I recently saw the film Lincoln and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone interested in the art of politics, presumably anyone reading this column.

Despite being set circa 150 years ago, in a different country, with a different political system, there is much that we can learn. Brokering deals with members of his own Republican Party and the Democrat opposition alike, this is a story of clarity of vision and drive and determination, coupled with a deep understanding of how humans behave and how to win them over, including the compromises that need to be made along the way.