Want woolly thinking? Then I’m your man!
TONY BLAIR’S HOUSEHOLD GUIDE (PART 4)
KNITWEAR Q: Dear Tony, In these difficult times, the world is crying out for your advice on all sorts of things. I know you don’t have time to broadcast your views more than four of five times a day, but could you share with us your feelings on knitwear?
BRITAIN is a great country. And one thing’s for sure. We produce some of the greatest knitwear in the world.
Scarves. Socks. Jerseys. cardigans. Bobble hats.
on a chilly day, an extra layer provides added warmth. So let me say it again. I’ve got no argument with knitwear.
Believe me, after leading your party to victory in three elections — an unprecedented achievement, as it happens — you get to know a thing or two about knitwear.
But the knitwear debate we should be having is this. Sure, it’s great to wear a thick woollen jersey and scarf. But how do we stop ourselves from getting too
hot, particularly indoors, on a summer’s day? Too hot inside? or too cold
outside? We shouldn’t have to choose.
look, we must find a way ahead. not too hot. And not too cold.
And that can only mean one thing. You know it. I know it. We all know it.
What the global community is crying out for is this. A knitwear-based environment that is neither too hot. nor too cold. But just right.
LETTUCE Q: Dear Tony, Please would you share your thoughts on the great lettuce question?
HOW can we, as a decent, civilised people, better look after our lettuce?
We owe the lettuce a lot. It has always been there, ready for us. Whenever we have felt like a bit of salad on the side.
So now it is up to us — up to each and every one of us — to put something back.
Today, to that humble lettuce, let me say this. Just as you have always been there for us, so we will always be there for you.
First, we must face up to a major question. How do we, as a decent, civilised people, stop our lettuce getting soft and soggy? or put it another way. How can we ensure our lettuce retains its essential crispness, so that it can take its rightful place in a salad?
Yes, it’s a battle. And a battle that those of us working on the Worldwide lettuce Initiative at the Tony Blair Institute for Global change are determined to win.
But it will take time. And willpower. And a more open and inclusive society in an increasingly interconnected world.
oh, yes — and a cucumber, if you have one to hand.
MATTRESSES Q: Dear Tony, That’s lettuce sorted out. Now could you turn your considerable brain to the whole problem of mattresses?
THE choice confronting us is stark and simple. Do we make our bed? or do we lie in it? These are tough choices. But choices we must not be afraid to duck. Yes, there are those who remain determined to live in the past. The same people who trot out that tired old line: ‘You’ve made your bed, now you’ve got to lie in it.’ But let’s face it. That’s no longer true, is it? You can do one. or the other. But you don’t have to do both. It’s all about empowerment. As a former prime minister, I always empower a senior adviser to make my bed. And then I lie in it. or I lie in it. And then I allow a senior adviser to make it. It’s all about strategy.
NAPKINS Q: Dear Tony, Any hard-won advice on napkins?
HOW do you harness a napkin for the public good? That’s the debate we should be having.
Both nationally and globally, there’s a crying need for napkins.
It’s simple. You get something on your cheek or possibly — and this is a worst-case scenario — on your shirt. And you want to wipe it off.
Fair enough. We’ve all been there. In the past, you’d reach for your napkin, or your paper serviette.
But now they’re a thing of the past. In our fast-moving world, there’s no room for the napkin.
So we leave the table with mess all over our faces. And food all over our shirts.
But it doesn’t have to be like that. For crying out loud, let’s bring back the napkin.