I took part in an Easter vigil last night. One of the lessons was from Genesis 22, which concerns Abraham preparing to sacrifice his own son, Isaac.

It is a text which makes for uneasy listening (or reading, of course). There will be many other interpretations, but this one seems to make some sense of it:

"The Bible has many difficult passages for modern readers, but few are more challenging than the moment when God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac in Genesis 22. This story causes us to ask a lot of troubling questions. What kind of God would ask for this? Is God commanding child sacrifice? Isn’t this request in conflict with everything else God seems to value?"

Regardless of your beliefs on any of this, I hope you are enjoying a peaceful, reflective and positive weekend.

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https://bibleproject.com/articles/why-did-god-ask-abraham-to-sacrifice-isaac/

Speech
Russia’s veto is about its breaching of sanctions in pursuit of weapons to use against Ukraine: UK statement at the UN Security Council

Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council meeting on nuclear non-non-proliferation and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

“This veto does not demonstrate concern for the North Korean people or the efficacy of sanctions. It is about Russia gaining the freedom to evade and breach sanctions in pursuit of weapons to be used against Ukraine. This Panel, through its work to expose sanctions non-compliance, was an inconvenience for Russia.”

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/russias-veto-is-about-its-breaching-of-sanctions-in-pursuit-of-weapons-to-use-against-ukraine-uk-statement-at-the-un-security-council

The absurd mixture of messages swirling around at the UN Security Council puts me in mind of Sellers, Peter.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAeqVGP-GPM

Will Harris, who does not claim to know anything about the environment, food or rural affairs, has just been appointed as an “advisor” to the Ministry of, um, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

He will “support, advise and challenge the department on its customer focus and how it delivers for customers.”

Business problems at DEFRA? Tip of the iceberg, one might venture.

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https://www.gov.uk/government/news/advisors-to-the-environment-secretary-appointed

The new draft of Nigerian scammers in post at 77 Brigade appear to have had a quiet weekend. The result of this is that nearly every message I post is followed by some ludicrous invitation to join some sort of chat group, or to spend all your money in one go.

Please disregard such messages. I will not be asking you to join a chat group, nor will I be suggesting you toss all your cash in a oner.

Why is anyone on the periphery of this destruction considering anything other than pushing for peace?

If this rate of attrition were applied to the Armed Forces of the UK, every single one of them would be dead by the end of July.

"Despite Kiev’s lack of success on the battlefield, the Ukrainian leadership “is still trying to convince its Western sponsors of its ability to resist the Russian Army,” Shoigu said. To do so, Kiev has resorted to terrorism and long-range strikes on Russian territories, targeting the civilian population, the minister added."

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https://www.rt.com/russia/595275-ukraine-losses-troops-shoigu/

When the history of the world wide web comes to be taught to those who cannot remember time before its widespread use, how will the benefits be explained?

Google trends shows the ten most popular searches for "how to" questions from 2023, in the UK. For clarity, these stats represent the greatest increases, rather than overall search quantity.

Question 3 appears to be the only one which could point the younger generations in the right direction.

"We're watching right now a centralization of education unlike anything the world has ever seen. We've got the UN openly calling for centralized global education standards. Really, an effort to indoctrinate every child on this planet into submission to an all-powerful one-world dictatorship." Alex Newman of TheNewAmerican.com and LibertySentinel.org 🧠 🇺🇳

🔗 https://geopoliticsandempire.com/2024/03/30/newman-edu-theosophy-crisis-world-federation

Attempting to impersonate me, in order to lure others in to a "profiting chatroom", is one thing, posting pornography into the chat is another.

However, this is what happened at some point last night, so I am sorry if any of you had an unpleasant surprise. I delete, block, ban and report constantly, though I did not discover this until this morning.

Charles

I covered the use of BMV (best and most versatile) agricultural land for solar installations on yesterday's UKC news, at a time when farmers are being paid subsidy to produce food and to not produce food.

The refrain from the policy makers and the solar industry is that the percentage of land involved is so small. With AHDB reporting a 79% increase in arable fallow this year, this will be a difficult line to cling to.

Whichever way you look at it, DEFRA holds responsibility for likely food shortages and further price increases in 2024.

This slide is from the House of Commons Library doc, Planning for Solar Farms, which, as you might imagine, involves virtually no planning.

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https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-7434/

UK's Ruinable Energy Policy  - UK Column News - 3rd April 2024

- AHDB: Early Bird Survey
- UK Parliament: Planning for solar farms (PDF)
“By 2035, Govt aim is 70GW = 113,360 hectares”
- Campaign to Protect Rural England: CPRE statement on solar energy
- UK Column interview: The Race to Zero with Steve Goreham
- UK Parliament: Written evidence submitted by Solar Energy UK (GRI0084)
- UK Parliament: Solar Energy UK response
- GOV.UK: British Industry Supercharger gives huge boost to UK businesses
“The Supercharger’s measures will fully exempt eligible firms from certain costs linked to renewable energy policies”

Sources: www.ukcolumn.org/video/uk-column-news-3rd-april-2024

These are the sorts of photographs that Grant Shapps, David Cameron and Tony Radakin should be considering.

Unearthly Interference: The Corruption of the Organic Movement—with Sir Julian Rose

Sir Julian Rose speaks to Charles Malet about the slavery created by subsidy and how to break away from supermarkets and one world government.

www.ukcolumn.org/video/unearthly-interference-the-corruption-of-the-organic-movement-with-sir-julian-rose

Comfort Ero, of the International Crisis Group, writing in Foreign Affairs:

"Recent global events have made schisms between these countries and the West more pronounced. When many non-Western governments refused to take sides after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, some Western leaders acknowledged the need to address allegations of a double standard—specifically, the perception that they only took principled stands when a European nation was attacked.

Only with the support of a large bloc of states that are usually considered part of the global South, after all, could the UN General Assembly deliver a strong show of solidarity with Ukraine. But Western governments did not seek to apply this lesson beyond the Russia-Ukraine war.

If the war in Gaza posed the next test of whether Western leaders truly grasped the importance of facing accusations of hypocrisy, those leaders appear to have failed. Across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, officials and citizens believe that the United States and some of its allies in Europe have greenlighted Israel’s wholesale destruction of Gaza. The perception of double standards is stronger than ever."

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https://www.foreignaffairs.com/world/trouble-global-south

Victoria Prentis, the Attorney General, demonstrates how turning a blind eye can become an art form.

As though not a drop of blood had been shed in eastern Ukraine between 2014 and 2022, she is seen here leaping on the bandwagon which passes by currently, saying:

“Since Russia’s barbaric invasion over two years ago, there has been extensive and profound damage inflicted on Ukrainian buildings and vital infrastructure.

The UK is fully committed to helping secure accountability for Ukraine and the Register of Damages scheme, which will act as an important mechanism to document this brutal conflict.”

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https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-reaffirms-support-for-ukrainian-efforts-to-seek-justice-for-russias-illegal-invasion

There has been an extremely positive response to this interview, so I would very much encourage you to listen to what Julian has to say if you have not already managed to do so.

Happy New Year.......

The Calendar Act 1750 remains the reason for the tax year starting on 6th April. Finally, after nearly 200 years since the design of the Gregorian Calendar, England and her dominions made the switch, thus moving the start of the year from 25th March to 1st January. 11 days were lost to the out of kilter Julian calendar.

Earlier steps towards a one world government?

"In and throughout all his Majesty’s dominions and countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, belonging or subject to the crown of Great Britain, the said supputation, according to which the year of our Lord beginneth on the twenty-fifth day of March, shall not be made use of from and after the last day of December one thousand seven hundred and fifty-one;

and that the first day of January next following the said last day of December shall be reckoned, taken, deemed, and accounted to be the first of the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and fifty-two;

and the first day of January which shall happen next after the said first day of January one thousand seven hundred and fifty-two shall be reckoned, taken, deemed, and accounted to be the first day of the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and fifty-three;

and so on from time to time the first day of January in every year which shall happen in time to come shall be reckoned, taken, deemed, and accounted to be the first day of the year, and that each new year shall accordingly commence and begin to be reckoned from the first day of every such month of January next preceding the twenty-fifth day of March on which such year would according to the present supputation have begun or commenced."

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https://www.legislation.gov.uk/apgb/Geo2/24/23/contents

And, for a bit more background:

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https://www.mass.gov/news/happy-new-year

If only the bootnecks could be tasked with keeping the legal drugs off British streets, too.