There’s a long list of learnings (and some great insights from industry bosses to come in our ‘new year predictions’ content to be published over the break), but something that keeps coming to my mind is this: "best practice exists for a reason".

If another person or company or indeed country does something well, or has expertise in a particular area, then it makes perfect sense to look at what they’ve done and develop your own plans accordingly.

By all means tweak it, modify it, improve it. But look to best practice first.

And look at how your own existing resources and expertise can be best deployed.

Unfortunately our government seems to have taken the polar opposite approach to its handling of the Covid-19 situation, and hence we are where we are. 

In that respect, Johnson et al have provided a sort of anti-inspiration – a how not to do it – playbook. Which in its own infuriating way is also quite useful.

All in all I’m finding it hard not to finish the year in a complete rage.

However. Over the holiday I’ll be raising a glass to all the printing industry bosses who have charted a course through an unimaginably difficult year. You have set the sort of example our political leaders really could learn from.