Think of it as yet another invented tradition. There are a lot of them about at this time of year, but here’s mine. In recent years, for the last column in this slot before Christmas, I’ve tried to steer away from the gloom and offer, if not quite tidings of joy, then at least some reasons to be hopeful. At the end of 2023, that exercise feels as hard, and as necessary, as ever. With war raging in Gaza and continuing in Ukraine, as the climate emergency bites and as millions grapple with a cost of living crisis and the prospect of a recession, no one needs to spell out why.
Previously, I’ve tried to find grounds for optimism in the realm of world events. Sure enough, 2024 could, at long last, bring an end to Britain’s serially useless, rotten government. It may see the toppling of Benjamin Netanyahu and, you never know, a second defeat of Donald Trump (let’s not even think of the other possibility).
