politics

As if Monday mornings weren't generally bad enough, the Guardian's headline this morning warns of the "return of GM". Biotech companies and government ministers are preparing to shoehorn GM technologies into UK agriculture, using climate change as an excuse. Their reasoning is that they'll be able to win the public over this time round if they claim that GM crops are needed to keep us fed as the climate becomes less favourable to regular varieties.

It's that time of year again. From this weekend, politicians, journalists and the party faithful will be congregating in seaside towns beginning with the letter B - Brighton, Bournemouth and Blackpool - as the three main parties hold their annual love-ins.

Adrien Sinafasi Makelo (left) and René Ngongo (right) address MPs, civil servants and campaigners

On Thursday, I found myself at Portcullis House, an imposing edifice that sits across the road from the main Houses of Parliament building. The occasion was a panel discussion hosted by Greenpeace and (deep breath) the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on the Great Lakes Region of Africa, to discuss the crisis in the Congo rainforest. As the name suggests, it's a collective of MPs from all parties with a special interest in that part of the world who try to make sure issues affecting the region remain on the political agenda.