The Actor MP for Warley

"The first time I was sacked was as Shadow arts spokesman in 1973. I was angry at Parliament's unquestioning support for Israel, so I cracked what I thought was a joke. I just asked whether they were members of the House of Commons or of the Knesset (the Israeli parliament). Anyway, the letter duly arrived from Harold Wilson saying I had insulted my colleagues and so on . . .

"The second sacking came from Michael Foot when I defied the all-party support for the Falklands conflict.

"I miss the House terribly. I'm desolate, heartbroken. I have only been back once. I used to see so many ex-MPs hanging around the place, hoping for a drink.

"People thought I was a leftie, but I wasn't. It was just that I espoused unpopular causes. When the Western world backed Israel, I took up the Palestinian cause. When everyone else seemed to condemned the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, I saw it as a just and necessary act.

"I COULD have served under Tony Blair. But I am not happy with some aspects. There is far too much political manipulation of the media and MPs. All those wretched spin doctors . . .

"What really worries me is how little some MPs seem to know about foreign affairs, especially over the bombing of Iraq. The idea that you can bomb these dangerous substances is a maniacal proposition.

"If Saddam retaliated by gas-bombing Israel, Israel might retaliate with some new and most unpleasant weapons. It may turn out that Boris Yeltsin's words about World War III were not so mad after all.