• Predictions 2022 – How did I do?

    Time to see how I did with my predictions at the start of the year.

    Boris Johnson will be replaced with a Prime Minister who is more competent, more right wing and more difficult to beat.

    Well, if we skip lightly over the horror of Liz Truss’s premiership, I’m going to claim this one as fulfilled. Left and right designations in politics mean less as the years go on. Prediction fulfilled.

    A good year for Michael Gove (who is almost invisible at the moment).

    I’m claiming this one too. He’s back in government and less invisible. If you don’t agree, you probably don’t read the Daily Telegraph. Prediction fulfilled.

    Church of Scotland General Assembly votes to allow same-sex couples to be married in church. More significantly, almost no-one leaves in a huff.

    Exactly what happened. Prediction Fulfilled.

    No progress for those seeking marriage equality in the Church of England.

    Sadly. Prediction Fulfilled

    US Republican Party do well at the November midterms.

    Gloriously, prediction unfulfilled.

    Midnight Mass will happen at St Mary’s Cathedral, Glasgow – some people will still be wearing masks but it won’t be mandatory.

    Yes, I did see a few mask wearers but we were getting back to prepandemic levels of attendence and Midnight Mass was a blast. Prediction fulfilled.

    Lots of people discover that cryptocurrency is not the sure thing that they thought. (Losses will disproportionately affect young people).

    Oh my, yes. What a mess some people have got themselves into. Prediction fulfilled.

    Nicola Sturgeon will be forced to announce a proposed date for an Independence Referendum against her better judgement.

    She announed on 23 June 2022 that it would be held on 19 October 2023. (Spoiler alert – it won’t happen on 19 October 2023). Prediction fulfilled.

    Lambeth Conference will take place but some people forced to participate virtually due to continued pandemic in developing world. (No new sanctions against pro-gay provinces).

    Well it took place but I’m not sure whether or not there were virtual participants. However, there were no new sanctions against pro-gay provinces. Prediction largely fulfilled.

    Working from home/hybrid working becomes normalised for big companies. Consequent increase in ransomware demands.

    Working from home is certainly still going on and there are many big companies that are planning for it continuing in some form. (Here’s a government report about it). And yes, ransomware has increased. (Here’s a paper on it from the Chartered Institute of IT).


    I’m guessing that one or two people might want to argue about whether I got this all as right as I think I did – particularly the first two, but not a bad year overall.

2 responses to “Election Thoughts”

  1. David | Dah•veed Avatar
    David | Dah•veed

    I can tell you from sad experience that our ten years of true multiparty democracy has mostly resulted in a federal legislature that has been paralyzed to accomplish anything for the nation. This sad state of affairs is seducing folks to return to the party of our former one party dictatorship of the previous 70 years.

  2. Andrew Heatlie Avatar
    Andrew Heatlie

    Dah.veed, one of the current cynical jokes has to be David Cameron talking of ‘strong government’ when what he’s describing is right-wing insensitivity and selfishness; from this the need is daylight-clear for multiparty co-operation in the whole community’s interest. But it has to be that genuinely; in Scotland with the incompetent SNP in lead-role we see only too well how Government deception and chicanery have to be challenged at every turn. A good PR electoral system does not guarantee reputable good government, only public vigilance and Freedom of Information!

    Kelvin, it’s much easier to focus together behind a party political banner than in religious matters, because politics is a much more restricted dimension of life over which to establish provisional priorities, whereas religious perspectives encompass EVERYTHING, and no way can we expect to see more than a little partial bit of the picture this side of the grave, let alone agree on the specifics; so it’s more like working together on an open agenda than promoting a preset political campaign?

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