
Where are you now and what can you see?
In my bedroom – on the street are London plane trees dripping with rain, and a youth hostel opposite.
What are you currently reading?
I have just started An Officer And A Spy by Robert Harris. I greatly admire his work particularly The Ghost, which was a clever exploration of the legacy of a British Prime Minister through the eyes of his ghost-writer.
Choose a favourite author, and say why you admire her/him
Ralph Miliband – because of the power of his intellect and his capacity to convey his argument.
Describe the room where you usually write
I have a small flat and one room contains a desk, a comfy chair and a television set, and on the bookshelves are most of the tea mugs and other mementoes I have been given over the years.
Which fictional character most resembles you?
No fictional character could have as many faults as I have.
Who is your hero/heroine from outside literature?
Nelson Mandela – for his physical and mental courage. He ended up subduing his subjugators. I once had the great privilege of meeting him very briefly in the House of Commons.
Tony Benn's 'A Blaze of Autumn Sunshine: The Last Diaries by Tony Benn' is published by Hutchinson
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