Can a Design 8 rescue cure Blighty’s identity crisis?

I was interested in your comment on the identity crisis you perceive in Britain (DW 2 June) given the rise of China and other countries as strong forces in the manufacturing industry.

Surely it’s time to bring the experts in to help old Blighty find itself again.

When Tony Blair launched the Cool Britannia initiative in the early days of his premiership, he called the great and the good of design to Downing Street and enlisted the help of the Design Council to run workshops to debate the relevant issues.

We could keep it simpler this time and bring together the collective thoughts of the Design 8 to inject fresh vigour into the country.

My dream line-up for the D8 would be Wally Olins (below left) as chairman, Peter Saville (above) and Malcolm Garrett as Northern lads who’ve made good globally, Janice Kirkpatrick of Graven Images waving the Scottish flag, Gillian Thomas of The Partners for Wales, Simon Waterfall for the fun of it, Richard Seymour to add gravitas and Wayne Hemingway as spokesman.

All are capable of great work – and none is shy of hitting the headlines.

Frances Jones, Graphic designer, London E15