Mark Rylands

Jesus follower, Dartmoor, parish priest+bishop, cricket, butterflies, Chelsea, fisherman. Melanesian Mission, ABC XI, FCN

[Mark Rylands @MarkRylandsDart]

He is not there!
Great new song for Easter from Axford/ Robinson
@CofEDevon @ExeterCathedral
@Bishop_Exeter @JamesEGrier

[Mark Rylands @MarkRylandsDart]

Full of hope and both pondering and joyful. Well done to all involved in writing, composing, playing, singing and filming. Inspirational. https://t.co/JZc6qEOXKu

[Mark Rylands @MarkRylandsDart]

Full of hope and both pondering and joyful. Well done to all involved in writing, composing, playing, singing and filming. Inspirational. https://t.co/JZc6qEOXKu

[The Farming Community Network @FCNcharity]

🎉 Baroness @Minette_Batters has been appointed as the new Honorary President of The Farming Community Network (FCN), helping us in our work to support farmers’ health, wellbeing and resilience. Read more: https://t.co/fB6gVo1pVS

[Andy Guy @TheAndyGuy7]

Paul writes what everyone is thinking brilliant piece 👍🏻

[Nature is Amazing ☘️ @AMAZlNGNATURE]

National Geographic Picture of The Year. Black images are shadows of zebras. Zoom in and you will see zebras.

📸: Beverly Joubert

[No Farmers, No Food @NoFarmsNoFoods]

@JamesMelville Keir Starmer said, “we’ve set out a road map for farming which has been welcomed by farmers”.

Do you welcome his road map for farmers?

[Tim Farron @timfarron]

Just to clarify: Defra closed SFI to new applicants at 6pm today with zero warning or consultation. The Sec of State was in my constituency on Monday posing for photos. He won’t dare come back now. This is a disgraceful attack on our poorest farmers in our most beautiful places.

[Joe Stanley @JoeWStanley]

A few words on the massive consequences of govt suspending applications to the Sustainable Farming Incentive last night.

A disaster not only for farm businesses & the rural economy, but also food security & our nature & climate targets.

[James Rebanks @herdyshepherd1]

Am I drunk, because I’m finding this hard to follow

We used to be paid to produce food

Then politicians said we want to pay you to produce public goods for public funds for the same money…

[Butterfly Conservation 🦋 @savebutterflies]

The first Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) of 2025 was spotted in Shropshire on the 9 March 🦋🙌

Thanks to our Head of Conservation Wales & Northern Ireland Alan Sumnall for this great shot!

Keep up with the first butterfly sightings as they happen 👉 https://t.co/hRHpvhsvoe

[National Farmers' Union @NFUtweets]

“Another shattering blow to English farms delivered”

NFU President Tom Bradshaw (@ProagriLtd) comments after Defra announced, that it is no longer accepting new applications for SFI24 as of today. 

Read more👉 https://t.co/UXE6EcObXQ

[Ben Wills @BenW360Rural]

An unforgivable move by ⁦@DefraGovUK⁩⁩ in bringing SFI to end with no notice. Huge implications for an already beyond strained sector and complete lack of understanding and compassion. ⁦@NFUtweets⁩ ⁦@ProagriLtd⁩ @CLAtweets⁩ https://t.co/VwOEcsnaN9

[Kemi Badenoch @KemiBadenoch]

The Labour government treats farmers with contempt.

First the #FamilyFarmTax, now withdrawing an important scheme without warning.

Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves do not care about rural communities.

[Niall Ferguson @nfergus]

Well, thank God also for free and open debate.
Having visited Ukraine every year but one since 2011, I think I have an informed and realistic view.
I repeatedly criticized the Biden administration for its failure to deter Putin in 2021 and failure to end the war while Ukraine still had some leverage.
I have said more than once in the past three years that the war would not have happened if President Trump had been reelected in 2020.
I supported his campaign for reelection last year, consistently predicted his and your victory, and welcomed the “vibe shift” that victory represented.
I have also supported the President’s previous calls to negotiate peace between Russia and Ukraine.
So I am not sure I really qualify as a globalist.
In fact, I agree with all five of the points you make. Indeed, I praised your Munich speech.
But I simply cannot understand the logic of beginning a negotiation this difficult by conceding so many crucial points to Russia.
As I understand it, before negotiations have even begun, NATO membership for Ukraine has been taken off the table and the loss of 20% of its territory has in effect been conceded. Correct me if I am wrong.
I have read also (though it may not be true) that “American officials are suggesting a different sort of peacekeeping force, including non-European countries such as Brazil or China, that would sit along an eventual ceasefire line as a sort of buffer.” China? Seriously?
On Wednesday, President Trump accused Ukraine of having “started it,” meaning the war.
He also cast doubt on the legitimacy of President Zelensky’s government.
It is not “moralistic garbage” but a hard and realistic lesson of history that wars are easy to start and hard to end.
As for “historical illiteracy,” here are some facts.
It took 1 year, 10 months, 25 days for Woodrow Wilson to negotiate an end to World War I (it helped that the Allies won);
2 years, 18 days to negotiate an end to the Korean War;
3 years, 5 months, 24 days to negotiate an end to the Vietnam War;
And 5 years, 5 months, 1 day to negotiate peace between Israel and Egypt.
I earnestly hope that the Trump administration can negotiate an end to this war. But if we end up with a peace that dooms Ukraine first to partition and then to some future invasion, it will be a sorry outcome.
To repeat, I agreed with most of your criticisms of Europe at Munich. I would add that the Europeans have talked for “strategic autonomy” for too long without making a serious attempt to achieve it.
But you and President Trump campaigned last year with a slogan that dates back even further than George H.W. Bush’s words that I quoted. That phrase was “peace through strength.”
I wish you luck.

[Rev Daniel French @holydisrupter]

Re-reading excellent article “First, this is not a church “in decline” or “close to collapse.” This is what collapse looks like.”
#synod 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫
Collapse of the Anglican Church of Canada https://t.co/K6qqxlU6qs via @The Living Church

[Madeline Grant @Madz_Grant]

In "watertight consultation process" latest, Jake Richards MP who is meant to be giving his full attention to a series of medical professionals talking about assisted suicide, is in fact spending his time on X slagging off the Shadow Attorney General and retweeting things

[Katharine Birbalsingh @Miss_Snuffy]

How can @bphillipsonMP guarantee teachers won’t receive a pay cut if the mechanisms of her Bill guarantee that some will?

Will she change the pay scales and give everyone a pay rise? V expensive and a direct result of her own Bill! 😳

What is she solving?

Just abandon the Bill

[Katharine Birbalsingh @Miss_Snuffy]

My open letter to the Education Secretary ⁦@bphillipsonMP⁩

Many teachers and school leaders share my concerns with regard to her decisions but are scared to say.

If you can find it in you, please RT.

My letter is also here: https://t.co/phAiybAov5

[Rev Daniel French @holydisrupter]

In aid of the Fisherman’s Mission 👇 enjoy this powerful new song https://t.co/2KmK3SFrL3

[Mark Rylands @MarkRylandsDart]

Mack and Nick have written and performed a new creation for Christmas: an imaginative and moving song about Andrew, as a young boy, seeing the star of Bethlehem from his father’s boat in lake Galilee. All proceeds to Fisherman’s Mission.