This year will likely be one about which people struggle to remember all the things that happened. Major events like the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the departure of Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng’s disastrous minibudget, and uncomfortably rising inflation and heating bills will linger long in the memory. But the death of Queen Elizabeth II risks falling further down the list than the passing of a record-breaking monarch ought.

Eager anticipation the Covid era would quietly shuffle into a corner and normalcy would resume was quickly shattered.

Heading into 2023, it’s hard to know whether to be optimistic or pessimistic …