21 NOVEMBER 1998, Page 75

No. 2063: Sorry about that

It is fashionable for heads of state and prime ministers to apologise for national `misbehaviour' of the past. You are invited to imagine that our next Poet Laureate obeys a royal request for a poem apologis- ing for the British Empire. The result, please. Maximum 16 lines. Entries to `Competition No. 2063' by 3 December.