I suspect the secret of personal attraction is locked up in our unique imperfections, flaws and frailties.

The yearning for strong leadership is more about strength of purpose - clarity of vision - than about merely 'getting tough'.

Parents should be encouraged to read to their children, and teachers should be equipped with all available techniques for teaching literacy, so the varying needs and capacities of individual kids can be taken into account.

Although we love the idea of choice - our culture almost worships it - we seek refuge in the familiar and the comfortable.

Reading is a huge effort for many people, a bore for others, and, believe it or not, many people prefer watching TV.

The copycat effects of media violence, similar to those previously attributed to westerns, radio serials and comic books, are easy to exaggerate.

One reason we resist making deliberate choices is that choice equals change and most of us, feeling the world is unpredictable enough, try to minimise the trauma of change in our personal lives.