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Michelle Obama’s unlikely friendship with George W Bush should inspire us to move beyond our divided politics

The time has come to start again, to resume talking pleasantly to people we have come to loathe. I think it’s called being ‘civilised’

Janet Street-Porter
Friday 13 December 2019 21:55 GMT
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Michelle Obama and George W Bush hug at a opening ceremony for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington in 2016
Michelle Obama and George W Bush hug at a opening ceremony for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington in 2016

It’s over, but can my household ever revert back to normal? Can we talk about toast and Christmas cards and not the B word, Jeremy Corbyn and Jo Swinson?

From the moment Boris called an election, the British public told anyone who would listen they were utterly sick of politics, but the bitter campaign has dominated our lives, and consequently the conversation dragged on for weeks. Who to vote for and why became an inescapable talking point. Leaders were trashed, policies mocked. For a nation who said they’d had enough, we couldn’t stop talking about it – and there lies the problem. It was all too personal.

At home, it only took one or two trigger words and the bickering started. Every meal, news bulletin, and even breakfast became an opportunity to make a point. I remained at odds with my partner until the very last day; he even cast his vote by post, so I couldn’t change his mind.

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