The Economist comments on Daniel Ortega’s election win in Nicaragua, “One of the lessons from this year's elections in Latin America is that the region's voters, like those elsewhere, dislike being told what to do by outsiders. Having been rebuffed when he backed candidates in Peru, Mexico and Ecuador, Mr Chávez kept quiet about Nicaragua. The Americans did not. Mr Ortega duly won 38% of the vote, enough to give him victory over a divided opposition that included both conservatives and the centre-left.”

So you can’t always get what you want, but if you shut up sometimes you just might find you get what you need.

I wish my four-year-old daughter Madeleine would learn this lesson. Must be all that artistic temperament.