Monday, December 29, 2008

Ten Predictions for 2009

1. There won't be an election.
2. Unemployment will top 3 million by the end of the year.
3. Damian Green will not face charges.
4. Ed Balls will be Chancellor by the end of the year.
5. Ken Clarke will join the Shadow Cabinet. David Davis won't.
6. The Independent will go out of business.
7. There will be a second massive recapitalisation of the banks.
8. Lynne Featherstone will be promoted to a major job on the LibDem front bench.
9. Jonathan Ross will leave the BBC.
10. The economic growth rate will be three times worse than the Treasury has predicted.

22 comments:

  1. I think you have most of those right...

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  2. But...but...but...

    who will win Big Brother?

    I mean we should concentrate on the important stuff; it is only Right and Correct that we should do so for our hard-pressed families in These Exceptional Times.

    [/sarcasm]

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  3. Robert Mugabe will remain in power.

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  4. There are no major jobs in the Lib Dems.

    How do you measure 3 times worse?

    No football predictions?

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  5. 11. I will take delivery of an Audi R8...

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  6. 7. There will be a second massive recapitalisation of the banks.

    That may well prove to be necessary, but I'm not sure it will be possible.

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  7. Iain,

    Geeat predictions!

    But you missed the important one!!!

    Nick Clegg = Neil Kinnock!

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  8. 4 million unemployed

    A ghastly turn out at the european elections of less than 20%

    Inflation in double figures

    £100 pounds buying what ten pounds does now

    Pay being cut or frozen

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  9. I fear unemployment will top 3 million by the end of the first quarter and 4 million by the end of the year.

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  10. Apart from 9 I'd say you have hit 'em on the head

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  11. I'm not sure if Ross will ever leave the BBC, I think he'll come back to his chatshow. He'll probably nervously reference his suspension a couple of times and then "play it cool".

    I would agree with all the others, although I'm not sure how long Ken Clarke would stay in the Shadow Cabinet if he joined - would there be rumblings from party activists?

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  12. 1. There won't be an election - agreed.
    2. Unemployment will top 3 million - agreed.
    3. Damian Green will not face charges - agreed.
    4. Ed Balls will be Chancellor by the end of the year - agreed.
    5. Ken Clarke will join the Shadow Cabinet. David Davis won't. - disagree.
    6. The Independent will go out of business. - agree, with some luck.
    7. There will be a second massive recapitalisation of the banks. - agreed.
    8. Lynne Featherstone will be promoted to a major job on the LibDem front bench. - undecided.
    9. Jonathan Ross will leave the BBC. - disagree.
    10. The economic growth rate will be three times worse than the Treasury has predicted. - agreed.

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  13. I have the worst attack of flu' I have ever had.
    Reading that list I don't care if get better or not.

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  14. It's a shame Redwood and Davis are unlikely to remain outside of the Shadow Cabinet. I would rather see both of them in government than the return of Ken Clarke, even though the latter would certainly be a very effective Oppositon performer. Would Clarke be willing to take anything other than a top job, anyway?

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  15. I still think number one could be wrong but I agree with all the others.
    But would add -
    11 Brown ditches the Pound for the Euro in a desperate effort to stave off British bankruptcy.

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  16. Yes Yes Yes No No No No Yes Yes No

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  17. Your opinion (as in no. 8) of Lynn Featherhead must be based on something. What, precisely? Her published claim, after a week in the Commons, to have been in charge of the LibDem response to the Budget?

    Yes, she made a lot of froth, column-inches and air-time over Baby P. Now, reassure me that, when the child's death occurred, she was as loud. Curiously, I missed that (and she has good contacts still in Haringey Civic Centre -- or should have). Anything else is opportunism.

    Then, of course, there is her ego. I receive her occasional newsletters (curiously, always in the run-up to an election). I have a small alcoholic bet with myself: do the mentions of the lady's name in those four tabloid pages exceed those of "Jesus Christ" in the Four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles combined? Mais naturellement! Haven't missed out on that dram yet!

    Then there was that delicious cat-fight between La Ryness and Brian Coleman. Boy, did we enjoy that! As I recall, he said she was “dizzy” and an “airhead”. She said he’s a fool and “an idiot”. And, of course, for once, both were completely correct.

    So, on that prediction at least, let me demur.

    And I haven't mentioned the pre-emptive strike on the Commons stationary cabinet.

    And, by the way, a good Tory candidate for Hornsey and Wood Green could still come through the middle. And that's from a natural Labour voter.

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  18. Gawd!

    Stationery/stationary!

    I won't live that one down.

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  19. Malcolm - the law tightly restricts what you can say in public about a case whilst legal proceedings are ongoing. That's why my public comments on Baby P's death were after the verdict - but that doesn't me I haven't been taking up issues regularly with Haringey over children's services (as you can see from my blog postings at the time). As for the budget claim - sorry, you're wrong about that.

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  20. I agree with most of your predictions, but the Independent closing ? Still, I don't suppose many of us would have predicted the demise of Woolworths this time last year.

    I think Peter is righr about the fall of Sterling leading to entry into the EURO. I think this is being done deliberately for that purpose.

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  21. 1. There won't be an erection.

    Ooh you are awful....but I rike you.

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