Some real talking points on the programme tonight. The one I suspect will spark the biggest response on the emails is the call by 'Peta' (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) for the use of real bear skin on the ceremonial helmets worn by soldiers on guard at Buckingham Palace to be banned. Campaigners say the use of real fur, a tradition that goes back to the battle of Waterloo, directly contributes to the declining numbers of Canadian black bears in the wild. The MoD says a suitable synthetic alternative isn't available. But what's causing the most controversy is 'Peta's' current ad campaign which shows a grizzly mock-up of a soldier wearing a bear head with blood trickling down his face. Is that an appropriate image to put on the side of London busses when troops continue to die in Afghanistan? We'll discuss later.
Next, we've reported a lot on the power of the Met police to 'stop and search' anyone anywhere, without suspicion, under anti-terrorism laws. Well, that power has now been ruled illegal by the European courts. They were looking into the case brought by a photo-journalist and a student, who were stopped near an arms fair in Docklands in September 2003 and ruled that their human rights had been violated. So, with more than a quarter of a million people stopped and searched under the power in 2008, but with Home Office figures showing that only 0.6 per cent of stops led to an arrest, is this ruling a victory for freedom and democracy or a weakening of the police's power to combat terrorism?
Also tonight - as the ice melts, the pipes burst. Thames Water, which covers London and parts of the Thames Valley, has a backlog of 400 leaks to deal with - twice the normal number for this time of year. Somewhat of a 'thaw' point, I imagine?
And Lucy Cotter has today's BAFTA nominations for the 'Rising Star' award. From our patch: Nicolas Hoult from Wokingham who played Marcus in 'About a (Berkshire?) Boy' with Hugh Grant. He also plays Tony in 'Skins'. Out of interest, previous winners include Shia LaBeouf (the slightly manic bloke out of 'Transformers') and James McAvoy (who's done some really great work...but will always be Mr. Tumnus to me!)
Plenty more later.
See you at six,
Matt and Katie
