The world has failed our nation

Firstly, watch this. That world can seem so far away, just a news story, just something that doesn't really effect us. But within seconds you can drown in the feeling of injustice. Why are they so helpless? The doctor at the end sums up their sense of abandonment: "We don't matter, the whole world has failed our nation".

David Cameron rightly said yesterday that there is no certainty that military action will calm any violence. As it happened, Labour hijacked any possibility of that by voting against the motion. They wanted black and white proof that chemical weapons had been fired and wanted 100% assurances that these came from Assad. All we have at the moment is a blood stained dark grey.

The use of these chemical weapons would contravene United Nations law, and as a result, Britain would be legitimised to intervene. Legitimacy in front of their Russian and Chinese counterparts at the security council clearly being the key focus rather than any suffering Syrians. The quote by the British doctor implies some sort of moral duty and how we have neglected it by not acting.

British politics looks particularly feeble after last night and I find it hard to question their rational for not supporting a watered down condemnation of chemical warfare. Humanitarian aid has been looted by Assad, UN advisers have been kicked out of the country, if we want to act and stop attacks it is hard to see past some kind of military action.

There are always going to be problems in life and black and white solutions rarely exist. In War & Peace, Tolstoy tried to emphasise how our hindsight judgement rarely correlated to reality; in other words people rarely make decisions to create the legacy of a future consequence but instead they make decisions to deal with a present set of problems. So for Iraq, the decision to go to war was to stop the problem of Saddam Hussein's dictatorship. They didn't make the decision to showcase a legacy of smooth government transition. The inadequacy of the Iraqi police force and army wasn't part of the initial problem yet came to help define the war as Britain and the US were unable to pull out till there was a self sufficient structure in place.

Winning in politics is impossible, however you can try and make good decisions. You can act with integrity and have the end in mind. The end in mind for Syria should be enabling the people to find some sense of normality again without the daily fear of survival. After last night, that doesn't look any closer.

Castello di Potentino: Coming Home

I left Potentino after 5 weeks. I was able to begin to relate and empathise with a way of life that was so foreign to me only a few months previous. I engaged in a hard working community in a beautiful inspiring setting. It was quiet and detached, the background noise was a slight whirring of insects, the flowing of the river and the gentle breeze running through the valley. Potentino had its quirks, its own way of doing things; but now having emerged through the other side it is as if I can see that all the quirks were necessary for it to be what it is. Having candle lit dinners outside for 25 people, rising at 6am to prune some overzealous vines, spending the weekend at the waterfalls these are the experiences which slowly add up to what it is like living there. One thing by itself isn't enough to explain it but by slowly immersing yourself into this unique community you will be changed and as I retreat back to civilisation I have a different outlook on my old routines and patterns.

View from the Potentino garden

Pisco had over 50 people living in its dusty walls. Potentino was more intimate and intense. Small changes instantly affected the dynamics. It was a conflicted but enjoyable contrast between the tranquillity of the vineyard and the changeable group dynamics between the many people who live and work in the castle walls. You were working under a system with authority but around the obligations of work people found a way to express themselves. Some people wrote, others spent the early evening light running in the surrounding estate, a few displayed their cooking prowess. 

I had a break from updating thoughts on here and focussed on the little black moleskine that contained my thoughts from the previous 9 weeks. I enjoyed reading again. I listened to the guests, friends and workers who would come in and out of the castle. People from the city who were escaping the noise and artists who came looking for new ideas. I had that special, rare realisation that this place was significant and it will be somewhere which I will continue to look back on.

I am in Chester now taking a few days to sort some things out and plan for the next couple of months. Till next time, Italy

For anybody wanting to see what life is like on a vineyard, join WWOOF Italia and find Castello di Potentino in Grosseto, Tuscany