The Opinion Engine 2.0:
31/31:
Predictions.

Higgs boson - LHC

That Day It's that time of year again when I assess what were my predictions for the passing year and make up some new ones. Here's what I thought:

There will be a UK general election.

What we have now is a situation in which the Lib Dems are being given some latitude to criticise their coalition “partners” even some of the personalities (see the Euro-vito), but the actual specifics of the "friendship" are holding, largely because when there is a general election they’ll be wiped out. and thanks to fixed term parliaments that in theory that should give them until 2015.  Yes, well, hum.  They’re in limbo essentially and a limbo they’d probably still be in even if the maths had meant they could have joined with Labour in the last election. This isn’t a solid prediction, I’m insane enough to put it in the list below, but having read Deborah Orr’s excellent column on the subject, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s an SDP/UKIP-like splinter group at some point in the future of supporters like me who were LibDems because they hated both Labour and the Tories and can’t find it in themselves to vote for the party as it stands. No marks, for me or them.

A lost episode of Doctor Who will be found.
The annual wild stab in the dark which turns out to be true. Two whole episodes. One mark.

A scientific discovery will revolutionise philosophical thought.
The Higgs particle. Though I don’t see the supernaturalists quaking just yet. Half a mark.

BBC Four will begin showing theatre on a regular basis.

No marks and indeed, other than some reruns, including Rupert Goold’s Macbeth last January, I don’t think there’s been any newish theatre on BBC Four this year. Even BBC Three had Frankenstein’s Wedding in March. Save BBC Four, yes, but can we have some diversity please?

A major high street entertainment retailer will close.

HMV’s still holding on by its nails. This year was the first in decades when I didn’t make a special trip to the shop in town to buy something in the Christmas Eve sale, having ordered the complete Alias (ironically) from the (not) Zavvi website a few days before and decided that would do. A favourable credit line from Universal is helping and there’s the potential for a takeover bid. US Borders finally went under this year and since I didn’t specify a geographical region (!) and I’m desperate for points, one mark.

Two and half which if you look at the archive of these predictions is about average. Now, let’s see. Hello, 2012, let’s go big …

Obama re-elected.


Murdoch's empire collapses.


Sugababes reforms.


Shakespeare found.


Planet saved.

That’s Sugababes rather than “Sugababes”. Either a Shakespeare manuscript or a lost play.  You never know. I have high hopes about us all finding a mutually agreed decision on climate change though what I really mean is that we’ll simply move from being negative to positive about the future. I’ll leave it to the thirty-eight year old version of me, next year, to measure exactly what that means. Sorry, future me.

This is the opinion engine closing down, for now.  Happy New Year!

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