Now children as young as nine carry AK47s which can kill 30 people in seconds.

I wrote in the book very specifically what I wanted to write about, period, and left it at.

I keep telling myself to calm down, to take less of an interest in things and not to get so excited, but I still care a lot about liberty, freedom of speech and expression, and fairness in journalism.

But in the first Gulf war the United Kingdom was not under any threat from Iraq, and is still less so in the second one. Then there is no justification for obstructing freedom of information, particularly as nations have a right to know what their soldiers are being used for.

It wasn't glamorous in my day. In the regions, reporters were seen as such low life that they didn't merit their name in the Radio Times. Now people are interested in being famous. I never gave it a thought.

Having had loving people who brought me up, and then I find another set of people. That really is a double blessing.

In any war, there is a concealment of certain kinds of setbacks because it's propaganda for the enemy.