Amateur Brain Surgery

I’ve been told that I must make some predictions for 2009 and put them on my blog – so here goes:

1. Home repossessions are set to skyrocket in the UK. Although interest rates are being kept low, helping to reduce monthly mortgage repayments, for many this will still be too much as other bills are on the increase and many are losing their jobs.
2. Unemployment in the UK will rise significantly. If we aren’t already above the 2 million mark we soon will be – and it’s going to get a lot worse as more businesses, big and small, bite the dust.
3. Our focus on the economy will draw attention away from imperative climatic issues. There’s no denying that our climate is changing – rapidly. This is not the time to be taking our eye off the environment.
4. Gordon Brown is set for the most miserable year of his life. His popularity will continue to dwindle but he’s likely to resist calls for a general election.
5. There’s likely to be an awful, senseless terrorist attack somewhere in the world. This one is almost a’given’ these days. It really is a sad and dangerous world we have made for ourselves and somewhere some poor, innocent people will find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.
6. There’s also a good chance of a major natural disaster somewhere. Maybe a landslide in the Canary Islands, a massive earthquake or volcanic eruption. In many parts of the world people are living on borrowed time. Too many in geographically vulnerable locations that are basically time bombs waiting to go off.
7. A religious leader, political leader or well known personality will be attacked. While it can be argued that there are a few people in positions of responsibility or prominence who could do with a kick up the backside, nobody deserves to be attacked.
8. World climate will be found to be changing more quickly than had been estimated. There is no denying the climate change that is taking place but it will become clear that the rate of change is accelerating and that disaster is just around the corner.
9. Economic problems will encourage many to look at communism as an alternative. Failure of world economies will result in lots of people questioning the systems that they have grown up with. Alternatives like communism are likely to become popular.
10. Civil unrest and riots will fill the news. Whenever you turn on the TV news or listen to the radio there will be a new report of riots, looting and upheaval somewhere in the world. Poverty and hunger will spread and vast numbers of people will die due to malnutrition.

So there you are. Ten miserable predictions for this forthcoming year. Maybe these are not too optimistic but I think we’re going to find that they are painfully accurate. Many will need to find a second income just to make ends meet and lots of people will lose their houses and their livelihoods in as our economic crisis bites ever deeper.