Support the standards, reject "Open XML"

Microsoft are engaged in another one of their Embrace, Extent, Extinguish campaigns. This time they are trying to disrupt the established and widely supported Open Document Format (ODF) standard:

Microsoft calls on UK public to raise the Office standard | The Register

Note the rather cynical spin that Microsoft put on this. It almost sounds as if they are supporting open standards when in fact they are trying their very hardest to brush open standards aside in favor of their own latest lock-in format. They even have the gall to call their format "Open".

I urge my elected representatives to oppose the Microsoft attempt to disrupt standards in a further abuse of their monopoly position. The courts have punished Microsoft for monopoly abuse in the past but unfortunately the court action has had little impact on Microsoft's behaviour. We need the national standards organisations of the UK and all other countries to stand up to Microsoft, to recognise the value of the ODF standard and to reject Microsoft's current efforts to undermine it.