There is no such thing as a newspaper that only prints good news, nor would there be much demand for one. We read the press to understand the world’s problems and Brexit has brought plenty of them – political ones, at least. But beyond Westminster, how did things go in 2018?

The answer is: surprisingly well. It will sound preposterous, but we might well have just had the best year in British history. And next year might be better still.

A couple of years ago, I set up an email alert that sends me every news article containing the words “despite Brexit”.

At first, I did this for my own amusement: the headlines do tend to be quite (unintentionally) funny. But then I noticed they painted a picture of an extraordinary country.

One where immigrants are being welcomed and settled, with investment pouring in and companies reaching out. The kind of place that anyone would be pleased to live in. And the strangest thing about these stories is that they all appear to be true.