What would war mean for us? DESPITE widespread public unease, Prime Minister Tony Blair is seemingly intent on a war with Iraq.

Reporters IAN SINGLETON and THERESA ROBSON assess the impact of a conflict on East Lancashire's economy, race relations, tourism and petrol prices, and ask the views of soldiers, war veterans, politicians and peace campaigners.

Queen's Lancashire Regiment

SOME 550 soldiers from the Queen's Lancashire Regiment, 99 per cent of whom are from the county, are currently on 10 days' notice to be despatched anywhere in the world.

And if the Iraq crisis escalates into war, they could well find themselves in the trouble-torn Middle East.

Captain John Harker, who is originally from Colne, said: "All our families and girlfriends are in Lancashire, so our despatch would affect many people."

The regiment spent last year on various training exercises, preparing for conflict. It spent three months in Canada and undertook "war games" on Salisbury Plain.

In recent times, its soldiers have manned Green Goddesses providing cover during the firefighters' strikes in Liverpool.

And in the past 10 years they have been deployed in crisis-torn Bosnia and were stationed in Northern Ireland during the notorious Omagh bombing.

Captain Harker said: "We had to deal with the aftermath of the Omagh bombing, so the regiment is ready to deploy anywhere in the world.

"The lads have been following the situation in Iraq on the news and we get regular briefings about all the trouble- spots around the world.

"The boys are confident. Most of the young lads joined the army to see a bit of action and they are geared up and ready, if they will be required."

War veteran

FORMER sailor Geoff Disley, pictured above, knows exactly what soldiers from the Queen's Lancashire Regiment are going through - and what awaits them if they go to war.

He was a chief petty officer in the Royal Navy aboard HMS London which sailed to the Gulf, 15 miles off Kuwait, in September, 1990.

Geoff, 42, left the navy in 2000 after 22 years' service and now works as a training manager in Blackburn College's Faculty of Technology. But he remembers the events of 12 years ago vividly.

He said: "It was my first major conflict and we had a quiet determination that we would be able to do the job.

"There was no relish to it. No one joins with the intention of fighting war. It just happens to be part of the job."

When Geoff, who lives in Burscough, was deployed to the Gulf, his ship's orders were to escort American carriers and battleships. He would watch on radar screens as they fired missiles.

He continued: "It was very surreal, like a video game. It was going on, but we were detached from it. The smoke was reminiscent of a London smog and day was like night. There were lots of dead birds in the water."

The war ended in February and the crew were sent home.

Geoff added: "Everyone was excited about being home. We had people on board with newborn children they hadn't yet seen. We had a big reception and it was strange to see ourselves on national television.

"It was a big relief. It was a job well-done and we had come through it unscathed. We were never targeted, so none of our crew were harmed.

"However, there was a constant threat of mines, so much so that lads couldn't sleep in the decks below the water.

"People slept in corridors and that caused a lot of tension. We were conscious of the fact that we may hit something, but we didn't dwell on it."

When he returned to dry land, Geoff enjoyed home comforts for four weeks, before sailing again.

"Older members of the crew are responsible for the 18 and 19-year-olds, and have to help them through their problems.

"It was nice to have that pressure lifted. It brings back memories when I see the current events on the news.

"Like us, the forces will react in exactly the same way we did and just go out and do the job. Our forces are the best in the world."

Economy

A WAR could have serious consequences for the East Lancashire economy, business leaders have warned.

Mike Murray, chairman of Clayton-le-Moors based Business Link, an organisation that supports local industry and commerce, said war caused investors to become nervous.

He said: "Speculation about war makes everyone uncertain. If they said when war would be, the stock market might rally.

"This may sound extreme when you are talking about East Lancashire but because large markets cannot expand business they dig in and stop spending. Lancashire businesses might be supplying these businesses.

"People also say they won't go on holiday and travel companies take a hit. Overtime is stopped, so people don't go in pubs or restaurants. While there is uncertainty, that will be the situation.

"As far as I am concerned, terrorism is just as bad as war, so we have to make a choice. Do we have a war to get rid of terrorism? It is a difficult call.

"If we don't go to war, terrorism might cause more uncertainty."