2013 - A Great Year?

Well, 2013 is drawing to a close.

Will we look back on the year with pleasure or with a sense of relief that it's all over?

Probably, as with all years, a bit of both.

But, however, you remember 2013 it was certainly a year which gave us plenty to talk about: funny, sad, outrageous and downright inspirational.  When I was looking back at some of the events of the year I was surprised that some of them were only in 2013 (I thought they were much longer ago) and other happenings which I remembered and Googled were 3 years ago!

So let's remember some of the things that happened last year.

There was a British (yes, British) winner at Wimbledon - the first for 7 decades and, generally it was a really good year for British sport, if you disregard the recent Ashes series.

We lost a few famous people during the year: Margaret Thatcher, Richard Briers, Michael Winner, David Frost, Peter O'Toole and, of course, Nelson Mandela.

We also gained a new member of the Royal Family.

There were bombings in Boston and Northern Ireland is getting fractious again.  In the Far East, there were threats from North Korea... have you seen the video with The White House in cross hairs?  It's very funny.

There were scandals about the use of the word 'Pleb' (haven't  they got anything better to argue about?) More importantly, the energy companies and the hike in charges they imposed.  Although, overall, politics and politicians were very bland.

The economic recovery is well underway and, according to the BBC Britain will be Europe's largest economy by 2030 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25519110

The weather has caused massive issues both here and abroad.  Remember the devastating cyclones that hit the Philippines and Bangladesh... whilst Australia experienced the hottest January on record.  In the UK we had a fabulous summer but seem to be paying for it with wild Atlantic storms.

2013 seems determined to leave with a roar.

So, what about 2014..?

Wow: there's so much to think about.

Sports wise: there's a World Cup (probably) in Brazil.  Closer to home, the Commonwealth Games are in Glasgow.  And let's not forget the Winter Olympics kicking off in Sochi, in just a few weeks.

There's a massive shake up in Formula 1 with the old 2.4 litre engines being replaced with 1.6 litre Power Trains that make much more use of technology to get more power whilst using much smaller amounts of fuel. Does that mean Formula 1 is more than just a spectacles and is useful in terms of researcher for everyday motorists?

In Economics the recovery should really kick in and we should see a huge return in business confidence. Private businesses should finally take up the slack in terms of jobs, compensating for those lost from the public sector.  It will very likely be SMEs - you and I - who become the real force in the employment market.

However, there are likely to be some 'issues' with big business with more outrage about fees, costs and expenses being passed on to the everyday punter.   Just remember the vast sums of money being raised by councils from parking fines.

But it's political events, or rather, one political event that is going to define 2014 for the UK and, potentially the next few hundred years for us in Scotland.  The Referendum on Thursday 18th September could either herald massive change, upheaval and a new chapter in Scottish history...

Or...

It could just be talked about for a week on the news before fading from memory.

But, even more important than the referendum... we may get a tram moving in the centre of Edinburgh... with passengers!

Unlikely, I know, but there we go.

All in all, then, there's a lot to look forward to in 2014.  As always, though, it's the events that hit us from 'left field' that we're probably going to be talking about this time next year.