As we bid farewell to 2013, I take a few minutes to reflect on what has been and what is to come. It seems as though the UK has emerged from recession for now. It was always going to be painful and for many, it continues to be. This or any other Government was faced with the unenviable task of executing decisions which would be unappealing to voters. And so it has proved to be. The decisions have been made. The arguments have lingered. The country is now financially better off and there have been losers on the way. That is always the way of these things.
The festive season was dominated by power cuts amid the storms while arguments raged against immigration. To the horror of many, the year kicked off with the discovery of horse meat in ready meals. Whatever the rights and wrongs of this, one fact remained beyond dispute. We weren't talking about starvation. We were talking about a meat to which we were hitherto less accustomed. That we ate it at all was almost entirely due to our growing dependence on the ready meals of the big supermarkets. You pay your money and you take your chance.
It was rightly newsworthy when two men murdered Lee Rigby in broad daylight in London. In Syria, this would have constituted normal behaviour. In Syria, horse or any other meat would have been welcomed. In Syria, their understanding of austerity remained rather different to our own.
While our NHS continued to dominate the headlines for many of the wrong reasons, it also continued to serve us well in so many ways. It remains free at the point of access for every man, woman and child. It continues to be operated by ordinary men and women who, being human, are fallible. It is not perfect but that is the stuff of Utopia. That is the aspiration. For certain, it can improve though.
A debate began questioning whether the UK is full. I've seldom heard such rubbish in my life. It is far from full yet does remarkably well to provide for the growing millions who live here. We now have an increasingly multi-cultural society and the country is all the stronger for it. The reaction to the news of Nelson Mandela's death should remind us all of the benefits of multi-cultural society. We have something approaching the sort of society which he spent his entire life fighting for. It's not perfect but it's heading in the right direction.
Arguments over our membership of the EU continued as strongly as ever and the cast iron intention of UKIP thrust Nigel Farage on to our political landscape. Until we have a referendum, he will remain there. Roll on the European elections and roll on the 2015 general election. The latter will be make or break for the UK. We can either take one step forward or two steps back.
Something happened this year which I never thought I'd see. A British man won the men's singles at Wimbledon. Andy Murray did not receive a knighthood in the New Year's Honours list and rightly so. His career is not yet over. When it is, it will be one of the more deserved Honours amid a sea a questionable favouritism. When asked whether he considered himself Scottish or British, he replied "It depends whether I'm winning or losing". After all the abuse in the years before his singles win at Wimbledon, he was more than entitled to that remark. But then, few countries can lay in to their top sportsmen and women like the UK can.
In 2014, the Scots will have the opportunity to undo over 300 years of history. Should they do so (and I for one would not bet against it), Murray will most definitely be Scottish. The Union will be in tatters and the Tories will be all but guaranteed victory in 2015 because Labour continues to rely heavily on it's share of the vote North of the border. As for the Welsh, they will either seek to do likewise or hang on to the English more tightly than they've ever done. Interesting times.
2013 in many ways became the year of the comeback. The Rolling Stones were surprisingly good in their 50th year. Fleetwood Mac reminded us of the tunes which came to dominate the sound of the mid 70s and even the Garbo-like Agnetha Faltskog returned to our radios. It's fair to say some of the comebacks were rather more worthwhile than others.
Margaret Thatcher left the scene as divided as when she was alive. She was the marmite of UK politics in life and continues to cause great division in death. Her legacy though is undeniable. We marked 50 years since the passing of JF Kennedy and were reminded of what might have been. In a country where the gun continues to hold sway, his assassination was in many ways the beginning of the gun culture which has now come to define them. The guns of course are seldom the problem. It always takes a person to pull the trigger.
The departure of Pope Benedict while still in office must rank as one of the biggest surprises of recent times. His successor has been a breath of fresh air. Unlike his predecessors, Pope Francis has been as notable for his deeds as for his words. Long may he reign. I hope he continues his crusade against materialism and consumerism. I suspect he enjoys the support of far more people than he may imagine.
The birth of Prince George provided a tonic to the Royal family and he has much to live up to. If he can go on to have a fraction of the wisdom of his Great Grandmother, the monarchy will be in good hands. His parents have been a credit to their positions and have restored credibility to our Royal family.
At some stage during 2014, I hope to graduate as a doctor and take up my first post in Ysbyty Glan Clwyd or the Wrexham Maelor hospital. It has been a long road. It was in the late summer of 2004 that my wife asked me what I wanted to do. My first answer was to be a lawyer. I thought about it for a few minutes and changed my mind. What I'd really like to do is to be a doctor. My first degree entailed going back to Liverpool Polytechnic (now assuming the rather more grandiose title of John Moores University). That was hard thing to do. I had turned my back on education in 1990 and had been out of the loop for 14 years. At 35 years of age, I questioned my own mental capacity. I stick to it like glue despite losing a year on dialysis and remain eternally grateful for the kidney transplant which I received in 2005. But for that, the journey would have ended before it had begun. I have enjoyed Medical School but can't wait to put my learning in to practice and start to give back to the NHS which has served me so well. I have enjoyed incredible support along the way and realise how lucky I've been.
I hope 2014 is the year when we all get a bit closer again and take a bit of time out of our busy lives for the really important things like family, friends and community. I hope the year is as kind as it possibly can be to anybody reading this and pray that the world can learn to embrace peace and understanding. Happy new year to you and yours. Love the one you're with.
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