THE war against terrorism is turning into a propaganda battle, and Tony Blair and George Bush are losing the latter while making a valiant fist of the former.

An opinion poll published on Tuesday showed British support for the bombing had dropped from 74 per cent to 62 per cent. Americans have always been more supportive of the actions, but opinion polls yesterday showed that some in the US were also becoming wobbly.

As the son of an undertaker, I understand the difference between American and British opinion. Following a bereavement, there is always a gap between grief and coming to terms with it. The gap is different in different people, but often the gap is determined by how close you are to the person who has died.

The whole world grieved after September 11, but it was more profound in America because it was their people who were killed. In Britain, September 11 was more of a televisual event. We were distant from the deaths and so we have come to terms with them more quickly.

In Britain, memories of September 11 are starting to fade, but we must remember how horrendous September 11 was. We must also recall that initial feeling of shock. It was strong, partly because we realised that it could easily have been our country that was the victim of the attack.

Even as British support for the bombing fades, we must surely know that the anti-war faction is offering no credible alternative. How else are we to protect ourselves against the terrorists who want to destroy our way of life unless we destroy them?

Our fragile opinion must also remember that there are never winners in war. It is not correct even to say that we won the Second World War. With thousands dead and so much suffering among our own people, how can we even talk in terms of victory?

Instead, we must remember that we stood up for what we believed in and that we defeated those who wished to destroy our freedoms.

If we can remember the events of both seven weeks ago and six decades ago, we will remember that we cannot afford to be beaten by terrorists, and so we will begin to help our leaders in their propaganda battle.

STEPHEN Fry on the Parkinson show at the weekend mentioned something that illuminated our fragility. He called it "destiny". While we've heard stories of the 5,000 who died in the World Trade Centre, we've also heard countless stories of those who, by a quirk of fate, didn't make it to work that day and so were spared. People who had a dental appointment, people who missed their train...

September 11 has taught us so many things, one of which is about the apparently mundane decisions we make every day of our life. And it is not until afterwards that we realise that life is full of millions of minor decisions - but destiny decides that a few of them will be vitally important.

DAVID Blunkett, the Home Secretary, made one of those decisions last week. He decided that cannabis should be downgraded. Now siren voices are demanding that he follow suit with Ecstasy. These voices usually come from those who see themselves as "wise men" - people who pontificate without knowing what they are talking about.

Mr Blunkett has so far said "no". He must continue to do so. We are in danger of giving too much ground.

Published: Thursday, November 1, 2001