David Miliband last night expressed regret about Britain’s part in the Crusades and the latest war in Iraq. The latter, he said, had left “a sense of bitterness, distrust and resentment”.

Here as well, mate.

Miliband was speaking at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, so he probably felt the need to grovel a wee bit.

He said, “Ruined crusader castles remain as poignant monuments to the religious violence of the Middle Ages.”

The latest war, of course, was about money and control – black gold, US military bases, rebuilding contracts for Dick Cheney’s old pals at Halliburton and lots of lovely arms sales.