I watched in quiet satisfaction as Barack Obama put his signature to the stimulus bill last week. He rested his forearm on the table, bent his wrist and curled his left hand all the way around. At last, a US president who writes like I do.

Four, and possibly five, of the last seven US presidents have been left-handed. (The “possibly” is because Ronald Reagan, while said to be a lefty, signed with his right.) But none of the other left-handed presidents had Mr Obama’s (and my) tortured writing posture.