AS always, the BBC did it best with its dark and sweary take on Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol but over on Russia Today, they certainly took the casting seriously when it came to the Ghosts of Christmas Past.

There was former First Minister Alex Salmond fronting his show, joined by former Labour MP Chris Williamson fresh from losing his deposit in the General Election, and former LibDem MP and reality TV star Lembit Öpik.

I can’t imagine it was essential viewing even in the Putin household this Christmas.

For the Ghosts of Christmas Present, festive producers turned to two men who just won’t leave the stage. Over on Channel 4 was ex-Speaker John Bercow.

“An opinion is no more valid because it is expressed more loudly, repeatedly, or abusively,” said the man who has just stepped down from a job where he loudly and repeatedly expressed his opinion.

Still, his alternative Christmas message with its condemnation of populism was far more watchable than his bizarre appearance on Italian TV, bellowing ‘ordine’ to a baffled audience.

Having led Labour to another election defeat, there was a classic Christmas repeat on the social media channels: Jeremy Corbyn’s address to the nation. This Ghost of Christmas Present is going nowhere anytime soon.

Neither are his advisers Karie Murphy and Seumas Milne who, according to reports, remain present in their jobs while MPs’ staffers have lost theirs.

You can take your pick for the Ghosts of Christmas Future.

Perhaps Donald Trump, bellowing ‘"we made America great again" following his landslide election victory in November.

Or Boris Johnson in January 2021, accepting the inevitability of a no-deal Brexit following the collapse of his trade talks, and preparing the country for recession.

Or Rebecca Long-Bailey in May 2024, blaming the biased media for Labour’s fifth election defeat in a row.

But, as Dickens taught us, the future doesn’t have to be bleak. And there are some politicians on the UK stage who are offering us hope.

Step forward Rory Stewart, the former Tory MP now standing to be Mayor of London. “This was politics untethered; no longer bound to the old rules of achievable promises, affordable policies and reality,” he said of the recent election campaign, asking what happened to leaders prized for their dignity, moderation and seriousness.

But his solution is not to retreat from politics, and meekly accept that it is broken, but to do more to engage with society – not less.

That could be volunteering for a local cause, or looking out for neighbours in need. “We can still recover from grandstanding and sloganeering, but we will do it by being more practical, more local and more humble,” he asserts.

Someone else looking to the future is former Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander.

His guide to disagreeing better will be heard on Radio 4 on Hogmanay, with a central theme that we don't always have to agree, but it's how we do it that matters. His show focuses on a friendship in Northern Ireland forged in the hatred of the past, and offers a vision of a hopeful future for the country and for society at large.

Learning to disagree better should be a New Year’s resolution for many who hold elected office, particularly given the constitutional battles ahead.

Another politician who has refused to accept this is as good as it gets is Labour MP Alison McGovern. She has posed five questions for everyone in the forthcoming Labour leadership election.

The final one is “what is your plan for the challenges ahead – climate, ageing, technology for example – or will you seek to define yourself via the battles of the past?”

It should equally apply to politicians from all parties.

As we enter the century’s third decade, it’s time to forget the ghosts of the past. Instead, we need politicians who concentrate on how to build a better future.