I had a chance to catch up with the news this weekend, and it occurred to me that for once the three top stories were all good. The first is the ceasefire in the middleeast. I think the Israelis bowed to UN pressure to halt their heavy-handed bombing of innocent people. mind you, I suspect it’s a ploy: as soon as the Palestinians start throwing petrol bombs again – and they will, out of frustration – Olmert will use it at justification to start air strikes again, kind of like kids saying ‘well they started it, so ban ki moon can shut up’.

The second piece of good news was that astounding bit of piloting. The way Capt Chesley B ”Sully” Sullenberger landed his plane on the Hudson river was incredible. It could have ended so tragically, but the pilot made a perfect crash landing. If I had seen that in a film, I’d have derided it as Hollywood make-believe. I think that captain Sullenberger is currently everybody’s hero.

However, I think the greatest news – indeed, world-shattering news – is the forthcoming inauguration of Barack Obama. For the first time in human history, the leader of the western world will be something other than a white male. This is monumental. I think it is a triumph of liberalism; not only in the sense of democrat over republican, but of the liberal ideal that all people are equal, that a person should be judged not by his or her gender, ethnicity, or religious beliefs, but by their ideas, ideals and so on. These, to me, are and always have been liberal ideals: if the forces of pure conservatism had prevailed, Obama and his family would still be going to separate schools, drinking at separate water fountains. To me, his election has resurrected my faith in the American dream. I intend to write more about this on Tuesday, but this weekend, for the first time in perhaps eight years, I found myself wanting to go to America again.