Tuesday 18th June

Mr Cameron seems to want to carry on the mantle of Blair in being keen to sort out all of the Worlds problems, first in Libya and now in Syria.  When will we ever learn?  The only way to settle war is by talking.  Even if you defeat the enemy you still have to talk to the defeated and give them back their dignity.  I really do not know that much about Syria, I suspect that few of us do.  I have read that they did have (before the conflict began) one of the best educated people and a well-funded health service, but of course this could have been propaganda.

I do not take sides but I suspect that most of the rhetoric hurled at Assad is also propaganda.  And we know absolutely nothing of the rebels, except an extremely nagging doubt as to where the hell they have got their weapons from so far.  Both Britain and the U.S. have denied arming them, though they must be getting their weapons from somewhere, and it isn’t Iran because they support Assad.  It is almost certain that Assad cannot win and that sooner or later he will be beaten.  But what and who will follow him?   There are rumours, which again could be propaganda that Al Queda is supporting the rebels.  Who knows?

There must be a political solution, and I cannot understand why there are not urgent talks taking place at the U.N. as we speak.  Or is this just another proxy war, like those in the last century where America and Russia fought each other in far-off places, each side arming one or other of the protagonists while thousands of innocent men and women died.

Remember the words of the Sutherland Brothers “All wars are civil wars, all men are brothers, after all.”