Greetings from Berlin. I have decided to take a break from Brexit Britain to spend a year in the German capital. In fact, after a 40-year gap, I have decided to return to university and the attraction of a country which teaches in English and charges no tuition fees. It proved irresistible.

Obviously, I won’t be neglecting my duties as an MJ columnist and my sabbatical in Europe does give me an opportunity to compare the condition of local government and public services.