Indeed. Wilson often gets a bad press nowadays, but he kept British troops out of Vietnam.

He critised some American actions in Vietnam, but contined to say he supported their overall policy there.

When trade union leader Frank Cousins asked why he continued to support American policy, Wilson replied: “Because we can’t kick our creditors in the balls”

http://www.newstatesman.com/200004100025

First of all it was what you might call a “proper war” (I wish I could think of a better phrase for it). The Americans were fighting North Vietnam (and their army) and the Viet Cong, the Americans never really defeated these two, unlike the ill equipped Iraqi Army of Saddam. And also China and the Soviet Union provided aid to North Vietnam.

This resulted in nearly 60,000 American deaths and an estimated two million Vietnamese deaths, much worse than Iraq.

American deaths led to steady flow of coffins returning to America which eventually led to mainstream America coming out against the war.

The anti-war demonstrations also had much more traction than the anti-Iraq war demos. They were something new and novel (often ending in violence) and had the support of the new “counter-culture”, which many young people wanted to feel, if not part of, then associated with. You could say the zeitgeist of the time supported those opposed to the war. (There was no ‘Decent’ secton of the left saying we must support America against these Commies)

And of course, despite intense American pressure, Harold Wilson refused to send British troops to Vietnam, even a token force (he once entered a cabinet meeting saying “I’ve just had LBJ on the phone saying can we send a bagpipe band to Vietnam”)

As a footnote, there were secret peace talks going on in 1968 between North and South Vietnam. These were sabotaged by Nixon during his 1968 election campaign when he contacted the South Vietnamese government. The terms of the 1973 Paris Peace Accords were not very much different from what the Vietnamese were discussing in 1968.

Persoanlly, I have to say as a young teen in the late-60s I found what was going on in America much more riveting than what was going on here with Harold and his prices and income policy.

Well no. However, sending mentally ill drunken racist misogynists
with weapons of destruction around neighbourhoods where dark skinned people reside and no one being accountable for that decision does feel sort of inadequate. I don’t know about the victims of the Iraq war but personally only when Bush and Blair are rotting in jail will I be happy.

Problem solved.

I think we need to look at citizens service again in relation to the military, policing and other activities.