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Holy Redundant (2:50) by James O’Malley (ft Andrew Copson)
Sanal Edamaruku on Catholic Miracles (8:03) by Salim Fadhley
The Voltaire Lecture (20:01) by Liz Lutgendorff (ft Robin Ince)
Droughts and Rain (29:20) by Duncan Geere
Elected Mayors (33:31) by Cory Hazlehurst
London’s Candidates (41:13) by Adam Jacobs
Liverpool’s Candidates (50:43) by Tom Williamson
Science Tales (57:01) by Lisa Chalkley (ft Darryl Cunningham)
The sketch at the end is by David Lovesy & Brain Two

Follow-Up Links

• Holy Redundant Campaign
• Sanal Edamaruku
• Robin Ince
• Duncan Geere
• Buy SCIENCE TALES by Darryl Cunningham (spoiler: it is awesome)
• Darryl Cunningham
• Festival of the Spoken Nerd

CFI Blasphemy Conference (2:04) by James O’Malley & Liz Lutgendorff
(ft Andrew Copson, Austin Dacey and Maryam Namazie)
Welfare Reform (15:17) by Steven Sumpter
UniLad (25:44) by Dean Burnett
Deaths in Custody (34:52) by Georgia Gale Grant
Nuclear Theatre (41:27) by Liz Lutgendorff (ft Nicholas Kent)
The sketch at the end is by David Lovesy & Brian Two

• The Future of Blasphemy by Austin Dacey
• Rally to defend free expression
• Listen to podcasts from the CFI Blasphemy Conference here
• Deaths in custody stats
• The Tricycle goes nuclear
• Liz’s full interview with Nicholas Kent:
  

It was organised and introduced by Dr Stephen Law of Heythrop College, University of London and Editor of Think (Royal Institute Philosophy) Provost of Centre for Inquiry UK.

We have three of the talks available here. We hope to add the other two – pending permission from the speakers.

Andrew Copson – Blasphemy laws by the back door

Andrew Copson has been chief executive of the British Humanist Association since 2010 before which he spent five years coordinating the association’s campaigns work including on blasphemy and free speech issues.

After decades of campaigning the criminal offences of blasphemy and blasphemous libel have been abolished but censorship of blasphemous content and even threatened prosecution of blaspheme’s continues in the UK. Andrew explores how corporate interests, opaque advertising regulations and new criminal laws continue to stifle free expression, free criticism and mockery of gods and religions.

Austin Dacey – The Future of Blasphemy

Austin Dacey, Ph.D., is a representative to the United Nations for the International Humanist and Ethical Union and the author of The Future of Blasphemy:

If blasphemy is an affront to values that are held sacred, then it is too important to be left to the traditionally religious. In the public contestation of the sacred, each of us—secular and religious alike—has equal right and authority to speak on its behalf and equal claim to redress for its violation. Laws against blasphemy and “religious hatred” are inherently discriminatory because they give traditional faith communities a legal remedy that is not available to religious minorities and secularists when their sense of the sacred is violated.

Maryam Namazie – Blasphemy, Offence, and Islamophobia limiting Citizen Rights

Maryam will be speaking on how accusations of blasphemy, offensive speech and ‘Islamophobia’ censor and restrict free speech, limit citizen rights, and aid and abet Islamism. Maryam Namazie is Spokesperson of the One Law for All Campaign against Sharia Law in Britain, the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain and Equal Rights Now – Organisation against Women’s Discrimination in Iran. She is also National Secular Society Honorary Associate and the NSS’ 2005 Secularist of the Year award winner and was selected one of the top 45 women of the year 2007 by Elle magazine Quebec.

The following is a Pod Delusion Extra podcast of the rally in its entirety – take a listen!

Here’s some of the audio we posted throughout the day…

The first people were arriving:

Some right-wing secularists:

The AHS (Student Groups) Contingent:

Getting ready to set off on the march (ft National Secular Society Executive Director Keith Porteous Wood):

BHA Chief Executive Andrew Copson leading the chants as the march sets off:

The Pod Delusion’s Liz Lutgendorff starts a chant:

Chatting to David Pollock, President of the European Humanist Federation:

Drew from the Pagan Federation at the rally:

Analogue Missions (1:45) by Liz Lutgendorff (ft Prof Gordon Osinski)
FOIA (12:54) by James Firth
Deconversion (21:07) by Drew Rae
Guides Inclusivity (28:32) by Salim Fadhley (ft Tessa Kendall)
Too Many Ministers (35:39) by Cory Hazelhurst
Spine Wizards (42:30) by Trish Hann
Celebrity Skeptics (47:54) by Keir Liddle
Secular Europe Campaign (53:42) by James O’Malley (ft Andrew Copson)
QED 2010 (61:10) by James O’Malley (ft Michael Marshall)
The sketches were by David Lovesy, Brian Two and Steve Clark

Follow-Up Links:

• Liz report in full:
  
  

• Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration
• ILSR Analogue Mission blog
• Is chiropractic x-raying illegal?
• The University of Vienna paper that Cory cites
• The PASC report that Cory cites
• Norman Baker’s Ministerial Responsibilities
• Secular Europe Campaign
• QED Con

The debate was chaired by Lord Warner, and arguing for the bishops was Christina Rees (a member of the General Synod, though attending in a personal capacity) and Paul Bickley (from the thinktank Theos). Arguing against the bishops was Shadow Constitutional Reform Minister Chris Bryant and BHA Chief Exec Andrew Copson.

On being: The limitless power of science : Peter Atkins

Humanity should be proud of the fact that, through its collective endeavour, it has stumbled on to a way of discovering reliable knowledge about the nature, composition, and functioning of the universe. The question remains, however, whether its contribution to human understanding is boundless. I shall identify the great questions of existence that have been the focus of myth-making since mankind first sought to make sense of nature, and argue that the scientific method is capable of answering them all. Of course, it is necessary to distinguish the empty questions from the real, and it is important not to be distracted by questions that have simply been invented by philosophers and theologians. The essential point is that science is driven by optimism, and its current success encourages us to believe that it will resolve the question of the origin of the universe and the emergence of that most extraordinary property of matter, consciousness, just as it has revealed the process by which the biosphere has emerged and as it has illuminated the processes of birth and death. I shall argue that its power is limitless and that, through displacing poetic and vivid myths, it succeeds in deepening our wonder.

DEAct Judicial Review (1:35) by James Firth
Local Elections Preview (8:49) by Alex Foster
Regenerating Margate (18:33) by Jon Treadway
Gay Blood Donation (27:32) by Salim Fadhley (ft Peter Tatchell)
Wikipedia & Academia (34:48) by Harriet Vickers (ft Charles Matthews)
The Christ Conundrum (40:33) by Liz Lutgendorff (ft Andrew Carruth)
Atlas Shrugged (49:11) by Paul Day
BHA Conference (54:45) by James O’Malley (ft Andrew Copson)

Follow-Up Links

• Alex Foster’s Local Elections piece in full:
  
• Liz’s interview with Andrew Carruth in full:
  
  

• Buy The Christ Conundrum by Andrew Carruth here
• Find out more about the BHA Conference here

See the video of the guinea pigs to watch whilst listening to James Firth’s piece about the Digital Economy Act after the break (this will make sense if you listen to the show):

Part 1 features Lord Warner, NSS Vice Pres Gerard Phillips and BHA Chief Exec Andrew Copson

Part 2 features Independent columnist Johann Hari and Philosopher AC Grayling

You can listen to them in the players above or by subscribing to the Pod Delusion Extra feed in your podcast client.

(We may also have audio from one more speaker, pending clearance of the rights to broadcast)

Science is Vital Rally (1:36) recorded by James O’Malley
Sally Bercow vs Migration Watch (10:56) recorded by James O’Malley
The Census Campaign (13:15) by Liz Lutgendorff (ft Andrew Copson)
The Browne Review (22:04) by Drew Rae
Chris Atkins Interview (27:39) by Jon Treadway

Follow up links:

• Science is Vital Campaign
• Our Science is Vital Coverage in full
• Full Westminster Skeptics Podcast
• The Census Campaign
• QED Con

We’ll have interviews and stuff with some of the people who made up the crowd of 20,000 on Friday’s show. This raw recording will <b>not</b> be available on the normal Pod Delusion feed – so you’ll have to listen to it here!

Oh, and do check out our Relief-O-Matic special and our first birthday Pod Delusion Live show.

Guests include: Robin Ince, Ed Byrne, Ben Goldacre, Horse and Louis, Andrew Copson, Natalie Haynes, Richard Herring, Nick Doody, Peter Tatchell, Tony Hawks, The BHA Choir, Audacity Chutzpah, and Tim Minchin.

Follow-up links:

• Protest The Pope
• The British Humanist Association

The British Humanist Association Manifesto (0:54) by James O’Malley (ft BHA Chief Exec Andrew Copson)
Dangerous Dogs (8:55) by Jourdemayne
DRM and Ubisoft (16:31) by Salim Fadhley
Dino Hoax (22:53) by Dave Woodward
UK Webcomix Thing (29:00) by Liz Lutgendorff

Follow-up links:

• The BHA Manifesto
• Day Against DRM
• UK Webcomix Thing

Darwin Day (0:51) by James O’Malley (ft chief exec of the BHA Andrew Copson, Richard Dawkins and Prof Chris Stringer)
Prop 8 Part 2 (12:32) by Salim Fadhley
CNHC One Year On (20:19) by Sean Ellis
Assessing Junior Doctors (27:47) by Simon Howard
Rich Johnston Interview (34:13) by Liz Lutgendorff

Follow-up links:

• The British Humanist Association
• Bleeding Cool (Rich Johnston’s site)
• Rich Johnston’s full uncut interview: