Tuesday 31st December

A momentous year in some ways, culminating in getting married.  And at my age, can you imagine that.  And at this time of reflection what do we really think of the year just gone?  Not too much really, politically it was a frustrating year; the economy finally turned a corner and yet for the vast majority of people it feels just as bad.  Labour frustratingly and tantalizingly showed flashes of genius and instant popularity, but only glimpses.  The real story was the rise and rise of UKIP.  I may be wrong but this time I suspect they will really start to make headway.   And while it may help Labour in some seats they are stealing votes from them too.  It is as if a dam is slowly bursting, and it is at last respectable to be anti-immigration, which in it’s turn is simply a euphemism for racism, especially against Muslims.  And that is really depressing.

House prices are starting to rise again, and this against the shadow, the threat, the elephant in the room of interest rates being kept like some sort of pressure cooker lid, offering us all the illusion of cheap money.  I can’t help thinking it will all turn out badly.

A degree of skepticism is creeping in too about climate change.  Fracking holds an illusive promise of cheap energy, but at what environmental cost one wonders?

And so I could go on.  I won’t be sad to see the back of 2013.  2014?  Who knows, could be better…could be worse.