New Vietnam

In 1968 US presidential candidate Richard Nixon knew his election depended on there not being a peace deal to pull America out of the Vietnam War.

He sent Henry Kissinger to tell South Vietnam to reject the deal being offered by the outgoing Johnson administration, which would have seen all but a handful of troops out of the country by the end of 1969. Nixon assured them they would get a better deal with him in charge. The plan worked and he was elected.

Millions of lives were sacrificed for political expediency. Fast-forward 40 years and a similar thing is happening today with UK forces in Afghanistan. The Con-Dem alliance is prepared to sacrifice up to another four to five hundred UK service personnel and an unknown number of Afghans. We are told we will be leaving in four years, by which time I predict the same power sharing deal which could be done now will be done then.

The government wants families of serving soldiers to die pointlessly because Britain can't admit that we have lost in Afghanistan,.Acknowledging it now and withdrawing would be a humiliation for UK imperial interests.

ALAN HINNRICHS

Noran Avenue

Dundee