I don't remember much from history at school, but one thing that stuck in my mind was that the Zulu ruler, King Shaka kaSenzangakhona, apparently used to make his impis dance on patches of thorns to harden their feet in preparation for battle. Haakdoring or enkeldoring, I’m not sure, but it lodged itself in my head, if not my foot. Not much else did, but that’s OK because while the world and its assembled commentators don’t have much to say about the future, there’s no moving on from the past. Increasingly, the present is a repackaged past. Welcome to the great encore...