Let's reward the take-it-easy policy

In this age of 'breaking news' before anyone else and being the first one to tweet any information - never mind the veracity of that information - the frantic hurry to be the first off the blocks is rewarded by a society that spends its time navel-gazing, that too the belly buttons of others. Well, there are perils of such haste. When HarperCollins announced last week its upcoming publication of the book, Out of the Blue: The Inside Story of Liz Truss and Her Astonishing Rise to Power, the publishing house must have been mighty chuffed to get a biography of the latest Brit PM so quick. The lightning speed with which authors Harry Cole and James Heale churned out the manuscript must have set a new benchmark for commissioners and deadline-keepers. Alas, with the book a few weeks away from publication, its raison d'etre has whooshed past it - Truss is no more PM and what is now astonishing is not her 'rise to power' but the speed with which she went down Downing Street.

While smarty-pants are now calling for a quick biography of the lettuce that outlived the latest British PM (Autumn Collection), we, more sombre-minded, would prefer to learn the lesson of the perils of quickies. In fact, as this column itself, stewing in its own juice for the last few days attest, taking time, even extra time, should be rewarded and be the norm.