Broadcast Thur 23rd Nov 2006, 18.00

Estimated audience 30 million worldwide. In much of the world the BBC is the only trusted broadcaster.

Listen again via the BBC World Service website. Click on the right on "Thursday".

Intro to the three topics of the day for first 30 seconds. Then it goes to Iraq, so click >>5 mins twice and wait till it gets to 00:12:12, when presenter Ros Atkins introduces the 22nd November Netherlands election where the Party for the Animals gained two MPs. Sit back and enjoy for the next 20 minutes.

New Dutch MP Esther Ouwehand was the main guest. She was brilliant and sounded as if she had just read the Vegan Society's new environment booklet. Her party got 200,000 votes in a country of 15 million.

For "the other side" there was Richard North from a right wing think demonstrating just how much we need an Animals Party and a Vegan Society. Esther decimated his weak arguments for 10 minutes, then they came to the Vegan Society's Alex Bourke after the news to talk about people and agriculture. Esther pushed it further on grain imports then Alex rounded off on the environment.

Finally Esther summed up with her animal friendly political agenda. Ends at 00:32:05. The Vegan Society only got three goes but we made the most of them and it looks like we have a fantastic new ally in the Netherlands and a lot more people from Africa to America have heard the vegan message.