2023-04-30

"Precision Breeding" wasn't a term that sprang readily to mind last year. The uninformed may find themselves struggling slightly to disinter the proper meaning, which is probably why the term was chosen, in place of "GM but not really GM" or some other such verbiage.

Yes, what it seems to amount to is GM with a new label. Actually, GM without any label so as not to cause unnecessary alarm to the shopper. Because it's not supposed to be as bad as GM, it's not supposed to need any special consumer labelling. We don't need to worry our poor little heads about it.

Of course it's not the same as GM, otherwise it would need labelling, it's just GM that could have been (but wasn't) produced by selective breeding, using natural techniques such as cross-breeding and selection that have been practised for years. So that's all right then?

Well, maybe, maybe not. As so often it comes down to

(a) The characteristics

2023-03-29

The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 is now law in the UK.

Following a public consultation from 7 January to 17 March 2021 (Covid notwithstanding), the government has published its response, plus a summary of the responses received (download).

"Defra’s view is that organisms produced by GE or by other genetic technologies should not be regulated as GMOs if they could have been produced by traditional breeding methods"

But who is to answer this significant "if"

2022-08-26

Lord Sumption hardly needs any introduction, but the curious may satisfy their curiosity here.

His contributions to the Spectator are almost enough to persuade me to subscribe to this weekly (but you can read the occasional article without a subscription).

In this article he explains his views on the Online Safety Bill.

"The real vice of the bill is that its provisions are not limited to material capable of being defined and identified"

"Harm is defined in the bill in circular language of stratospheric

2022-08-20

The Save Our Rights campaign group tells it like it is.

Never mind the gas/electricity bills (distracting as they are) - take note of these Parliamentary Bills, in the pipeline.

These are in addition to other highly dubious Bills already signed into law, such as the UK - Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill 2019-21.

None of them enhance our freedoms, all of them compromise them.

We are under progressive attack by "our own" government.

Where is the popular demand for these

2022-08-04

The UK government has a woeful track record of introducing and passing Bills which disrespect the freedom of the people and the integrity of the sovereignty of the people.

But the train of new Bills has more carriages than we thought.

Next up - an attack on the (already cumbersome) Data Protection rules (GDPR) - now to be replaced by the UK Data Reform Bill.

"Under these proposals Government will grant itself regulatory powers to rewrite the law, and compel private businesses to share personal data they hold about you with the State and law enforcement authorities"

ORG Open Rights Group have had a

2022-03-24

Big Brother Watch has brought out its report for Jan-Mar 2022, and a considerable work it is.

There is more detail here than any normal body would have either time or inclination to read, but in these times of endemic government overreach we must sometimes steel ourselves to inform ourselves of unpleasant truths and take heed lest worse is to come.

"History shows we face challenges of such magnitude best when we hold onto the values that define us, not when we abandon them. This is a pivotal moment and a crucial time for parliamentarians to increase scrutiny and limitations on powers"

Quite so, but past events demonstrate pretty conclusively that our parliamentarians are only nominally "our" parliamentarians - they are (with some honourable exceptions) really the political parties' parliamentarians, and the parties dance to the tune of their largely

2022-03-18

Big Brother Watch reminds us that the same Government that is denying reality by continuing to roll-out an experimental gene-editing therapy to our children (despite strong evidence suggestive of a link between the roll-out and increased deaths in that age group) is still obsessed by the need to make the internet safe from "legal but harmful" content.

It will do this by passing an On-line Safety Bill putting the onus on social media companies to censor the internet.

So the social media corporations who have already been deplatforming anybody who says things they don't like have now persuaded the government to force them to legally do much the same thing to all content they (or the

2021-12-21

The UK Dictatorship has been under construction for many years, and the Covid "pandemic" may be merely the start of the final phase that will establish total control from the centre.

Alongside the much forecast financial collapse, lockdowns have shown us how we can be impoverished by eliminating independent businesses through bankruptcy, leaving the field clear for the big global corporations to supply the market unimpeded by competition.

UK Column in their article The UK New Normal Dictatorship takes us through the restructurings of power that have occurred over the years, unnoticed by those of us with lives to lead.

Largely these changes took place whilst our attention was distracted elsewhere, by the "big issues" such as devolution that didn't really

2022-05-10

This Bill was granted Royal Assent on 28th April 2022.

2021-08-10

Health and Care Bill: water fluoridation

A Policy Paper published on 19th July "explains how the government plans to transfer responsibility for water fluoridation from local authorities to the Secretary of State".

"The World Health Organization recommends a maximum level of 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per litre of water (mg/l)"

"The Water Industry Act will maintain the duty on the Secretary of State to monitor and report

2021-07-08

The People's Brexit (should that be Covidexit now?) publish their update on the case initiated by them eleven months ago, to rule the Coronavirus Act 2020 Null and Void.

As we might expect the Justice system and the government have not exactly put themselves out to expedite the matter, and the People's Brexit are now seeking leave to appeal the latest judgement handed down in April.

This is the long haul, and is being publicly funded by those who care for our future.

Read about the case and the latest update here.

2020-12-12

"A Bill to make provision for, and in connection with, the authorisation of criminal conduct in the course of, or otherwise in connection with, the conduct of covert human intelligence sources"

This is an extraordinary Bill.

Basically it introduces one law for the governed, another for the governors' covert agents.

"Covert Human Intelligence Sources (CHIS) are crucial in preventing and safeguarding victims from many serious crimes . . . "

"The Bill provides an express power to authorise CHIS to participate in conduct which would otherwise constitute a criminal offence"

"This is not a new capability; the Bill provides a clear legal basis for a longstanding tactic which is vital for national security and the prevention and detection of crime" 
(in other words they have been doing this for years so don't worry, nothing