Populism and power can make for uncomfortable bedfellows. Shouting from the sidelines, the likes of Donald Trump offer simple solutions to intractable challenges. The problems start when they actually win. The US president is running out of excuses. So are some of his soulmates across the Atlantic: Britain may be heading towards Brexit, but taking back control is proving a much tougher proposition.

It is premature to read the rites over the electoral insurgency of the past few years. Far-right parties are winning significant vote shares across Europe. The Islamophobic Alternative for Germany now has seats in the Bundestag. The ugly xenophobia of Austria’s Freedom party has found a place in government.

That said, many expected 2017 to be the year when the populists swept away all before them. In the event, they were mostly held at the gates. The nativist Geert Wilders failed in the Netherlands and the National Front’s Marine Le Pen was soundly beaten by the centrist Emmanuel Macron in the French presidential poll. When the glass is half-full, it is worth saying so.