I backed a previous Labour government in keeping us out of the Viet Nam war.I could not see how that could have a happy ending.
I failed to persuade the Conservative opposition to oppose UK involvement in the Iraq war. That too did not end well.
I have supported the last four Prime Ministers in their view that we should not go to war with Russia. This has meant not allowing any UK military personnel to help Ukraine in their country.
The UK did lose lives and commit plenty of money and equipment to the fight in Afghanistan, only to see the US pull out without even consulting us. Defeat followed quickly, meaning all our sacrifices had been wasted.
Today the PM tells the world Ukraine must fight on to show Putin the use of force is not rewarded. How does that help when in more than 3 years of war Ukraine has not been able to evict Russian forces and he is not suggesting how this can change. Indeed, the UK cannot afford to offer more military hardware and money and the US wants out from being the major donor.
I am pleased to read that the PM now sees the UK and France cannot muster a sufficient force to guarantee any ceasefire or peace in Ukraine without US help. The UK is not currently equipped to fight and win a war with Russia without NATO and US leadership. The UK is not on a war footing and would need to turn massively to arms production and military recruitment to be so to assist Ukraine. If Europe cannot keep the US onside to help supply and support Ukraine it needs to avoid making promises it cannot keep, leaving Ukraine with insufficient support.