:00:00. > :00:08.American fighter aircraft have been dropping bombs on Islamic State
:00:09. > :00:12.fighters marching on Iraq's Kurdish capital.
:00:13. > :00:16.So what is President Obama's gameplan?
:00:17. > :00:20.A new humanitarian intervention, but familiar dilemmas -
:00:21. > :00:22.once you've started, how long are you willing to keep going?
:00:23. > :00:30.The US State Department's Marie Herth will try to answer that.
:00:31. > :00:33.It was reported in The Guardian this morning that a "jihadist" flag was
:00:34. > :00:39.Newsnight went there to try and find out.
:00:40. > :00:42.And Nick Clegg has come up with a new drugs policy -
:00:43. > :00:45.no prison sentences for possession of drugs for personal use.
:00:46. > :00:56.Is this a half-baked attempt to get the stoner vote?
:00:57. > :01:03.Would drug policy change your vote in the next general election? Yes,
:01:04. > :01:07.it is a human rights issue and a civil rights issue. People are going
:01:08. > :01:08.to prison for absolutely no reason over this.
:01:09. > :01:11.I'll put that to the Justice and Civil Liberties Minister,
:01:12. > :01:21.President Obama assured the American people the US would not be dragged
:01:22. > :01:26.into fighting another war in Iraq, but the bombs began to drop today
:01:27. > :01:29.in the north of the country, as he finally responded to the advance of
:01:30. > :01:32.Islamic State militants, formerly known as ISIS, who now
:01:33. > :01:37.The reasoning the President gave was to prevent
:01:38. > :01:41.a possible act of genocide against minority groups, including
:01:42. > :01:44.Christians and Yazidis, who are stranded, starving and surrounded
:01:45. > :01:49.The US expanded its offensive tonight with air
:01:50. > :01:52.strikes on a seven-vehicle convoy near the Kurdish capital, Irbil.
:01:53. > :01:56.Earlier, I reached the BBC's reporter,
:01:57. > :02:00.who is in a church being used by Christian refugees in the city.
:02:01. > :02:20.Can you describe to me what is happening in Irbil tonight? I am in
:02:21. > :02:25.St Joe Joseph Church in Irbil. Here, hundreds of families, children,
:02:26. > :02:31.elderly people, or in the backyard of the church, lying down, most of
:02:32. > :02:36.them having recently escaped from ISIS. Many of these people are from
:02:37. > :02:41.Mosul as well. A month ago, they ran away from Mosul and found refuge in
:02:42. > :02:45.Qaraqosh. They stayed with their family and relatives, but two days
:02:46. > :02:51.ago, ISIS took over that city as well. There are hundreds of people
:02:52. > :02:59.in this church. Many community centres and schools in the town are
:03:00. > :03:02.packed with Christian refugees. They will know that the Americans have
:03:03. > :03:07.come in with air strikes. What do they want from the United States? I
:03:08. > :03:11.have talked to many people, and they said, we don't want anything, we
:03:12. > :03:18.just want to go back to our homes. It is difficult to live like this. I
:03:19. > :03:24.have seen hundreds of children lying down on the ground in the backyard,
:03:25. > :03:28.sleeping over a blanket. A family of 12 showed me ten loaves of bread.
:03:29. > :03:35.They said, that is all we have had all day. What do they make of the
:03:36. > :03:40.American bombing? I think many of them believe the Americans take
:03:41. > :03:46.action very late. They said, they could have stopped ISIS a long time
:03:47. > :03:50.ago, when they were a small group. Many are angry. They are hoping the
:03:51. > :03:52.Americans will be able to push back ISIS so that these people can go
:03:53. > :03:55.home. So given President Obama's clear
:03:56. > :03:57.reluctance to be the world's policeman since he took office,
:03:58. > :04:00.why is American firepower now once Here's our Diplomatic Editor,
:04:01. > :04:12.Mark Urban. The United States is bombing Iraq
:04:13. > :04:16.once again ma and that is the last thing a president who got American
:04:17. > :04:23.forces out of their three years ago would have wanted. This is a
:04:24. > :04:27.situation that is a difficult challenge, but it cannot be solved
:04:28. > :04:31.by the American military. Support can be provided by the military, but
:04:32. > :04:37.this situation will only be solved by the Iraqi people and a government
:04:38. > :04:40.that reflects the views of Iraq's diverse population. The president
:04:41. > :04:45.comfort with the King of Jordan today as well, trying to form a
:04:46. > :04:48.common front against the ISIS advance and support an Iraqi
:04:49. > :04:52.government widely felt to be the author of its own misfortunes. The
:04:53. > :05:01.stakes have been raised as a result of what ISIS did in June. That means
:05:02. > :05:07.Iraq was facing a word many people use, but correctly in this context,
:05:08. > :05:13.an existential threat. Was it going to hang together as a country? If
:05:14. > :05:23.ISIS establish themselves for any length of time in the north-west of
:05:24. > :05:25.Iraq, in the Sunni Arab areas, the Kurds to go their way would have
:05:26. > :05:30.increased and the country would have cracked. In recent days, ISIS has
:05:31. > :05:36.been pushing outwards on every point of the compass. To the west, they
:05:37. > :05:41.have taken the Yazidis city and Kurdish posts on the Syrian border.
:05:42. > :05:45.To the north, they have hit the curb. Pushing eastwards, Christians
:05:46. > :05:50.have been driven from Qaraqosh, and ISIS fighters have got within 30
:05:51. > :05:57.miles of Irbil. To the south, they have continued to press on Samarra.
:05:58. > :06:02.Now, the response. American supply drops for refugees on Mount Sinjar
:06:03. > :06:07.last night. Then a Kurdish push to force a grand corridor for the
:06:08. > :06:14.Yazidis to escape into Syria. And this afternoon, US planes bombed
:06:15. > :06:17.ISIS artillery close to Irbil. The Iraqi air force also has been
:06:18. > :06:20.delivering aid to the Yazidi refugees. These pictures are sent to
:06:21. > :06:26.show its drop this morning on Mount Sinjar. Further assistance is on its
:06:27. > :06:33.way, and Britain is likely to join in. We welcome what the Americans
:06:34. > :06:36.are doing, in particular to bring humanitarian relief and prevent any
:06:37. > :06:41.further suffering. But our focus is on assisting that humanitarian
:06:42. > :06:46.mission and using our military in support of the Americans in terms of
:06:47. > :06:49.refuelling and surveillance to underpin their mission and add to it
:06:50. > :06:59.with food drops of our own. As for ISIS, they have been preparing for
:07:00. > :07:02.this moment. They understood only too well that if American bombs
:07:03. > :07:09.started falling, the dynamic of their struggle with change.
:07:10. > :07:13.TRANSLATION: Don't be cowards and attack us with drugs. Instead, send
:07:14. > :07:16.your soldiers, the ones we humiliated in Iraq. We will
:07:17. > :07:21.humiliate them everywhere, God willing, and we will raise the frag
:07:22. > :07:26.-- flag of Allah in the White House. Where is all this leading?
:07:27. > :07:32.Well, American boots are already on the ground. Special force is
:07:33. > :07:36.directing those air force tracks around Irbil. They are helping the
:07:37. > :07:42.Kurds at the same time as the Kurds are pulling away from Iraq. What if
:07:43. > :07:47.those Kurdish forces buckled? Well, the Americans seem determined to
:07:48. > :07:52.limit their military commitment. So its effect may also be limited in
:07:53. > :07:57.the military sense, although politically, it is a big change. It
:07:58. > :08:02.is the plight of refugees that finally tipped the scales for this
:08:03. > :08:07.American intervention. In Iraq, it puts them on the same side as Iran
:08:08. > :08:13.and Syria. The politics of the Middle East just got harder still.
:08:14. > :08:18.Earlier this evening, I spoke to Marie Harf of the US State
:08:19. > :08:23.Department. President Obama really does not want
:08:24. > :08:28.to be doing this, does he? He was forced into it. I totally disagree.
:08:29. > :08:35.The president did not hesitate to authorised action to assist in
:08:36. > :08:39.humanitarian terms, but also takes that to protect our people in Irbil.
:08:40. > :08:44.He was also clear that we will not get bogged down in Iraq, but we do
:08:45. > :08:50.have a long-term relationship here. We will help them fight ISIL. But he
:08:51. > :08:54.pledged to get the US out of Iraq, and now a Rubicon has been crossed
:08:55. > :09:00.because you are back in. Isn't this a failure of foreign policy? Not at
:09:01. > :09:04.all. We are back in a different way. The president pledged to bring a
:09:05. > :09:08.large contingent of US troops home, and he did. But he also said we
:09:09. > :09:12.would have a long-term relationship and help Iraq with security
:09:13. > :09:16.challenges. What you have seen is very different from the situation he
:09:17. > :09:20.inherited. It is appropriate to help them fight ISIL, to help the deck
:09:21. > :09:25.our people and to help bring water and food to people starving,
:09:26. > :09:29.potentially a genocide on top of this mountain. But do you keep
:09:30. > :09:34.arming until ISIS is no longer a threat and everyone is safe? There
:09:35. > :09:39.is no long-term US military solution here. Our goal is to stop ISIS's
:09:40. > :09:43.advance towards Irbil. That underpins what we are doing in terms
:09:44. > :09:48.of air strikes to protect our people have there. Longer term, it is to
:09:49. > :09:52.give space for the Iraqi forces to get back on their feet and help them
:09:53. > :09:58.fight this on their own. Ultimately, we cannot be fighting this fight for
:09:59. > :10:02.them. But that is not enough. You have to keep at ISIS because they
:10:03. > :10:08.keep coming back. We know that people in Irbil wish things had
:10:09. > :10:14.happened earlier, because ISIS is 40 kilometres from Irbil. Will there be
:10:15. > :10:18.more military strikes? When this crisis first started in June, we
:10:19. > :10:22.took immediate steps. We created joint operation centres in Irbil and
:10:23. > :10:26.Baghdad to help the Iraqis fight this threat. We also increased our
:10:27. > :10:31.surveillance to get more eyes on the ground. But they could not do it on
:10:32. > :10:36.their own, so you have had to come in. It is a tough challenge here.
:10:37. > :10:41.One reason we have unable to act so quickly over the past 24 hours is
:10:42. > :10:44.because we increased our eyes on the ground. We will continue working
:10:45. > :10:49.with the Iraqis to help them fight this threat. Two things have
:10:50. > :10:52.happened. There was confirmation tonight that ISIS have taken the
:10:53. > :10:57.biggest dam in Iraq and there is a possibility of flooding cities and
:10:58. > :11:02.also cutting electricity. Will you act militarily to get the dam back?
:11:03. > :11:08.I am not going to preview where we take military action. That is not a
:11:09. > :11:12.smart strategic move. But it is very concerning to us that the Mosul Dam
:11:13. > :11:17.appears to have been taken. It is a fluid situation. We will continue
:11:18. > :11:19.working with our partners to see what we can do.
:11:20. > :11:22.In the studio with me now is Sundas Abbas, the High Representative
:11:23. > :11:26.The Turkmens are one of the minority groups who have been
:11:27. > :11:33.targeted by Islamic State militants in Northern Iraq.
:11:34. > :11:43.Are you relieved that the Americans are in militarily? We are definitely
:11:44. > :11:49.relieved that the Americans took steps which should have been taken
:11:50. > :11:57.months ago, when Mosul was taken control of by ISIS. All abilities
:11:58. > :12:05.and towns around Mosul -- the villages and towns around Mosul, the
:12:06. > :12:13.Turkmens fled their towns. Whoever was left was executed by ISIS. Even
:12:14. > :12:20.the other towns and villages around Kirkuk have been under the control
:12:21. > :12:26.of ISIS. One of them has been under siege. So actually already, 250,000
:12:27. > :12:31.Turkmen have been displaced by ISIS, and at that point, the
:12:32. > :12:37.Americans did nothing? That is correct. It was overlooked by all of
:12:38. > :12:41.the international community. It was not acknowledged by them and they
:12:42. > :12:44.have not taken action. Do you feel that the international community
:12:45. > :12:51.thinks that Turkmen do not count? This is what we think. They do not
:12:52. > :13:02.count us as part of Iraq. A month ago, 250,000 people fled the town of
:13:03. > :13:06.Tal Afar. They are losing their children every day. You heard
:13:07. > :13:11.Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, saying they would help.
:13:12. > :13:18.What do you want Britain to do? People urgently need help. I would
:13:19. > :13:22.like to highlight what is happening in one place which has been under
:13:23. > :13:30.siege by ISIS for two months now. There is no electricity, no water.
:13:31. > :13:38.There is a lack of health care. That's each must be broken. Do you
:13:39. > :13:42.think that Iraq can exist without tolerance of religious and ethnic
:13:43. > :13:47.minorities? -- with a tolerance of minorities? This is a good question.
:13:48. > :13:52.I think it could, if they believe in it and they get help from the
:13:53. > :13:56.Americans to get over this crisis. And is it worse or better than when
:13:57. > :14:02.Saddam Hussein was in power? This is a very good question. Many people
:14:03. > :14:07.ask me, and I am asking myself as well. Under Saddam Hussein's
:14:08. > :14:12.regime, we suffered a lot, especially Turkmen. But I think we
:14:13. > :14:23.knew who was our enemy. Now, we don't know who is our enemy.
:14:24. > :14:27.where Israel resumed air strikes in Gaza today
:14:28. > :14:29.after Palestinian militants fired rockets into the country following
:14:30. > :14:33.With two wars seemingly without an end in sight,
:14:34. > :14:38.what effects are they having among communities back in the UK?
:14:39. > :14:42.This morning the Guardian newspaper reported from an East London housing
:14:43. > :14:45.estate on what it called the highly provocative raising of a black flag
:14:46. > :14:48.with white writing, similar to those flown by jihadist groups.
:14:49. > :14:51.Guardian journalists who approached Asian youths on the estate said
:14:52. > :14:55.So was this an act of support for Islamic State militants?
:14:56. > :15:04.We sent Secunder Kermani to investigate.
:15:05. > :15:12.This is the predominantly Bangladeshi estate in the East End
:15:13. > :15:16.Borough of Tower Hamlets. Today, it was reported that a black flag had
:15:17. > :15:21.been hung up here amongst various pro-Palestinian messages. It was
:15:22. > :15:24.later taken down. Police told us other reporters had been threatened
:15:25. > :15:27.on the estates. Some of the residents, who did not want to be
:15:28. > :15:31.named, did agree to talk to us and even brought the flag back out.
:15:32. > :15:35.Although controversial nowadays, it is believed to go dance -- go back
:15:36. > :15:39.centuries. They felt angry about being labelled as a jihadist. Do you
:15:40. > :15:44.think, in hindsight, perhaps putting up the flag was a mistake? People
:15:45. > :15:54.have put the wrong spin on it. Not at all. Look, what does that say? Do
:15:55. > :16:03.they know what it is even says? What does it say? One Muslim, one
:16:04. > :16:07.community. It is a declaration of faith. We believe in one God,
:16:08. > :16:15.Mohammed. It is not sake, we are terrorists. If I put a union flag
:16:16. > :16:22.up, would that make me a far right, EDL member will stop I would put it
:16:23. > :16:26.up to show I am a member of the community and I'm supporting the
:16:27. > :16:31.team, and this is the country I grew up in. This is just my faith. Do any
:16:32. > :16:37.of you guys support the Islamic State? Do you think they are a group
:16:38. > :16:42.that you would admire? We are Muslims. They are killing Muslims.
:16:43. > :16:47.Why would we support somebody killing their own brothers and
:16:48. > :16:49.sisters? It doesn't make sense. Like many British Muslims, these men feel
:16:50. > :16:54.passionate about events in Palestine. How many times have the
:16:55. > :17:02.Israelis on children's question of who is questioning it question mark
:17:03. > :17:09.no one. No one. -- who is questioning it? Art British Muslims
:17:10. > :17:13.expressing the passion you feel they are going on about. Are they
:17:14. > :17:20.relaying those views? Trust me, they are not. Have you seen what is going
:17:21. > :17:25.on in the House of Commons? There are like Forum five people sitting
:17:26. > :17:30.there in the House of Commons. -- four or five people. Halal meat
:17:31. > :17:35.though, they want to get on the bandwagon. What is that about?
:17:36. > :17:47.Concern has been growing about support of British Muslims was
:17:48. > :17:53.groups like bashful groups like ISIS. The groups have said tonight
:17:54. > :17:58.that the flag would go up again -- groups like ISIS. They will go up
:17:59. > :18:01.again at some point this evening. Trust me.
:18:02. > :18:04.Cocaine, cannabis, heroin, amphetamines - any drug of choice.
:18:05. > :18:07.Today, the Liberal Democrats have said if it's for personal use nobody
:18:08. > :18:10.should go to prison, and they are trumpeting this as the first step to
:18:11. > :18:15.Roughly 1,000 people in England and Wales were imprisoned for
:18:16. > :18:17.possession for personal use last year and the Deputy Prime Minister
:18:18. > :18:25.So is this really a thought through attempt to tackle
:18:26. > :18:28.drug addiction, or just an attempt to grab some summer headlines?
:18:29. > :18:41.From Central America, through Afghanistan, from Turkey, drugs are
:18:42. > :18:46.a worldwide business, transaction, that in this case, ends here on the
:18:47. > :18:50.streets of London. What the Liberal Democrats are announcing today is
:18:51. > :18:55.not legalisation, it isn't decriminalisation, but it is a move
:18:56. > :19:00.in that direction. We have to take this step-by-step. The first thing
:19:01. > :19:04.we want to end, and we are committing as a party that we will
:19:05. > :19:08.end, is chucking people behind bars they have -- because they have in
:19:09. > :19:15.their possession, for their own personal use, drugs. The only thing
:19:16. > :19:19.negative is people 's perceptions. One in ten have taken an illegal
:19:20. > :19:23.drug in the last year. On a summer night in west London, this group of
:19:24. > :19:28.activists are happy to smoke and show their faces on camera. The
:19:29. > :19:31.question is, how far will the UK go with this over time? In terms of
:19:32. > :19:36.cannabis, that will definitely be legalised in everybody's life time.
:19:37. > :19:40.If I had to be asked, in the next five or ten years in the UK, a
:19:41. > :19:49.legalised market with medical cannabis available. Is it
:19:50. > :19:53.inevitable? It is. Would a change in policy on drugs change your vote in
:19:54. > :19:57.the next election? Yes, absolutely. It would have a massive effect
:19:58. > :20:01.because it is an important issue, a human rights issue, a civil rights
:20:02. > :20:03.issue. There are people going to prison for this and being
:20:04. > :20:09.criminalised for absolutely no reason at all. The number of people
:20:10. > :20:14.locked up after getting caught with a controlled substance has dipped in
:20:15. > :20:17.recent years, but in 2013, more than 1000 ended up with a custodial
:20:18. > :20:23.sentence where possession was the main offence. Interestingly, around
:20:24. > :20:28.half of those were caught with a class B drug, most likely cannabis.
:20:29. > :20:34.But still, the numbers jailed are a tiny fraction of those cautioned at
:20:35. > :20:39.more than 30,000 per year. In the last 15 years we have criminalised
:20:40. > :20:43.1.5 million people for possession of drugs for their own personal use. We
:20:44. > :20:47.cannot overestimate the damage that that does to an individual. We have
:20:48. > :20:50.to remember as well that the majority of those who have been
:20:51. > :20:54.criminalised our young people. We are giving these children criminal
:20:55. > :21:00.records, which affects their choices in terms of education, their
:21:01. > :21:03.employment opportunities. But the Lib Dems in this building behind me
:21:04. > :21:10.are taking a bit of a risk with this policy. For some, it is a let down,
:21:11. > :21:13.not the big announcement on decriminalisation they hoped for.
:21:14. > :21:16.For those on the other side of the debate, it is dangerous and sending
:21:17. > :21:21.out the wrong message at the wrong time. It is basically legalisation
:21:22. > :21:27.by the back door. There is so much with that policy proposal. In the
:21:28. > :21:31.UK, we are seeing the greatest reductions in levels of drug use we
:21:32. > :21:34.have seen for decades. So the suggestion to weaken the criminal
:21:35. > :21:37.justice contribution here risks turning round the decrease in levels
:21:38. > :21:39.of drug use we have seen for decades. So the suggestion to weaken
:21:40. > :21:41.the criminal justice contribution here risks turning round the
:21:42. > :21:43.decreasing drug use and risks escalating drug use. All this comes
:21:44. > :21:49.when there is a clear worldwide shift towards liberalisation.
:21:50. > :21:53.Colorado and Washington in the US have now legalise cannabis.
:21:54. > :21:57.California could follow soon. Other countries from Uruguay to Portugal
:21:58. > :22:01.have changed their laws. In many of those places, the shift has been led
:22:02. > :22:06.by groups of cannabis users getting together to grow and share the drug.
:22:07. > :22:10.We are starting to see that happen in the UK, where 60,000 have joined
:22:11. > :22:15.Internet-based social clubs like this in the last three years. We are
:22:16. > :22:19.not the only country in the world that are going down this social club
:22:20. > :22:25.option. There are 11 countries in Europe that have adopted this, just
:22:26. > :22:29.cannabis consuming citizens who want safer and fairer laws. The misuse of
:22:30. > :22:33.drugs act is there to control cannabis and it is not controlling
:22:34. > :22:38.it by any means, or any drug in this country. Today's Newsnight not make
:22:39. > :22:44.a difference to the people sat around this table, but it's a small
:22:45. > :22:47.part of a wider trend -- today's news might not. But it is part of a
:22:48. > :22:50.larger trend across the world changing drug laws.
:22:51. > :22:53.Here with me is Simon Hughes, the Justice and Civil Liberties
:22:54. > :23:00.This applies to all drugs and is about personal use, but how do you
:23:01. > :23:09.define the amount used for personal use? If somebody gets stopped, the
:23:10. > :23:11.police decide whether it is for personal use or therefore supply.
:23:12. > :23:16.And they charge appropriately, and they would do the same. But people
:23:17. > :23:20.need to know themselves whether what they are carrying would be
:23:21. > :23:26.reasonable for personal use? How can people feel safe and comfortable
:23:27. > :23:30.what they need? The law has been clear that if you are caught with a
:23:31. > :23:35.very small amount, clearly something you are able to use only, and it is
:23:36. > :23:39.regarded for your own use. If you're the law thinks you are carrying a
:23:40. > :23:46.stash. There is no legal definition. That is correct. I'm going to do
:23:47. > :23:51.this, because it is to give people a sense of what this is. Here we have
:23:52. > :23:56.some powder. I'm glad you are producing this and not me. Here is
:23:57. > :24:03.some powder. Let's say this was cocaine. That would be about three
:24:04. > :24:09.or ?400 worth. A tiny amount. That would be regarded as personal use?
:24:10. > :24:15.I'm not the judge or the police officer or the Crown Prosecution
:24:16. > :24:20.Service. Let's put it another way. Let's say you have a great capacity
:24:21. > :24:25.for it, so this is worth ?2500, and it is whatever it is, and it will
:24:26. > :24:30.last you a long time, and you live in a rural area and you want to get
:24:31. > :24:34.enough for a year. Here you are, and you live in rural Cornwall and you
:24:35. > :24:39.want to get a supply every year. This is for personal use. What do
:24:40. > :24:43.you do with that? The police do the same all the time. If they stop
:24:44. > :24:47.somebody in Cornwall with that stash, they would question them, and
:24:48. > :24:51.if the answer was I go to London once a year and collect what I need,
:24:52. > :24:56.and you can check, they have to decide whether they believe what
:24:57. > :25:00.they are being told. But that is disastrous the people. Actually, I
:25:01. > :25:05.will throw half of this over my shoulder, because then it won't be
:25:06. > :25:10.too upsetting for the police. I will come at the issue in another way and
:25:11. > :25:15.I understand what you are asking, and we are not changing the law to
:25:16. > :25:18.make it legal where it is not. But the law is not clear. And if you
:25:19. > :25:22.were being radical, you would change the law. We need a definition of
:25:23. > :25:29.what is actually for personal use and not. The law is clear enough
:25:30. > :25:31.that every year 80,000 people get convicted in this country for drugs
:25:32. > :25:37.for personal use in England and Wales. The law is clear that when
:25:38. > :25:41.they get to the courts, there is a distinction between a caution...
:25:42. > :25:48.This will be such a lot of police time. No, it is the opposite. Only
:25:49. > :25:53.4% of people who are convicted for personal use" link, so actually,
:25:54. > :25:59.this is a fuss about nothing. -- in the clink. My department is a prison
:26:00. > :26:02.service. Last year there were 2000 and more people who went inside for
:26:03. > :26:07.possession and they came out after three months or six months. There
:26:08. > :26:10.are a lot of drugs in prison and the evidence is, counterintuitively,
:26:11. > :26:15.that the reconviction rate for those who go inside for drug possession is
:26:16. > :26:18.higher than those who get dealt with in another way, so we are trying to
:26:19. > :26:25.move this from a law and order, Home Office way. You have been banging on
:26:26. > :26:28.about this since 2002 and you haven't got anywhere. If you are
:26:29. > :26:33.going to get somewhere, wouldn't you say decriminalise and be done with
:26:34. > :26:40.it? That would be the radical way. It would be, and some people
:26:41. > :26:43.supported. Do you support it? No, because the evidence around the
:26:44. > :26:48.world is that if you move it from Loren order to a health issue, the
:26:49. > :26:50.benefit is dealing with drug addicts and give them a better lifestyle at
:26:51. > :26:54.the end of it -- law and order. You can't have an event,
:26:55. > :26:56.or a protest, or a charity these days without
:26:57. > :26:59.a wristband to mark your support - Now there's a new craze
:27:00. > :27:02.for looping multicoloured rubber bands together which are nothing to
:27:03. > :27:06.do with good works, but which has made their inventor ?80 million in
:27:07. > :27:09.three years and spawned warnings of The Pope and the Duchess
:27:10. > :27:12.of Cambridge are both fans but unless you have young children
:27:13. > :27:15.or grandchildren, or nothing to do, loom bands have possibly passed you
:27:16. > :27:16.by. How exactly have tiny multi-coloured
:27:17. > :27:37.rubber bands come to rule the world? As part of Newsnight's commitment to
:27:38. > :27:40.the plastic arts, we have commissioned Rosie Emerson to make a
:27:41. > :27:47.work that could hardly be more provocative and timely. Miss
:27:48. > :27:57.Emerson, who specialises in exposing materials to sunlight is creating a
:27:58. > :27:59.piece inspired by the two. -- loom bands. Deal with that, culture show.
:28:00. > :28:14.Everyone is wearing them it seems. You told us what you wanted, and we
:28:15. > :28:20.were listening. A major Newsnight take on loom bands, this summer's
:28:21. > :28:25.must have bad. They came about when a crash test engineer was enjoying
:28:26. > :28:30.down time with his family. I got the idea for my daughters. They were
:28:31. > :28:39.making bracelets, so I wanted to impress them. That is why I came out
:28:40. > :28:45.with the tool to make great designs, and also one that they can make by
:28:46. > :28:50.hand. The tool of his is now worth millions. He is no dummy. What he
:28:51. > :28:57.dreamt up was essentially a little plastic loom around which deaf
:28:58. > :29:05.fingers can weave coloured rubber bands into various pleasing designs
:29:06. > :29:10.and patterns. And that reminds me, how is the artist getting on with
:29:11. > :29:14.them? As the paper behind them changes colour in the sun, the bands
:29:15. > :29:21.remain stubbornly resistant to the elements, like cockroaches. I have
:29:22. > :29:26.come to meet a group of youngsters in a village just outside Cambridge
:29:27. > :29:32.to show them how to make loom bands. This would be the loom, hence the
:29:33. > :29:36.name, loom bands. Actually, they seem to be doing all right by
:29:37. > :29:44.themselves. Try and make me look good in this, OK?
:29:45. > :29:50.They are involved in a national project to get kids making art in
:29:51. > :29:55.school, using loom bands to create sculptures in praise of summer. At
:29:56. > :30:03.least it keeps them off their phones and computers, sort of. It's like
:30:04. > :30:09.the things we did in the 70s, macram? and French knitting, but
:30:10. > :30:16.they were comparatively boring, but now with the you Tube, they have
:30:17. > :30:20.this sort of inspiration feeding in. It is taking it beyond, I think,
:30:21. > :30:24.what any one person would do in their house and we are all using
:30:25. > :30:30.tablets to get the inspiration. Is it as fun as playing a computer
:30:31. > :30:38.game? I think so. Maybe even better. It is sharing. A shared agenda
:30:39. > :30:46.plaything? My goodness. They shared gender plaything. -- a shared gender
:30:47. > :30:52.plaything. It is easy to sneer at loom bands, but I like the idea it's
:30:53. > :30:56.getting people to do things. At the end of the day, its creator. At the
:30:57. > :31:00.end of the day, it could lead to somebody being a designer. I have
:31:01. > :31:03.seen dresses made out of it. It is aimed primarily at kids, so to get
:31:04. > :31:07.them to become the extras with their fingers, the earlier the better.
:31:08. > :31:12.Bring it on. -- to become dextrous with their fingers. Don't get the
:31:13. > :31:16.idea we are endorsing the product. After all it has been linked to
:31:17. > :31:22.rubber bands in eyes, severely twanged fingers and it is in the
:31:23. > :31:26.greenest thing in the world either. We were caught by surprise that the
:31:27. > :31:32.craft would be that popular. So we are thinking about how to instruct
:31:33. > :31:41.the customer on how to recycle the product. Artist Rosie Emerson is
:31:42. > :31:47.doing her bit for recycling the loom bands. Will LeCras soon be a shadow
:31:48. > :31:50.of itself? -- Will this craze soon be?
:31:51. > :31:58.Somebody needs to give me their bracelets so I can pretend I have
:31:59. > :32:04.made a good one. There. I've just finished that. That's not bad. I'm
:32:05. > :32:10.quite proud of that. Pretend you made them all. Something for the
:32:11. > :32:12.weekend. Have a nice weekend. Good night.