Smile – 2014 is not as bad as you think
Back to work, the weather is still appalling and it is best not to even mention the cricket. But 2014 has potential, and here’s why.
The economy is recovering
It might not feel like it, particularly after Chancellor George Osborne’s warning that the UK faces a further round of spending cuts, but most economic experts agree that the numbers are getting better.
Figures in October confirmed that the UK economy is growing at its fastest rate for three years – with the prime minister even daring to pronounce that Britain was turning the corner.
On Boxing Day, the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) predicted that the UK will be Europe’s biggest economy by 2030, eclipsing both France and Germany.
And unemployment is falling, down to 7.4 per cent in December. There are of course some caveats here – many people aren’t feeling the recovery yet, pay packets are growing very slowly, the eurozone crisis continues to lurk in the background and of course the “age of austerity” continues, with the aforementioned spending cuts still top of the agenda – but give us a break. We are trying to be positive here.
Yorkshire, Glasgow and Brazil
For some, it’s always been a reason to be cheerful – but this year, “God’s own country” is set to host the first stage of the Tour de France, starting in Leeds on 5 and 6 July.
And it’s not the only sporting event to look forward to, if you are that way inclined – 2014 also sees Glasgow host the Commonwealth Games, and further afield, the World Cup begins in Brazil in the summer.
The weather
Wait – bear with us. The weather over the last month has been undeniably horrendous. Last week the Met Office confirmed that it was the windiest month since 1993 and the stormiest since records began in 1969. It was also very wet, particularly in Scotland, which struggled through the wettest December and indeed the wettest month overall in the records dating back to 1910.
But Channel 4 News Weather Presenter Liam Dutton says there are some hints that things could get better.
“In recent days, there have been hints that the jet stream will weaken and meander around more towards the middle of the month. This would result in the weather turning more settled, with fewer storms and a better chance of high pressure building, with lighter winds and less rain,” he says. You can read more in his blog on the weather here.
Health kick
January is all about the traditional health kick, but it could be the year when things really get moving on one of the world’s biggest health challenges: dementia. After a major G8 summit on the disease in December in London, Prime Minister David Cameron said dementia could be beaten by 2025 and announced new investment to support scientists working on diagnosis, treatment and potential cures.
Teams from a number of institutions around the globe have said they have made significant steps forward in dementia research in recent months, including at King’s College London, where they have made an advance towards developing a blood test which could detect Alzheimer’s.
Ann Robinson, a GP writing in The Guardian, suggested new insights into dementia and treatment could be one of 2014’s major breakthroughs.
Things can only get better
And if none of that has helped, how about this: today is probably the worst you’re going to feel, according to a host of different studies (some of which have more basis in science than others).
So chin up, eh?