Brian Monteith: Gordon can't stop us having our say in 2010

Published on Thursday 31 December 2009 10:00

WHAT will 2010 bring – will it be the memorable year that so many are hoping for? 2009 was for me an impatiently year. A year when we were impatiently waiting on an election that never came so the majority that want to give Gordon Brown the boot could do so.

A year when many impatiently hoped Ireland would halt the Lisbon Treaty – only to be disappointed with them being bought off and the Conservatives admitting they could do nothing about it.

A year when we impatiently grew long beards waiting for the Tories to explain how they would return the economy to growth – only to receive half an answer, that times ahead would be tough.

A year when impatiently half of Edinburgh prayed for Hibs to win the Scottish Cup at last – only for the long running embarrassment to continue.

Lots of impatience – will 2010 be different?

Yes it will! Gordon Brown cannot stop us having our say at last – the only question is about who is worthy – if anyone – of taking his place?

In the last week we have learned from the government's own Office of National Statistics that the economic performance of Britain in the last decade has been the worst since the Second World War both in terms of average economic growth, the continued fall in manufacturing production and a reduction in stock market values. There is now no doubting the atrocious record of Gordon Brown and his partner in crime, Alistair Darling.

With such an appalling record it is no surprise Brown's last-ditch defence is to resort to a "class War" against Cameron and his Etonian background – conveniently forgetting Darling is an FP of Loretto and Blair was at Fettes.

Hibs will, of course, get another chance to fulfil half of Edinburgh's football dreams – I'll leave you to go figure who has the best chance of being on the winners' rostrum – Hibs or Brown?

Why is it so difficult for the television broadcasters to serve up decent television on Christmas evening? Tasked with its public service commitments, the least we can expect is for the BBC to be able to cater for the many people, mostly above sixty, that live alone or are not able to be with loved ones on the day. The soaps typically relied on the un-Christian and non-Christmas themes of adultery and murder but at least presented some drama (although the EastEnders nativity was a burnt offering if ever there was one). Then there was Doctor Who, which at least had good production pyrotechnics.

After that the BBC simply plumbed new depths. How anyone can think The Royle Family is funny any more is beyond me. There was a time when we laughed at them – now the BBC seems to think we should be laughing with them as if they are the norm and their behaviour is acceptable.

I'm sorry, but having an oafish boor peeing in a beer can and throwing it out the window of a travelling car is not what I would call humour – and I'm no prude, having been raised on a diet of Monty Python in the 1970s.

The following Gavin and Stacey Christmas special continued the debased, ignorant theme, only to be followed by the coarse and bitter Catherine Tate. The other channels were not much better. Each time I put the telly off and found better things to do – but at least I had company and we could keep each other amused.

It is not as if there is not enough talented comedians and entertainers out there that could provide a range of shows that people would like to see. No wonder the Morecambe and Wise repeats are still essential viewing for so many. Whoever is responsible for the BBC Christmas schedule should be made to work for the Sally Army over Christmas so the half-wit might just begin to "get it'.

No change there

If there's one thing that I expect 2010 is going to deliver it is the gradual awakening amongst the Chardonnay classes that Barack Obama is not going to change anything like as much as he promised.

The latest bombing attempt by a British student drop-out using an explosive powder hidden in a condom with a syringe as a liquid detonator exposes the lie that terrorism was all George W Bush's fault.

Democrats and liberal apologists that tried to blame the Jihadist Muslim bombings on a response to Bush's foreign policy never did manage to explain why the terrorism actually took life under Bill Clinton's bloated term in office (he also created the sub-prime property boom).

Now, with a black Democrat President who was comically beatified in Oslo with the Nobel Peace Prize, experiencing a fresh challenge from al-Qaeda there can be no easy excuses such as Bush for the continuing bomb attempts.

Meanwhile, Fidel Castro continues to berate Obama for waging war – last year Castro said America would never elect a black president. Just as well he and his oligarchy don't need to do the lottery.

A guid New Year to all Evening News readers.