When the British Soldiers arrived in Belfast back in 1969 they were sincerely welcomed by people from the Nationalist community as a kind of liberation and protection. Cups of tea and cakes.

They think they've got their country back. If it turns out they haven't they are not going to be best pleased. I hope it turns out they won't feel betrayed. Think of the Russians who believed that things were going to get so much better, and they got incomparably worse for most of them.

Noone is denying that Saddam's was a really nasty regime. But the priocess by which he has (touch wood) been disposed of is likely to turn outr to have some terrible longterm consequences. And thousands of decent people have had ther lives torn to pieces. Well over one thousand civilians killed already - that's lower than was predicted, but it's a horrible price that's been paid. And more to come.