91Èȱ¬

This is a small, bronze bust of Lenin which I bought in a fleamarket in Moscow in the early 1990s, when everyone in Russia was getting rid of objects that reminded them of communism.

I keep it on my desk to remind me of the great ideological struggle which dominated the world for the first part of my life. I saw the last chapter of the collapse of communism at first hand - and was even briefly arrested by the KGB - and it was by far and away the most important news story of my career - much more significant than 9/11 or anything else that has happened this century.

Lenin was one of the pivotal figures who made the 20th century what it was, and the fact that my children have grown up without the spectre of nuclear annihilation is a blessing I try not to forget.

The Russians are very tight on exporting antiques, and when I flew out of Moscow the soldier on the x-ray machine said "Ah, I see you have Vladimir Iliych in your suitcase" - but I don't think it is old enough our special enough to be worth anything much, and he let it go.