Creativity

TAKING OVER from Hartston is a daunting task: the pavement cleaners responsible for the area around Canary Wharf tower have been threatening to strike if one more body hits the ground. So the baton has been passed to me for want of sturdier souls. Have patience.

Before he deserted, William asked contributors to suggest how best to replace Creativity. A slew of mail, mostly in rhyming hexameters, hit the pigeonholes, lamenting the loss of the chessmeister and all-round eccentric. No one, however, made any suggestions for a new incarnation. And, being a great believer in the magic powers of truism, I am going with the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" option.

So: I have two problems. First, my predecessor has left a gap. I won't be able to reproduce your gems, as I have none. I know it's been a couple of weeks, but I expect your creative juices merely to be the more abundant for lack of outlet. More important, I haven't Mr Hartston's relationship with you, and can't decipher the creative scrawl with which you sign letters. Be angels and put block capitals under those autographs. Please?

One change. Colin Archer of Virginia Water wrote in with suggestions for future themes, one of which we are using this week. As I say, this is your column, so I thought it might be nice to throw open the competition to those who want to contribute ideas. So a Chambers Dictionary to anyone whose theme we use, and two more to the first two (or three if I have to think up my own theme) entries I judge in my infinite wisdom to be the most deserving.

A dictionary to Mr Archer for the following: Now that even Lady Thatcher concedes that the Conservative Party cannot win the next general election, only one option remains: to change the name of the party. The new name must be dynamic and traditional and totally non-committal. Proposals, please, to Creativity 1 (new editor, new numbering), The Independent, 18th Floor, 1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5DL. Results will be published two weeks from today.