SO the credibility of the UN is under threat, Saddam Hussein is in breach of their requests and last weekend one million people took to the streets of London to march against the prospect of war. Fine. Great. So, what time's Hollyoaks on?

Sounds shocking? Well not half as shocking as how many people actually know more about the goings on in The Salon or Wetherfield than they do about the reasons for and against attacking Iraq.

I'm not standing on a soapbox here, far from it. Admittedly, all I know about The Salon is that it features a Brazilian with a narcissist complex, but then all I really know about the current conflict is that it features an American with a Dad complex. Neither piece of information places me in an ideal position to hold an opinion about bombing innocent people; Cripes, I'm barely qualified to decide between Frosties or Shreddies in the morning.

Worryingly, it seems many who do have an opinion are just trotting out so many lame soundbites ("Bush is a war-mongerer". "It's all about oil") that they'd be hard pushed to justify even if Bush, Blair or Saddam himself were holding a gun (or indeed a dirty bomb) to their heads.

Of course, this doesn't go for everyone. Several of my friends were amongst those one million in London and at least they (and it is to be hoped, the majority of the other protesters) know what they're banging on about.

But another friend said she watched the march and thought: "Really, could you be bothered?" I fear that too many of us fit this category (and if you are feeling self-righteous and indignant then, may I ask, why on earth weren't you on the bus to London, too?)

Apathy is inevitable in such a lazy society. I read recently that the new channel, BBC 3, spent a lot of time working out how to tell people the news "in a way that isn't an instant turn-off". Doesn't that just about say it all for this "entertain me" generation?

Clearly we can't handle information that involves the arduous, gritty graft of actual thinking, which might then lead to that sticky business of having opinions on things other than who to vote off Big Brother.

We prefer, instead, to sit in front of shows that offer us imagined, or, in the case of reality TV, wholly contrived lives. We want to be amused. Heaven forefend we are challenged.

And yet, our capacity for devouring detail when it comes to these shows is truly incredible. What is Darius's surname? Easy! Which Big Brother brunette has a bun in the oven? No problem. The name of the US Secretary of State? Uhm, can I get back to you on that one?

If only international politics and foreign policy were a little more entertaining.

Well, here's an idea. Stick some cameras in The White House and Number 10, beam them back to us 24 hours a day, give it a catchy theme tune and call it "The War". I promise you, Mr Blair, you'll have our full attention in no time.