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The past fortnight has seen a lull in the drama that is Brexit — and so we aficionados must instead make do with a TV drama, Brexit: The Uncivil War, courtesy of Channel 4. Starring Benedict
Cumberbatch as Dominic Cummings, it will serve as a curtain-raiser for the return of Parliament next week. Have you forgotten who Mr Cummings is? You are not alone. (Clue: he’s meant to be
the mad mastermind of Vote Leave.) But that’s the trouble with this genre: by the time “instant” history reaches the screen, the world has moved on. And in real life Mr Cummings is not an
evil genius, just another ex-policy wonk.
Elsewhere, we have been enthralled by pictures from another dark side: that of the Moon. This time there is a genuinely sinister figure involved: President Xi Jinping. Chinese technology may
be brilliant, but the uses to which Mr Xi is putting it are worthy of a James Bond villain. And at the same time the Chinese leader is threatening Taiwan. Time for Donald Trump to stop
fuming about the return of Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House of Representatives, and focus on his real enemy — in Beijing.
Not even Wall Street can escape the shadow of China, it seems. The refusal of Chinese consumers to buy its products is blamed by Apple for the tech giant’s poor results, sending stock
markets into panic. But if 2019 is to be the year that technology companies come down to earth, that may be a blessing in disguise.
For even the doctors are now admitting that our addiction to the iPhone and other devices has created a serious problem for our children. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
has issued guidance to parents: no phones before bedtime and adults should set a better example by cutting down their own use. The last bit will be hard for many of us, but the evidence is
now clear that unlimited screen time for children breeds depression, self-harm and even other disorders — even suicide. We have been warned.
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