This is the time of year when we review the past twelve months.
Wettest, windiest, wildest, most wearisome, you know the kind of thing.
The newspapers are full of books and records and films of the year, some of which, having seen or read I am secretly pleased with myself and my good taste and some I think, glad I didn't waste my money.
I guess that I place myself in a pretty easily caricatured place if I admit that my best book was a close race between Will Hutton, Changing Britain, why we need a fairer society and The Big Music, by Kirsty Gunn, my favourite record was a close run thing between Bob Dylan and my friends Jinski, Down Home and my favourite film without a doubt, was Killer Joe.
But Music and Film and Books are not the only things that we must review, of course we must also review the performance of both the Government and the Opposition.
Essentially the summary of all the reviews must be: The most austere year ever!
Like many commentators and bloggers some of what you may have read in this blog was wrong and some was OK and some was right.
But the consensus must be that we have experienced policies which have left the poorest poorer, some the same and the better off, well, even better off.
This coalition Government has proved itself to be friends of the wealthy and no amount of self righteous indignation from the Deputy Prime Minister will ever convince me otherwise.
Commentator after commentator in Newspaper after Newspaper has opined that the drift to the right, the economic policies, the cuts and the attacks on those dependent on benefits, have out Thatcher'ed Mrs T by the power of a considerable blue margin.
The only thing that has not happened is that we have not waged war against a belligerent enemy or engaged in any argy bargy.
The opposition gets a beta minus for its efforts.
There is an economic plan which works to lift those at the bottom of society, the poorest, the children, the elderly and the disabled to a level where they can enjoy the benefits of a society becoming richer without disproportionately damaging those innovators and entrepreneurs who generate wealth.
It always strikes me that the comments of the Chancellor about folk lying in bed behind closed curtains whilst others get up and go to work were meant to be damaging and insulting to a section of society who are sometimes called welfare scroungers or cheats.
But how much more damaging and insulting is the view expressed by both Mrs Thatcher and her heirs and successors that the wealthy only ever get out of bed and draw the curtains because they want to make more and more money and become the subject of satirical derision by Harry Enfield.
The Opposition must in the year ahead begin to spread two truths about a modern capitalist system.
The first is that wealth does not trickle down.
The second is that if the jobs are not there then wages are the wrong mechanism for distributing wealth effectively.
As 2012 slowly and painfully limps to its conclusion, with only Jools Holland's Hootenanny to save it from total ignominy, we can only hope that 2013 will fare better.
I look forward to a warm spring leading to a heatwave lasting from May to October followed by a mild autumn and a bright cold winter lasting from December the 22nd until December 31st.
The depression of 2012 will be followed by twelve months of sustained growth with all Millionaires voluntarily increasing their tax payments to 90% insisting that the money be used to lift all children out of poverty, ensuring the elderly are warm and well fed and that those needing health care and social support be given priority treatment in the new NHS Hospitals that will be built.
As this programme of social distribution gathers pace the Chancellor will address the double whammy of taxation on the poorest by ensuring that inflation is managed better and only impacts on the upper wage earner and that Lottery Tickets are taken off sale altogether.
Both inflation and the Lottery represent a tax on the poorest in society who see incomes eroding and who have a greater chance of being run over on their way to buy their lottery tickets than they have of ever becoming a millionaire by winning the lottery.
Of course during 2013 I will also be delighted to witness the formal procession, using the traditional open topped bus, from Eastlands, possibly via Maine Road, where the bus will automatically change colour from blue to red, to Old Trafford, as Roberto Mancini and his blue shirted acolytes return the Premier League Cup to its rightful place in the Old Trafford Trophy Room, the other much rumoured return of course is Christiano Ronaldo together with Jose Mourinho assuming the Mantle of Managership from the shoulders of Sir Alex.
So from the Theatre of Dreams to a year of dreams.
I think I will keep my brolly handy just in case.
Wettest, windiest, wildest, most wearisome, you know the kind of thing.
The newspapers are full of books and records and films of the year, some of which, having seen or read I am secretly pleased with myself and my good taste and some I think, glad I didn't waste my money.
I guess that I place myself in a pretty easily caricatured place if I admit that my best book was a close race between Will Hutton, Changing Britain, why we need a fairer society and The Big Music, by Kirsty Gunn, my favourite record was a close run thing between Bob Dylan and my friends Jinski, Down Home and my favourite film without a doubt, was Killer Joe.
But Music and Film and Books are not the only things that we must review, of course we must also review the performance of both the Government and the Opposition.
Essentially the summary of all the reviews must be: The most austere year ever!
Like many commentators and bloggers some of what you may have read in this blog was wrong and some was OK and some was right.
But the consensus must be that we have experienced policies which have left the poorest poorer, some the same and the better off, well, even better off.
This coalition Government has proved itself to be friends of the wealthy and no amount of self righteous indignation from the Deputy Prime Minister will ever convince me otherwise.
Commentator after commentator in Newspaper after Newspaper has opined that the drift to the right, the economic policies, the cuts and the attacks on those dependent on benefits, have out Thatcher'ed Mrs T by the power of a considerable blue margin.
The only thing that has not happened is that we have not waged war against a belligerent enemy or engaged in any argy bargy.
The opposition gets a beta minus for its efforts.
There is an economic plan which works to lift those at the bottom of society, the poorest, the children, the elderly and the disabled to a level where they can enjoy the benefits of a society becoming richer without disproportionately damaging those innovators and entrepreneurs who generate wealth.
It always strikes me that the comments of the Chancellor about folk lying in bed behind closed curtains whilst others get up and go to work were meant to be damaging and insulting to a section of society who are sometimes called welfare scroungers or cheats.
But how much more damaging and insulting is the view expressed by both Mrs Thatcher and her heirs and successors that the wealthy only ever get out of bed and draw the curtains because they want to make more and more money and become the subject of satirical derision by Harry Enfield.
The Opposition must in the year ahead begin to spread two truths about a modern capitalist system.
The first is that wealth does not trickle down.
The second is that if the jobs are not there then wages are the wrong mechanism for distributing wealth effectively.
As 2012 slowly and painfully limps to its conclusion, with only Jools Holland's Hootenanny to save it from total ignominy, we can only hope that 2013 will fare better.
I look forward to a warm spring leading to a heatwave lasting from May to October followed by a mild autumn and a bright cold winter lasting from December the 22nd until December 31st.
The depression of 2012 will be followed by twelve months of sustained growth with all Millionaires voluntarily increasing their tax payments to 90% insisting that the money be used to lift all children out of poverty, ensuring the elderly are warm and well fed and that those needing health care and social support be given priority treatment in the new NHS Hospitals that will be built.
As this programme of social distribution gathers pace the Chancellor will address the double whammy of taxation on the poorest by ensuring that inflation is managed better and only impacts on the upper wage earner and that Lottery Tickets are taken off sale altogether.
Both inflation and the Lottery represent a tax on the poorest in society who see incomes eroding and who have a greater chance of being run over on their way to buy their lottery tickets than they have of ever becoming a millionaire by winning the lottery.
Of course during 2013 I will also be delighted to witness the formal procession, using the traditional open topped bus, from Eastlands, possibly via Maine Road, where the bus will automatically change colour from blue to red, to Old Trafford, as Roberto Mancini and his blue shirted acolytes return the Premier League Cup to its rightful place in the Old Trafford Trophy Room, the other much rumoured return of course is Christiano Ronaldo together with Jose Mourinho assuming the Mantle of Managership from the shoulders of Sir Alex.
So from the Theatre of Dreams to a year of dreams.
I think I will keep my brolly handy just in case.
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