Peter. I'm sure you're right.

I haven't visited Vietnam, so I was only talking about what I've seen reported on my TV screen. Looked like the economy was in the shit in a sort of cold war European way - compare this to what the Yanks did for the Japanese after the war.

As for the IRA view being the minority view, I can't disprove that either, now I come to think of it.
so I suppose you're right.

I still can't see why Gordon Brown is to be considered such a disaster for our country. I think he's more patriotic than anyone on the tory side - during the Thatcher years they governed the country for the benefit of a tiny minority . He's got a more 'whole UK' view than anything else we're looking at.