Ever since they were born, Vic and I have been clear: happiness and confidence are the two things we want most for our children and the rest can all fall into place.
The Q&A, The Guardian, 19 August 2023 source ↗
The question
What would you most want to leave your children?Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
Verbatim recurring item in The Guardian Q&A; two publisher-hosted respondent pages establish institutional recurrence.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
Ever since they were born, Vic and I have been clear: happiness and confidence are the two things we want most for our children and the rest can all fall into place.
The Q&A, The Guardian, 19 August 2023 source ↗
Happy memories.
I don’t have children. I will leave my nieces money because girls need money of their own. Anything to make women independent.
As little rubbish to sort through as possible.
Disrespect. My dad was a toolmaker and worked in a factory all his life, and he felt looked down on, and it really affected him. And so all my life I’ve loathed disrespect and valued respect.
When I was appointed director of public prosecutions, I had a government car and visited the security services. When I came out, I got into the back of what I thought was my car, but it was somebody’s private car and they told me in no uncertain terms to get out. I had to reverse out with as much dignity as I could, with the head of security services watching.
As someone who delivered a bold and reforming Labour government, as a great dad and a great friend.
There are yards and yards and yards of abuse every day. I ignore the lot of it.
Failure. I hate losing, particularly at football and politics. I play five-a-side every week – middle of midfield, barking orders. Some people say it’s the taking part that counts. I am not in that camp. It’s the winning that counts.
Vic, my wife, has over the years reduced my impatience, but anybody who has been in a traffic jam with me will know that she hasn’t completed the task yet.
Zack Polanski, Mohamed ElBaradei, Jon Sopel, Katie Melua, Ali Abbasi, Bear Grylls
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