In times of political turmoil, events can move from impossible to inevitable without even passing through improbable.

In early 2016, the idea of Britain leaving the European Union seemed almost as absurd as the next American president being the six-time bankrupt and serial sex pest Donald Trump. A few months later, Brexit and the Trump presidency were universally acknowledged as the inevitable consequence of an anti-elitist, anti-globalisation backlash that was predictable decades ago.