Opinion: The Year Ahead

Welcome back to regular readers and to those of you who are popping in for the first time - welcome to 2012!

So much happened in 2011 it is hard to give a blow by blow account. It was a year that promised so much, yet sadly delivered so little. Unity became Disunity, hope became deja vu.

Will 2012 be any better? Here are a few thoughts on the year ahead.

Russia: This will be the country to watch. The seeds have been sown and what has begun, will build throughout the year, possibly intensifying around May.

China: Everyone is predicting a slow down in Chinese growth. It may look that way for a while but it wont be the case for too long.

UK: More discontent as Cameron plays Pass The Blame, ensuring it falls straight into the laps of the disenfranchised youth and what we in Australia would call "battlers".

Iran: Well, they are going to nuke us aren't they - stands to reason like dunnit. All them mad mullahs running around with newclear weapons, a threat to democracy innit. Gotta bomb them and bomb them quick. That's wot the man on the telly said.

Al Qaeda: Al Qaeda of course will be everywhere, just like the cold war "Reds Under The Bed" scare mongering. Anything that goes boom, will be Al Qaeda. Unless of course it's NATO bringing peace and democracy by bombing innocent civilians.

North Korea: Gawd knows

Libya: In-fighting, disunity, factionalism.

Egypt: Spring turns to a long, long winter.

Australia: Australian retail management, communications and technology sectors, will continue it's relentless march towards 1982.

2012? Here's to the new year -= same as the old year.