No I don't think we should have got involved in Vietnam. Not for any moral reasons - simply that America wasn't pretty semi detached. half the Americans you spoke to at the time, didn't seem to think their country was fighting for a just cause. Its not really fair to your soldiers - to ask them to fight in such circumstances.

At the time I was one of the students marching on Grosvenor Square, but nowadays I do think Vietnam would have been better off if America had won.

The leader of the Opposition at the time (Heath) said we should have a couple of divisions of men in there and not be 'just cheering from the sidelines' - and he won the next election.

However the Labour government of the time could see all the Ellsberg stuff that was going on, and decided we should stay out. The Home Secretary at the time even disobeyed his prime minister and went to meet the Vietcong delegate to some sort of conference in France.

And I do think The American administration took a very dim view and contracts that should have come England's way didn't. I believe a price was extracted for our perceived treachery.

Furthermore after the ballsups of the Callaghan years, I think the pressure was on Blair not to screw up the economy. And the Yanks saw him as unknown quantity after so many years of conservative rule - so he had to win their approval.

So not a moral judgement - just my assessment of what went on behind the headlines.

And if you don't think NI was at various times in the last 30 years on a civil war footing - you either have a short memory, or you should get out more - talk to a few of the soldiers who served and the people they policed.