Gridlock’s back. And it’s not as awful as it sounds on CNN or Fox. Joe Biden can’t whip Republicans and Republicans can’t whip Biden – so steps in the right direction are going to die in their tracks but steps down the wrong road will too and when the threat you face is Washington politicians it’s wrong roads that matter.

Decades ago, after Ronald Reagan left office, I saw gridlock as a curse – told a friend: ‘Reagan won the Cold War but we didn’t balance the budget, cut spending, or get much of anything else done.’ He rocked back: ‘Winning the Cold War was no small thing.’

Later, a grey-haired professor told me gridlock was no accident, the Founding Fathers put it in the Constitution on purpose to stop politicians grabbing for power from getting what they wanted. Bill Clinton was elected president, I saw gridlock as a blessing.

Now an old blessing’s returned. Say a prayer of thanks.