The British happened to the rest of the world. Now the world happens to Britain.

History is either a moral argument with lessons for the here-and-now, or it is merely an accumulation of pointless facts.

Journalism is often simply the industrialisation of gossip.

Hard news really is hard. It sticks not in the craw but in the mind. It has an almost physical effect, causing fear, interest, laughter or shock.

Androgynous fashion, long hair, the Pill, a new interest in the inner psychological life - an unabashed sloppiness, if you will - really marks the sixties. It was when Britain went girlie. And what do girls do? Girls shop.

One aspect of politics too little acknowledged is that besides being jolly serious and all that, it is also a hugely enjoyable game for boys.

The British happened to the rest of the world. Now the world happens to Britain.