I’ve long thought that the packaging industry is rife for innovation; if you have any design-oriented kids, they could make a killing. This was confirmed when I cut my thumb opening a can of dog food, major health and safety problem. Have you tried to get a plaster out of its highly complex pack when you have only one (left) hand available? Can’t be an uncommon problem. And the rubbish way to reseal the cereal box I then went to has not changed since I was five. All crazy, when we can send men to the moon and cross the Atlantic in 3 hours! Oh, no, wait a minute…
Making a difference?
The ’70s were for my coming-of-age time, as they were for Stuart Maconie, author of ‘The Nanny State Made Me’. It’s when I took my 0 and A Levels, went to uni and started my first job. My view of the decade will always be rose-tinted, I’ll remember the music, discos, student grants (wouldn’t have known what a tuition fee was) and monthly inflationary pay rises negotiated by unions of which I was not a member. The strikes, high taxes and IRA bombs were background noise to me and, yes, I was the first in my family to go to university and, yes, despite everything, felt more secure with a nanny state in charge than at any time since. I’d happily pay more tax to give my kids and grandkids the same.
