We were lucky enough to have a week abroad last week. Nice sunny week.

My wife had access to her weekly fix of the Archers omnibus, so she was happy. I was allowed to listen to Desert Island Discs too.

We dipped in and out of tv, watched a Michael Caine DVD, Harry Brown.

But I’m just not sure about this global, instant, constant 'news'.

We could dip into various World news channels; watched Anna Botting on Sky bringing the tragic and traumatic events in West Cumbria. We saw the Israeli troops taking the Gaza relief activists/pacifists vessel.

Over 1,000 miles away, we even had our local NW Tonight with Ranvir Singh and Gordon Burns (Wiki says he’s 67, by the way). We got the news of Rio Ferdinand’s World Cup exit injury too.

But is this all progress? I’m old enough to recall news by radio: wireless, and not the new 21st Century meaning. To see world events took a day or two or with Pathe at the cinema.

Sky and others found one bloke who witnessed the Bird rampage. Every time he spoke, the details seemed to get more graphic, the weapons bigger.

On one channel some ex someone-or-other was asked to speculate on events: why, how, who felt what, what would happen now. I thought the Police and others were great at batting away stupid questioning.

Is this right? Is it what we want?