An 80-year-old reader who says the Guardian has been 'part of the furniture' of his life
I started life as an archetypal public schoolboy, but when I was called up to do national service I didn't go for a commission – I joined the army as a radio technician. Serving in the ranks gives you a different perspective, so I made the shift to radicalism early.
When Fleet Street went on strike in 1955, and deprived me of my daily News Chronicle, I put in a special order for the Manchester Guardian (MG), which you never saw on London newsstands. And when Fleet Street returned I realised the News Chronicle was a mere snack, and the MG was a banquet that nourished my new radical ideas. My choice was vindicated by the MG's exposure of Anthony Eden's chicanery over Suez. It was an exciting time. I went to the demonstration in Trafalgar Square and I was standing so close to Nye Bevan that I felt a little spittle on my cheek – he was a magical speaker.
I made videos for the National Coal Board then was offered a job in the Middle East, making documentaries in the oil trade. It took me all over the world, and I relied on the Guardian to give me background on the countries I visited. Having a German father, and being trilingual, made me an early enthusiast for the EEC, and again I chimed with the Guardian.
I relished Neville Cardus and John Arlott, even though cricket had bored me stiff until then. There have been many fine writers: James Cameron, whom I knew well. I liked Derek Malcolm's film column. Today there is Larry Elliott, Polly Toynbee, Jackie Ashley, Richard Williams and others.
I'm 80, I've thoroughly enjoyed my life, and the Guardian has been part of its furniture. Even today, it is the only national to pursue Murdoch's phone-hacking banditry. I am so depressed by the political situation that I almost don't want to read the paper, but the Guardian remains an outpost of radicalism, so I continue every day.