He sent them all there back in 2002 – full of bravado and self-important complacency that, as usual, the US President knew what he was doing and that everyone else should follow suit.

Well he was wrong – as was George W. They found Saddam, they hanged him. They found no ‘weapons of mass destruction’ only innocent civilians who have seen their land and way of life torn apart. For nothing other than America’s need for ’might and power’. And oil.

British soldier at memorial.

Saddam is dead. George W is retired, Blair resigned and got out of it all with more foresight than he ever displayed as a Prime Minister. All those who got the world into this dirty, filthy war have abandoned ship – the only one’s left in are those who are fighting it.

All said and done, the British contingent in Basra is preparing to pull out and hand the reins over to the Americans. Behind they will leave 179 men and women from their own forces who died fighting this futile and pointless exercise. 179 men and women; sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, husbands and fathers, wives and mothers, who were alive when Blair kowtowed to George W and went blindly where no man should have gone.

And was the British effort in Basra worth it…? I don’t want any politician to bleat on about ‘glorious self-sacrifice’ and ‘winning the war against terrorism’ – I want to hear what those returning servicemen and women have to say about it all.

They were there, they faced the bullets and they should know.