, who served as Jersey’s health minister until recently, was ousted after making claims about excessive punishments being meted out at a children’s institution. Someone, somewhere - or powerful groups of someones - didn’t seem to want allegations from that world to get out. News BBC (BBC) - City hits back over super casino Senior councillors have now said they would seek a judicial review if the casino plan does not get the go-ahead. BBC (BBC) - Speaker denies harming Parliament Commons Speaker Michael Martin has dismissed claims that his review of MP expenses is taking too long and causing damage to Parliament’s image. Economist (Economist) - Internet - Facebook fatigue THE number of Britons logging on to Facebook has fallen for the first time, according to Nielsen Online, an internet-metrics firm. In January, 8.5m unique users caught up with friends and colleagues, down by 5% from December. Facebook has added 712% more users in Britain since January 2007 and it appears that a natural plateau has been reached: Bebo and MySpace hit their user peaks in mid-2007. People may also be turning to more specialised sites, such as LinkedIn, a professional-networking site. America has already seen growth slacken. NYT (NYT) - Pieces of Texas Turn Primary Into a Puzzle When Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton issued her gunslingers invitation to Senator Barack Obama recently, challenging him to meet me in Texas, the question many people here asked was, Which one? Times (Times Online) - Secret report reveals massive MEP fraud Chris Davies, the Liberal Democrat who revealed the existence of the internal audit, said: I dont think it will be made public because the poachers are in charge of the game park. MEPs might introduce reforms after the next elections when half of them have changed because it is just too embarrassing for them now. Obituary Economist (Economist) - Steve Fossett, adventurer and record-breaker, was declared dead on February 15th, aged 63 In his 30s Mr Fossett had typed out a list of things to do that included, rather than putting up shelves or going to the gym, doing all the World Loppet cross-country skiing marathons, swimming the English Channel and climbing the highest mountain on each continent. He did them all, except for climbing Everest, for which he found he did not have the patience. But he also took part in the Le Mans 24-hour car race, the Boston Marathon and the Iditarod dog-sled race in Alaska. Scotland BBC (BBC) - Cheap island ferry plan launched Ferry fares on some sailings to the Western Isles could be slashed by a pilot project to be launched by the Scottish Government on Tuesday. Wales BBC (BBC) - AM cleared in standards inquiryA Labour AM has been cleared of misuse of the Welsh assembly’s postal service to send leaflets to party members.

Gallup has just published a the results of a long-term detailed poll about attitudes and values in the Muslim World, with some research about the recently fraught questions of Sharia Law. This is an interview looking on this morning’s Radio 4 Sunday Programme looking at a poll just done by the Gallup Organisation’s Centre for Muslim Studies. The interview is with Dalia Mogahed, the Centre’s Executive Director, and is about 4 minutes long. Download audio file (20080224-sunday-sharia-law-muslim-world-gallup-poll.mp3) The interview opens with Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali - correctly - refusing to be silenced in the public debate. All views deserve to be heard. The Poll - entitled “Who Speaks for Islam” - involved 50,000 interviews in 35 countries: The result is Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think, based on six years of research and more than 50,000 interviews representing 1.3 billion Muslims who reside in more than 35 nations that are predominantly Muslim or have sizable Muslim populations. Representing more than 90% of the world’s Muslim community, it makes this poll the largest, most comprehensive study of its kind. … What the data reveal and the authors illuminate may surprise you: * Muslims and Americans are equally likely to reject attacks on civilians as morally unjustifiable. * Large majorities of Muslims would guarantee free speech if it were up to them to write a new constitution AND they say religious leaders should have no direct role in drafting that constitution. * Muslims around the world say that what they LEAST admire about the West is its perceived moral decay and breakdown of traditional values — the same answers that Americans themselves give when asked this question. * When asked about their dreams for the future, Muslims say they want better jobs and security, not conflict and violence. * Muslims say the most important thing Westerners can do to improve relations with their societies is to change their negative views toward Muslims and respect Islam. Lots of food for thought there for an intelligent and open debate, even if we disagree with some of the conclusions. Press Reports came there none? However, I may have gone blind, but I don’t think I have yet seen any reports on this huge polling exercise in the British Press - just a couple of blog reports and a couple of items in European papers. The British papers are, however, reporting on the Bishop’s assertion (Telegraph, BBC) - even the regional press (Peterborough Today). I find it quite painful that the only British outlet I have seen reporting this is the Muslim Public Affairs Committee (with a book review copied from Middle East Online) - who are hardly mainstream. I hope I’m wrong on this point. If anyone can help with finding British reports - or if you are a blogger and write one - I’ll include any reports you can point out in the article and link back to your blog from the Wardman Wire article. Tags: gallup, who speaks for islam, dilia mogahead, who speaks for islam

Download audio file (20080221-britblog-review-podsandblogs.mp3) Is over at Mr Eugenides (Tsunami of Hate edition). The roundup is a compendium of last week’s outstanding posts in the British Blogosphere. Also the Scottish Roundup is at Borders and Boundaries . Tags: britblog roundup, britblog