We will not remember 2021 with great fondness, I suspect. A year in which we were supposed to shake off the coronavirus and return to something like normal turned out rather differently. We ended the year almost as we began it, amid great uncertainty.
Nothing quite says “Christmas festivities” like a variant of concern, the near constant threat of a Christmas lockdown and a dithering Government ignoring anything scientific to base their decisions on and choosing the least damaging option for their opinion poll rating. In the words of the great Yogi Berra, “It’s like déjà vu all over again.”
Aside from all of the festivities, December is that period of the year when everyone has way too much time on their hands……and a lot of big questions get answered. Is it time to move house? Shall we have another child? Do I really want to spend another year with (insert name as appropriate)?
For me though, it’s all about sweating the small stuff and spending a staggering amount of time trying to box off some of the completely irrelevant topics that consume my ‘way too active’ mind. Forget the festivities or spending quality time with a 7 year old filled to the brim with Christmas magic……it’s just not productive enough. The downtime is put to much better use in finally boxing off some key subjects.
For example……
- Panic stock piling lateral flow tests during a pandemic makes way more sense than toilet rolls. As a society, we are making some progress. Well, of sorts.
- “You better watch out.” Got it. “You better not cry.” These are pretty big ‘deal breakers’ for most kids. Santa’s got a lot of nerve the way he’s making such huge demands of children. For me, a rethink is required to lower the tone.
- Windchill factor is an absolute joke. If it feels like 0 degrees, then it’s 0 degrees surely? It can’t be 10C but feel like 2C with the wind. Come on……we’re better than that. Another rethink required.
- Why is Matt Hancock staging a comeback and why are the media entertaining it? He is a bin fire of mismanagement and corruption……he’s not ABBA.
- When is a party not a party? When it really needs not to be a party in case someone gets in trouble.
I'm just glad Rishi Sunak didn't take Priti Patel's advice last year when she said people should snitch on their neighbours if they were having parties during lockdown.
- The Metropolitan Police say in relation to the Downing St Christmas party that they don’t investigate crimes retrospectively. That is literally the only way you can investigate crimes. Surely?
The other issue is that there was an “absence of evidence.” Well, yes. There isn’t any evidence yet……because you haven’t started investigating it. I’m no expert in these matters but I am fairly sure that No 10 must be one of the most CCTV-riddled buildings on the planet.
- Has Lorraine Kelly ever discovered something that isn’t “absolutely really fantastic” yet?
- Is it OK to body shame a Christmas Tree? How much must Norway hate us to send that thing?
- In the UK, this is actually a sentence that makes sense: “Excuse me, sorry, do you mind if I just… thanks.”
- I grew up in a time when a stranger breaking into a lone woman's remote house and leaving some sub-par chocolate box for her was considered dashing. The ultimate romantic gesture. Simpler times before CCTV and video doorbells.
- The contactless card limit has now increased to £100. We really do live in an age of miracles……I can remember a time when it was just £25. The young cool kids simply won’t believe that. Just like they won’t believe that we used to get free toys in cereal. Mind blowing.
- Can we now move on from Elf on the Shelf……it’s been done and seems very last year. I’m all up for Andy Murray having a curry or Benedict Cumberbatch weeding the pumpkin patch. If you really push me, I would be fine with Jacob Rees-Mogg de-fleas a dog.
I’m sure you would agree that I have put the extra time off over the festive period to good use!
The Numbers
When future historians look back on it — certainly, economic historians — there will be a curiosity. Looking at the latest official figures published this month, economic growth in 2021 will be around 7% (give or take a decimal point or two). A big number that suggests an economic boom.
Yet, consumer confidence has faltered in the wake of Omicron, though it has not collapsed. Households have increased savings yet are facing a cost of living squeeze that will intensify with the huge increases in energy bills and tax increases due in April. People will not have the luxury of putting so much aside. Whether or not the great UK consumer can be relied on to spend through adversity will be one of the big questions for 2022.
Inflation will dominate the UK landscape for some time. The cost of living surged to 5.1% up from 4.2% the month before……a 10-year high. The International Monetary Fund predicted inflation would reach around 5.5% early this year, which seems very optimistic.
Some 720 items are monitored to determine the inflation figure, with big variants across the range. Second-hand cars have risen 27.1%, fridge-freezers 10.3% and sporting event tickets 8.4%. On the other side, chocolate is up only 1.7%, beer 2% and museum entry 1.6%. Now the baking fad has passed, flour is down 10.3%.
To combat the level of inflation, The Monetary Policy Committee voted 8-1 in favour to increase the base interest rate to 0.25%. This was the first rise in more than 3 years.
Is this really going to tackle surging inflation? For me, this will have no impact on inflation and will only hurt the economy at a time of uncertainty around Omicron.
Property has seen huge inflation through 2021, with house prices in the UK growing at the fastest pace in 15 years. Nationwide announced that house prices had risen 10.4% in 2021 and were 16% above pre-pandemic levels. This was powered by 1 in 16 homes changing hands in 2021!
The jobs market remains very buoyant, with the number of employees on payrolls rising to pre-pandemic levels as companies hired 257,000 in December, taking the total to 29.4 million. It seems hard to believe that the Government effectively employed 11 million people through furlough not that long ago.
Post-Brexit trade deals continue behind the scenes, with the latest confirmed with Australia. Official estimates have previously suggested that in the long run, it would produce an increase of 0.01% to 0.02% to UK GDP. This is partly because Australia accounts for only about 1.7% of UK exports and 0.7% per cent of imports. This was probably the reason there was no chest thumping from BoJo to announce it.
Elsewhere……the Conservatives lost their North Shropshire seat that they held for nearly 200 years. LibDem winner Helen Morgan overturned a Tory majority of almost 23,000. One for the attention of BoJo to reflect on.
Trump of the Month
We live in a time of such distrust in politicians that every breaking story of lies, corruption and greed is met with a mild eyebrow raise. We are punch drunk to it. It’s no longer a shock.
I really miss Theresa May. There…….I’ve said it. The lady I rallied against with anyone that would listen and whose premiership seemed to touch new lows of blank unmeaning. It feels all so different now. I’m overwhelmed with nostalgia for the permanent traffic jam that was her politics and leadership. Mrs May was the Imodium of modern British politics and I long for constipation at a time of political diarrhoea.
Which leads us perfectly to the Trump of the Month…… Jacob Rees-Mogg.
The Mogg is being investigated by the Commons standards watchdog after being accused of breaching the rules for failing to declare £6 million in loans he received from one of his Cayman Island companies.
Which leads me to ponder some questions:
Why does an MP need to raise £6 million?
Why does he have a company set up in the ‘tax efficient’ Cayman Islands?
If the capital raising is due to financial trouble, is he in the right frame of mind to represent his constituency?
If the money is for business interests, does he have enough time to represent his constituency?
If he has not disclosed it through the right Parliamentary channels, does he possess the right moral compass to represent his constituency?
The series of loans began in 2018, so why has it taken 3 years to get to the point of investigating? Is there really that much of a backlog in questionable standards that need to be investigated?
And you can guess which MP it was that led the Government's failed attempt over Owen Paterson to change and reform the House of Commons Standards system that is now investigating Jacob Rees-Mogg! And he nearly got away with it!
Everything you need to know about why there is such distrust of MP’s in one story.
Come back Theresa and make it boring again!
Trump Lunacy Rating: 10 / 10
And Finally……
“Don't raise your voice, improve your argument."
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
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