Design talk with Steve Kelsey: India is fast becoming a land of opportunity

After all, if it were not for that evil French invention, Brussels, ‘Deafra’ would not have us all jumping through ever more pointless hoops on packaging reduction rather than letting us get on with pack optimisation.

The rioting students had the support of 10 million striking workers and it looked jolly serious for that general with the large nose who said ‘non’ a lot.

In the end, both sides won; the students achieved a substantial increase in investment in university education and a relaxation in discipline, and de Gaulle won a landslide at the next election.

It isn’t very British to tear up the pavement when we’re cross; we prefer to simmer indignantly because it’s more polite and disturbs fewer people, and that’s why we are in this mess.

As an industry, we should be incensed by the misrepresentation that has occurred over the past 12 months. We should be incandescent with a government that hides its incompetence and lack of investment behind plastic bags and quangos.
A bit of calculated brick throwing is exactly what we need right now. A well-aimed brick clarifies arguments and provides direction.

Wasted energy
How much clarification is needed? You will no doubt be pleased to hear that Defra is spending your money on research into Tradable Energy Quotas, as part of its study to evaluate ‘personal carbon trading’ – that’s rationing to you or I, with the individual responsible for buying and selling quotas. Apparently Defra thinks people may not like it very much. This surprises who?

All we need to do is a few simple things: turn down the thermostat, walk or cycle more often, go on holiday by train rather than plane, eat less meat and be a bit more thoughtful about what and how much we buy.

And that’s what you see in Paris – simplicity and effectiveness. There are more bikes being used, most of the shops are small and local, the Metro is clean, efficient and cheap, the buses are small and plentiful, the streets are clean because there are bins everywhere and they are emptied daily, as are all domestic bins. 

As a result, the city is a joy to visit. We need the same effectiveness and less hiding behind reports stating the obvious. If it takes a few well-lobbed bricks to achieve it, then vive la brique!

Popular Articles