What is in Kelvin's Head?

How were my Predictions last year?

31/12/2024

Time to check out how I did with the predictions I made on New Year’s Day 2024.

1 General Election in UK – Labour landslide. PM – Sir Keir Starmer. (No great change in policies from the Tory government that Labour will replace).

Yes – fulfilled in every way.

2 US politics will continue to be dominated by Donald Trump

Yes

3 In the US Presidential election in November there will be victory for the Republican Party.

Yes

4 AI/Deepfakes have a significant effect in electoral politics.

Not really – AI/Deepfakes are present but there’s no real evidence that they swung any particular election

5 Conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine unresolved by end of 2024.

Alas Yes

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

Alas Yes

7 Twitter goes bust or is sold or both.

Not quite. Twitter feels pretty wounded but still Xists.

8 The world will be warmer in 2024 than ever before.

Yes

9 Another country will join Nato.

Yes, Sweden in March.

A new agreement is reached between the UK and Greece on the Elgin/Parthenon Marbles that opens the door for at least some of them to be displayed in Athens.

Close but no cigar.

Not a bad year – 7 direct hits with a few misses.

6 responses to “Turning Up”

chris

04/06/2013

It’s a hard one, that. There’s the constant need to keep churchgoing a joy rather than a huvtae – not to put barriers in God’s way, so to speak. And that is true, I think, for the bums on the pews as it is for the providers.

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Robert McLean

04/06/2013

A priest I once knew always cheerily said ‘See you on Sunday!’ whenever he said goodbye to a parishioner, even if it were at the end of morning tea after Sunday mass. By being genuinely keen to see people again, most did come weekly as they were genuinely keen to see him again too.

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Tim

04/06/2013

When – or perhaps where – I was young it was folks talking about the benefits of daily prayer and Bible-reading (and the upper-case was significant)…

If it’s true that Christianity has become something one fits into one’s way of life, then I contend that’s a good thing.

Christianity-within-life helps convey a sense of authenticity – if I can mention church into conversation with a random stranger, naturally, without worry that they’ll think I’m any more of a freak than usual, then something’s going right.

There’s a parallel: I never liked in-church sub-groups based on age (“20s & 30s”) because if that’s all I’ve got in common with people, well, tough. OTOH if folks with which I have something in common are within +/-10yr of my age then so be it. It’s a matter of which is the driving force – not mistaking cause and effect. This generation says: first the inner reality, then the regularity of bums-on-pews will happen anyway.

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1. chris
  
  04/06/2013
  
  I like this, Tim. And I enjoy the fact that I can share a church-based giggle with someone I used to teach, someone who is the same generation as my children. But there needs also to be the regular dose of magic …
  
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Pam

04/06/2013

My congregation is, mostly, an older age group. We have a youth service, a family service and Communion service at our bigger church in the district. This year I think I’ve probably attended three-quarters of the Sundays – all my children live out of town now and visits happen. Illness happens. Holidays happen. I do feel a joy and connection to my church family – but I’m fortunate to also see them around the town. Importantly, they’re friends as well.

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chris

05/06/2013

Mr B has just offered the thought that regular church attendance is rather like marriage – you can’t just give up when you feel like it. Strikes me as a pretty accurate comparison …

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