I watched Schindler’s List last night for the first time. A great film: moving, compelling and, despite its length, well-paced.

The plight of the Jews under Nazi rule is well known but films like this and Life Is Beautiful remind (as if that’s necessary) the power of brainwashing and influence. Most people have asked themselves, on hearing of a suicide bombing, “What could make someone kill themselves in that way?”

Channel 4′s “The Heist” on Wednesday was either a hoax or a scary illustration of how vulnerable the majority of people are to a combination of suggestion and the idea of authority.

Religion, culture, ideology and power are variously blamed as the cause for most wars – but the Second World War and now the War on Terror appear to be a result of brainwashing or influence…