Jonathan Sheppard (Letters, January 19) may criticise the Prime Minister for "showboating" on overseas trips but he and others should think on this.

As a consequence of Tony Blair's involvement, the conflict in Afghanistan, which no one sought before the events of September 11, has been in the main successfully concluded.

Had it been left to George Bush alone, things may have turned out differently.

As it is, women can now walk the streets of Kabul without being beaten simply for being outside, the Afghani people have a chance of peace and democracy for the first time in 20 years and we are, perhaps, a little safer from terrorist attack than we were before.

So as you say, Mr Sheppard, what about our problems - homeless people, the NHS and the trains?

Had Mr Blair allowed the terrorism to carry on and this conflict to escalate and spread, we would have faced far greater damage to our economy than that already suffered by the airline and tourist industries in the wake of the New York attacks.

There would then have been fewer jobs, more people on the streets and less cash for public transport, schools and hospitals.

Take your blinkers off, Mr Sheppard, and try to see the bigger picture.

-E M Telcs, Freshfield Street, Brighton