What is in Kelvin's Head?

Predictions 2021 – How did I do?

31/12/2021

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

Boris Johnson will achieve his longstanding ambition to become a former Prime Minister.

Alas, Boris Johnson did not achieve this ambition this year. But we must award him 10/10 for trying. He’ll get there in the end. Prediction not accurate

Stock market higher at end of 2021 than at the beginning (FTSE – 6,460) but higher inflation too (most recent CPIH – 0.6%).

Yes, the stock market is higher and so is inflation. (FTSE – 7379 and most recent CPIH – 4.6%). Prediction accurate.

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

Indeed, no progress at all for those hoping for marriage equality in the Church of England. Moreover, any hope is receding, made much worse by the Church in Wales opting for blessing same-sex couples rather than marrying them. Prediction accurate.

State based hackers turn their disruptive attention to open source software. (Watch out WordPress).

Hard to prove but there are reports suggesting this is happening and indeed may have been happening before this year. I’m claiming this as a win. Prediction accurate.

Donald Trump will remain the centre of attention.

He’s not gone away. He’s not been convicted of anything. He’s building his media empire. He wants to run again and has no major republican challenger. Prediction accurate

There will be midnight mass in St Mary’s Cathedral, Glasgow next Christmas Eve. People will be wearing masks.

Accurate in every respect. Prediction accurate.

A rocky year for Nicola Sturgeon but the SNP will be returned triumphant to Holyrood, despite their record.

Well it wasn’t really a rocky year for Nicola Sturgeon who is still the only show in town but the SNP did return in triumph to Holyrood despite their record. Prediction partially accurate.

No vote on Scottish Independence this year but like it or not, constitutional change is a-coming.

Indeed so. It has been quite a year for asking whether devolution works. Prediction accurate.

Attempt to repeal the Human Rights Act, removing the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights from UK law. (It is a stepping stone to restoring capital punishment – the Brexiteers are not done with us yet).

Consultation currently underway on a plan to replace the Human Rights Act with a Bill of Rights that would distance the UK from the ECHR. Prediction sadly accurate.

Legislation emerges in Scotland to restrict fireworks.

The Fireworks (Scotland) Miscellaneous Amendments Regulations 2021 were brought in at the end of June restricting the times of day that fireworks can be used to between 6 pm and 11 pm, restricting the times of sale and limiting the amount that can be sold to someone at any one time. We’ll see how these restrictions have been received at about one minute past midnight tonight. Prediction accurate.

Not a bad year overall. I’m claiming 8½ out of 10.

16 responses to “St Andrew's Day 2008”

Christina

04/12/2007

On a related theme, was there not a year recently when we had to move the assumption because it fell on Ash Wednesday? I don’t remember Christmas being delayed, but of course, can’t comment on the delay of the second coming.

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Christina

04/12/2007

And I know I meant “annunciation” before you point it out to me.

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Rob Murray Brown

26/08/2008

Is there a reason that the two celebrations cant be held on the same day? Do you really think that Christ would object to sharing a day with one of his disciples. I think not!

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kelvin

26/08/2008

I think that it is more about giving the church the full opportunity to concentrate on both.

The themes that we remember at Christ the King (ie how Jesus undermines all our expectations of monarchy and power) don’t fit terribly well with theme we think about on St Andrew’s Day (thinking about missions and spreading faith in the world and also praying for Scotland). Advent 1 is something else altogether and also does not make a good fit.

I quite like the way the calendar works as it is a good reminder to us that being God’s people is something that happens daily, not weekly.

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Rob Murray Brown

13/10/2008

Im feel sure that your congregation would manage to digest more than one message on any particular day. The fact is that St Andrews Day is on the 30 November each year – every 7 or so years this will fall on a Sunday. I cant remember it ever being moved before and see no reason to start in 2009.

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Kelvin

13/10/2008

St Andrews Day is on 1 December this year in the Scottish Episcopal Calendar as it is every year when 30 November falls on a Sunday.

It is the way the Ecclesiastical calendar works.

To quote fully from the published Calendar:

Each Holy and Saint’s Day listed in the Calendar has been assigned a number which indicates its category.
It is intended that feasts in categories 1 – 4 (below) should be kept by the whole Church. Days in categories 5 and
6 may be kept according to diocesan or local discretion. Commemorations not included in this Calendar may be
observed with the approval of the Bishop.
When two celebrations fall on the same day, the following table indicates which takes precedence.
1 Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday;
Easter Day (and the weekdays following);
Pentecost;
Ash Wednesday; Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday in Holy Week; Ascension Day;
Christmas Day ; Epiphany;
Sundays of Advent, Lent and Easter.
2 Feasts of The Lord (Naming, Presentation, Annunciation, Transfiguration);
Trinity Sunday; All Saints’ Day;
Dedication and Patronal Festivals;
Eves of Christmas and Pentecost;
First Sunday after Christmas;
First Sunday after Epiphany (the Baptism of the Lord).
3 Sundays after Christmas (except Christmas 1);
Sundays after Epiphany (except Epiphany 1);
Sundays after Pentecost (except Pentecost 1);
Weekdays in Lent.
4 Feasts of the Apostles and Evangelists;
Saint Mary the Virgin, the Visit to Elizabeth;
Joseph, John the Baptist (Birth, Beheading);
Mary Magdalene; Michael and All Angels;
Stephen, the Holy Innocents;
Kentigern, Patrick, Columba, Ninian, Margaret of Scotland.
5 All Souls’ Day; Holy Cross Day;
Conception and Birth of Mary, Mother of the Lord;
Thanksgiving for the Institution of the Holy Communion (Corpus Christi);
Thanksgiving for Harvest.
6 Other commemorations.
Notes:
(i) Epiphany may be kept on the Sunday following 1 January, and the Ascension on the Seventh Sunday of
Easter.
(ii) Feasts in Category 2, falling on a weekday, may be kept on the nearest Sunday, except Sundays in
Categories 1 and 2.
(iii) Feasts in Category 4, falling on a day of higher category (other than a weekday in Lent), should be
transferred (in chronological order) to the next available weekday.
(iv) Where feasts in Category 4 fall on a Sunday (other than a Sunday in Categories 1 and 2), they may, if local
circumstances require, be kept on that day.
(v) The weekdays of Advent and Easter may be given special weighting.
(vi) When days in Category 6 coincide with a day of higher category, they should be omitted that year.
(vii) Thanksgiving for the Institution of Holy Communion is particularly associated with the Thursday after
Trinity Sunday.
(viii) Thanksgiving for the Harvest may take place on any appropriate Sunday.

The full thing can be found within this zip file:
http://www.scotland.anglican.org/media/liturgy/liturgy/calendar_and_lectionary_pdf.zip

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