I don’t disagree with you. But this struck me as a political peace and I gained no new understanding of permaculture or its application to politics or life from it.

Delving into the minutiae of British politics is a distraction unless is is bracketed in some way by a permaculture perspective to frame it as an example to people in other states so that they can apply its lessons to themselves. There are Blaires in countries all over this plannet, but talking about them all would make this a political blog of sorts and not a permaculture one.

A further problem is political minutiae such as this tend to be a dangerous distraction that draw you into the system and seduce you into believing our problems can be fixed by and through the system. The power of permaculture is it is a positive creation of a new reality. So maybe more enlightening wouldn’t be the latest political commentary on Blair, but commentary on how Britain can structure a new political reality that would prevent future Blairs.

Last week there was a meeting of the city council in Sopot where I live. I have learned that despite deep budget cuts (no new bicycle roads) we will contribute 1.7 million USD to the expansion of the airport. We will also spend millions on a new yacht haven that will be operated by a private company despite the invested money will never be returned. What can I do about it? Nothing. Nothing, if I’m alone. However, if enough citizens in our cities come together we can make a real change – we can use this money to invest in renewable energy, car-free areas, community gardens or public transport. If there are more of us on the national level, than we can change the law so that the corporations will no longer be able to loot our planet.

I would like to ecourage you all to participate in the city council meetings where you live, even as observers. I know, it can be frustrating and possibly boring, but at least we will to know who the members of the council are. And, if you would like to start fixing the system, you can organize a campaign for participatory budgeting in your city.

I would beg you read this and this, for starters. Please give some thought/consideration to the concepts therein.

Our present industrial society, from bottom to top, is not only unsustainable, but unceasing environmental and social destruction is the only route to meet its own targets – increasing economic growth and a mirage-like state of nirvana that is based on purchases of unecessary goods and services – and we are roping the entire ‘developing’ world into this mindset, into subscribing to a philosophy based on a perversion of what human needs really are.

If you ignore the invisible structures upon which our industrial, consumer society is based, all your attempts at, well, whatever it is that you’re doing, will be to no avail. You may manage to make yourself, say, 50% self-sufficient from your own back yard (if you work very hard) – but it does no good if the system inevitably rolls right over all your hard work. As it stands, sustainability is effectively illegal in many places and respects, and who amongst us is not forced to contribute to this destruction through our own 9-5 or 8-6 employment?

Permaculture was always meant to be more than companion planting and raised beds. It’s about the intelligent design of everything that makes up our world. We must start building an economy that is no longer built on the need for perpetual growth. We need a no growth economy. We need to build a world based on cooperation, and not competition and continual extraction. How will we build this if we ignore the corporate feudal world (and their puppet governments) we find ourselves in? How will we replace current political systems with a fully participatory democratic revolution, if we leave politics only to politicians?

It doesn’t matter how efficient your home garden is, if you fail to make your voice heard, and fail to help enact systemic societal change, your efforts will ultimately be consigned under the category of ‘irrelevance’.

It is true that many in ‘Permaculture’ have tended to ignore these realities – but I shall continue to remind you all of the need to thoughtfully consider how to build the invisible structures that will not only give place for your garden, but will incentivise its biodiverse development as well as incentivise the development of the community you need around you to meet the other 50% of your personal needs.

The end result of the ’system’ we currently have, is the kind of activities George writes about above – where hundreds of thousands of innocents can be killed so the ‘needs’ of our economy-must-grow system can be met, so the beast we call modernity can be fed with the black gold it depends on, whilst the perpetrator gets lucrative speaking engagements and the prospect of even more powerful positions.

If the system as we know it continues as it is, we will see significantly more conflict, significantly more injustice, significantly more callous disregard for human life in the name of ‘progress’.

Will we just stand aside and call these events a distraction?

If so, if this is ‘Permaculture’, it truly has no place in what must transpire over the next few years, if we are to exchange our present crumbling system with one that works, and that will work in perpetuity.

Stand up, take a broad view. Look around you. Be sure that the system has not lulled you into apathy and hasn’t distracted you from the important role you must play in these tumultuous times.

We don’t live on an inflatable earth – but our political and economic framework is based on the assumption that it does. When military-backed resource grabs come to your back yard, should we call it a distraction to be concerned about your plight?

Man’s inhumanity to man is truly our greatest failing.

A permanent culture would be truly democratic – not this quasi-democracy that has merely a farcical semblance.

A permanent culture would be intrinsically ethical.

A permanent culture would not feature manipulative resource grabs.

What doesn’t this have to do with permaculture?

If I ‘accidentally’ caused the death of hundreds of thousands of innocents, I’d be in big trouble. If I caused the death of hundreds of thousands of innocents, and my action was intentional, and illegal, I’d be crucified. Why should men in suits be treated any differently? Does a permanent culture ignore a significant need for justice, and restraint over the powers of corporate-bought politicians?

The Writer, Thank you for initiateing of this case