Not a day goes by that we don't bombard our children with the 3Rs principle: reduce wastage, reuse products before throwing them away and, finally, recycle.

In schools, recycling bins are part of the furniture and using paper on both sides has become the fabric of life. At home, parents slow on the uptake are soon brought to heel by their young upstarts lecturing them on the values of the 3Rs.

How ironical, then, to receive a 62-page propaganda booklet from our very own Office of the Prime Minister, printed on the thickest, glossiest, non-recycled and most wasteful paper on the market, gloved in a glitzy coffee-table book cover!

Actions speak louder than words, dear authorities.