RDI criticism of the RSA – a case of fragile egos…

Sorry, but your piece on the Royal Designers for Industry, and their criticism of the Royal Society of Arts’ Design & Society manifesto (News, DW 6 August) just sounds like some Very Important People claiming not to have been treated like Very Important People. Aw, bless.

I can’t believe people such as Chris Wise and Mike Dempsey sat through a presentation and didn’t use the opportunity then to ask questions or make comments.

Resorting instead to this very public show of disquiet undermines the excellent work that the RSA’s director of design Emily Campbell has done. I’m sure the RDIs would be the first to object to ‘design by committee’, but they seem intent on demanding it in this case. Why?

This article could easily be rewritten with the headline ‘RDIs fail to make contributions, then have a hissy fit about it’.

From now on, you 99 per cent of ‘not very important people’, ask the lord of the manor before you plough the field, if only to make him feel very special indeed.
Jonathan Baldwin, by e-mail