John McGuirk

2010 will be a vital year for the global economy, and it also has the distinction of being a year that hosts some prestigious sporting, cultural, and political events. This blog wasn’t around 12 months ago, so when I tell you that most of my expectations for 2009 came to pass, you’re just going to have to take my word for it. this year, however, I thought I’d commit them to paper, so as I can see how badly wrong or spectacularly correct I got it at year’s end.

Sport:

• Ireland will retain the six nations championship
• England will put in their strongest performance at a World Cup in decades, reaching the semi finals at least, but the trophy will head to Spain.
• In Cricket, England will make history by narrowly retaining the ashes in Australia.
• Kerry’s all-Ireland winning streak will come to an end, Kilkenny’s will not. The Dubs will once again flop, and Monaghan will win the Ulster Championship.
• Andy Murray will reach the Wimbledon Final, adding to a fantastic year for Brits.
• Tiger Woods will come storming back from his self-imposed exile, winning at least one Grand Slam and helping the US retain the Ryder cup.
• Brett Favre will finally call it quits, Ryan Giggs will not.
• Sir Alex Ferguson will announce a date for his retirement.
• Rafa Benitez will lose his job as Liverpool miss out on a Champion’s League place, condemning the club to a financial crisis.

Politics

• The Irish Government will last the year, but it will face at least one more bye-election.
• In the UK, David Cameron will lead the Conservatives back to power, but his Government will be unpopular within six months as it is forced to slash public spending.
• Bertie Ahern will announce that after thoughtful consideration, he will not be a candidate for the Irish Presidency.
• Coir will unveil a party platform and begin to announce candidates. Nobody will care.
• At least one other new political movement will announce its arrival on the Irish political scene.
• President Obama will hit new lows in the polls, with his approval dropping to the low forties by June. This will allow the Republicans to take back the House in November, effectively ending his domestic agenda for the remainder of this term. Democrats will narrowly hold the Senate.
• World Leaders will meet in Mexico for COP16. The Irish Times will declare it imperative that a deal be reached. No meaningful agreement will emerge.
• The situation in Iran will come to a head, prompting massive bloodshed. The West will express support for the reformers, but do nothing to stop them being slaughtered.
• Iraq will continue to stabilise, as Oil production there reaches new and sustained highs.
• By the time Budget 2011 rolls around, the public finances will have deteriorated further, requiring significant cuts in Health and Education spending. Combined with the introduction of a property tax, these measures will result in mass public demonstrations.

Business

• At least one major newspaper in the British Isles will go bankrupt by years end.
• Intel will announce significant job losses at its Leixlip facility, citing downward pressure on sales.
• Interest rates will begin to creep up, further harming Ireland’s economy. By years end, a real debate about the merits of leaving the Euro will be underway.
• Unemployment will not stabilise, but creep ever closer to 15%, as emigration increases exponentially.

Culture, Media, and Celebs

• Prince William of Wales will announce his engagement.
• Cheryl and Ashley Cole will announce their divorce.
• Robbie Williams will re-join Take That. The resulting album and tour will sell out in minutes, mainly to women in their thirties.
• Louis Walsh’s much-discussed Girl Band will go yet another year without actually materialising.
• Sean O’Rourke will be announced as Mark Little’s replacement on Prime Time.
• Somebody in the Irish media will finally deign to acknowledge the fact that a bloke from Dublin won the WWE championship in 2009.

So, that’s that. Feel free to add your own in the comments.