Today - 28/05/2009

Presented by John Humphrys and James Naughtie. Bob Walker visits the constituency of Tory MP Julie Kirkbride to guage voters' reaction to expense allegations. Professor Ferdinand Dudenhoffer says negotiations over GM Europe are not being conducted professionally. Surrey Police authority chairman Peter Williams and police minister Vernon Coaker discuss if cuts should affect frontline policing. Andy Clements of the British Trust for Ornithology discusses the declining numbers of cuckoos. Sabri Saidam, an adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and Middle East expert Dr Rosemary Hollis of City University, London, discuss Mr Abbas' visit to the White House. Mark Smith, director of tourism at Bournemouth Borough Council, and Met Office spokesman David Britton discuss the extent to which mistakes in the weather forecast affect local businesses. Thought for the day with Reverend Roy Jenkins, a Baptist Minister in Cardiff. German MEP Michael Gahler and Tony Woodley, joint general secretary of Unite, discuss if decisions made in Europe about GM Europe could cost jobs in the UK. Security correspondent Frank Gardner speaks to the families of hostages held in Iraq. Terry Waite, who was kidnapped in Lebanon in 1987, urges the families to keep their hopes alive. Political correspondent Norman Smith reports on day 21 of the MPs' expenses revelations unearthed by the Daily Telegraph. Arts correspondent Rebecca Jones reports on a new project to bring the best actors from the US and UK together. Correspondent Barbara Plett reflects on the confirmation that the Taliban is to blame for a bomb attack in Lahore. Journalist Stephen Anderton and author Terry Walton discuss if the garden is an undervalued art form. Zimbabwean journalist Trust Matsilele discusses the plight of other members of the press in Zimbabwe. Oscar-winning writer Ronald Harwood discusses his decision to run two plays - both of which focus on the difficult times endured by two composers in Nazi Germany - side by side. Young people show a 'shocking state of ignorance' over which foods are in season, a survey suggests. Reporter Jack Izzard talks to teenagers in West London. Patrick Holden, of the Soil Association, and chef and author Sophie Grigson discuss if the idea of eating seasonally is a concept that is still important.