There are times when it seems as if there is only doom and gloom around. So it is important to note the positives. This week three key ministers have nothing but positive messages to impart. George Osborne regards Israel as a model from which the UK can learn; David Willetts argues that campus hate is the preserve of hotheads and points out that the academic boycott push is a dismal failure; and Nick Clegg has issued a paean of praise to Anglo-Jewry. These were not part of a concerted government effort but a series of coincidental remarks. And they are all the more significant for that.