Calls from within the United Kingdom to facilitate a promised migration to Free software, via international standards such as ODF

Governments continue to march toward open source. The Dutch government last year committed to use open standards, the French government has deployed Kubuntu desktops to over 1,000 members of parliament and staff, and a few days ago the United Kingdom government announced an Open Source action plan.

"On 12. September 2009 we call for the 2nd International Action Day in as many capital cities as possible around the world to demonstrate against the total retention of telecommunication data and other instruments of surveillance.

Microsoft dumps on the United Kingdom, specifically where new plans exist for adoption of Free/open source software

In Australia, the government and Microsoft rub each other's back and in the United Kingdom Free software is still discriminated against

The United States thanks the International Bureau for preparing the background paper on Standards and Patents, and we support the statement made by Germany on behalf of Group B.

Does collusion with Microsoft (or favouritism) permit Switzerland- and Quabec-like action to go forward and expand?

The UK government is shockingly blind to its own attitude towards open standards and Free software

The British Standards Institution (BSI) has always been one of those iconic central points of reference in British life – a kind of Big Ben for standards. But it's a little hard to square that image – perhaps hopelessly outdated – with the BSI's recent decision to vote in favour of Microsoft's OOXML document standard.