We are a vibrant first-world country, but we have a humbling third-world memory.

That past is still within our living memory, a time when neighbour helped neighbour, sharing what little they had out of necessity, as well as decency.

Whatever changes the new era brings, whatever new pathways we take, I am sure that our special relationship with America - forged in adversity, will not change.

The extent to which all people in our society are made to count, and believe that they count, is not just a measure of decency; it makes sound economic sense.

My grandmother was British and in the Women's Auxiliary Royal Air Force in World War II.

You can watch a little bit of war from your nice living room - 30 seconds of what's going on in Syria - and when you've had enough, switch over to some celebrity programme. We live our life through screens and images in this way, and we don't know what is real or fake anymore. It doesn't matter.

In 'Sisters of War,' I got to do one of my own stunts. Running out of the building because the Japanese were firing, with all these little spark plugs are going off, looking like explosions and bullets flying down. That was really fun.

I lived on the top of one hill and the school was at the top of another hill. Nobody ever went to school by car - we didn't have any cars during the war. So that to and from school was itself a training.