Part 5, covid, johnson, trump rants, rambles and ruminations

On such a wonderful day, as most of the world breathes a high sigh of relief that a very good man is replacing a very bad man in the White House, I thought I would spend part of it tidying up and collating all the different pieces inspired by recent events, which have concluded in the outpouring of joy we saw all over America, and around the world, when the result finally became clear.

Part 1 is here (April 13)

Part 2 is here (May 3)

Part 3 is here (June 6)

Part 4 is here (July 23)

Part 5 starts on July 24, with a New European column on the joy of getting away from Lockdown Britain for a while.

July 29, I wrote in The Independent on Boris Johnson plans to appoint a spokesperson to do televised briefings on his behalf.

On the same day, for The Article, I wrote a piece - not for the first time - on the lack of clarity in policy and messaging by the government on Covid.

On July 31, a column in The New European on the death of La Bise, the French kiss of greeting.

August 1, another mixed messaging piece, for the Huffington Post.

August 6, in a break from politics, and on the back of a podcast interview, I did a piece for The New European on my three top sporting moments.

August 10, as Nigel Farage continued to tweak the government's tail on a so-called invasion of migrants in dinghies, I wrote this piece for The Independent on how the government is still campaigning more than governing.

August 15, this piece for The Article on the A-level fiasco presided over by Gavin Williamson.

August 18, on the same subject, and comparing the British government's handling of the pandemic with Germany's, a piece for The Independent.

August 21, for The Article, saying that in Johnson, Trump and other populists, we have the worst possible leaders at the worst possible time.

August 24, Bayern Munich having won the Champions League, a piece in The Article on lessons the government could learn.

August 25, a piece in The Article on how we had taken further steps to a possible no deal Brexit.

My next New European column, August 26, was on the theme of youth, focusing on Greta Thunberg, and the young boy with a stammer befriended by Joe Biden.

On August 30, The Observer magazine ran extracts of my new book on depression.

September 1, GQ magazine ran a piece I wrote about my mental health in lockdown.

September 3, my New European column unashamedly plugged the book.

September 6, the Sunday Times ran another extract, part of the chapter written by my partner Fiona on living with my depression.

September 8, a piece in The Article on the damage the Johnson government's commitment to breaking international law was doing to our reputation.

September 9, a piece in The Independent on how the government was missing in action on mental health during the pandemic.

September 10, New European column exposing Johnson's hypocrisy with regard to freedom of the press.

That week I also did this Mirror interview with my son Calum on our shared problems with alcohol, and a Guardian podcast with Fiona and our daughter Grace.

September 14, in The Article, on how Johnson puts self ahead of service.

September 17, in The Independent, on his excruciating performance at the Liaison Committee.

September 19, New European column on an American and former British politician reminding me there are still good ones around.

September 22, in The Article, a piece on new lockdown measures.

September 25, a profile in The New European of Anthony Scaramucci, Trump's ex-comms supremo who had become a big enemy, which led to me doing his podcast.

September 26, a piece for The Article on some of the remarkable feedback on Living Better.

September 27, a piece for The Independent on the government's failure properly to use local government in the pandemic.

Same day, on my blog, an open letter to Paul Dacre on the news that Johnson wanted him to head OFCOM.

October 1, another piece for The Article on how, thanks to the Internal Market Bill, Britains democratic reputation was sinking.

October 5, Priti Patel having had a pop at me for criticising her diction, I wrote for The Article, that there were far worse things she did that were worthy of condemnation.

October 8, New European column on how Johnson's regional media strategy backfired when he learned regional TV reporters were more robust than a lot of the better paid big names in broadcasting.

October 9, an op-ed for Tortoise on how the government was failing to address the mental health crisis created by the pandemic.

October 14, for The Article, a piece commending Keir Starmer on not falling for Johnson's gaslighting.

October 16, New European column on Piers Morgan's welcome change of view on depression, and Trump.

October 19, for The Article, playing back Johnson's words, that not getting a Brexit deal would be a 'failure of statecraft.'

October 22, for The Article, on the deadly mixed messaging for blood cancer patients.

Same day, New European column, on whether decency was making a comeback, Jacinda Ardern having won a big election victory in New Zealand, and Biden looking like he was heading for the White House.

October 30, as Marcus Rashford ran rings round the government on free school meals, I addressed the theme of role models for The New European. No guesses for who came out as a better role model among Rashford, Johnson and Trump.

October 31, as we head towards another lockdown, a piece for The Article on the leak inquiry into the leaking of details of a meeting attended only by Johnson, Michael Gove, Matt Hancock and Rishi Sunak.

November 1, after Labour suspended Jeremy Corbyn for his reaction to the anti-Semitism report, a piece for Tortoise on the similarities between him and Corbyn.

November 4, with Trump claiming the election was being stolen, I am rather pleased, looking back at my tweets, and this piece in the Independent, that I had a good sense of where it was all heading.

November 5, New European column on how Johnson is normalising croneyism and corruption.

November 6, piece in The Article on Trumps's appalling reaction to the election, and how Johnson had committed another failure of statecraft in getting too close to Trump.

Same day, a piece in GQ on how other US Presidents had left office with grace of which Trump is clearly incapable.

I know I have missed a few, but I am sure someone will remind me what they are.

Enjoy the fresh air that the US election has injected into the world.