In early November, when US President-elect Mr Joe Biden reached out to other world leaders, he conducted the traditional celebratory courtesies in a time-honoured fashion. He didn’t Zoom Mr Justin Trudeau, his first caller. Nor did he suggest a Google Hangout with the next two – the Irish taoiseach and British prime minister. Instead, as is traditional in these circumstances, he picked up the telephone. Mr Biden may have set his election stall out on a return to a certain way of doing things, but he has not been alone in harking back.
