Predictions for 2018 (posted December 2017)

[MotCO]

As we come to the end of a year and the start of a New Year, what are your predictions for the next twelve months? Will England win the World Cup? Will we have a scorching hot summer? Will some more independent bus companies fall by the wayside? Will Theresa still be the PM at the end of the year? Will house prices fall?

What do you thnk will happen? In a year's time we can look back and see if anyone got their predictions right (but no prizes are available!).

My predictions? Russia will reach the final of the FIFA World Cup. There will be snow in February in the south causing major traffic disruption. Arsene Wenger will announce his retirement. There will be a Vote of Confidence in the House which Theresa will win.

 

[TheNewNo2]

Trump will still be president come 2019, or he'll have died in office.

Robert Muller will have been fired (as will Rob Rosenstein). What he was working on will be released. It will not change one single person's mind about Trump. No Republicans will vote for any sort of censure of Trump's conduct.

Democrats will retake the US House, barely, despite a landslide vote in their favour. The vote will be marred by massive Russian cyberattacks, and will be decried by Trump as a sham (but not because of Russia).

Putin will run effectively unopposed and will be Russian president again.

There will be a number of small-scale terrorist attacks on the UK, none will cause sinificant damage or citizen worry, but they will be seized on as a chance for a crackdown on people who are not regular Tory voters.

Brexit will be widely seen by a large majority of voters as a really bad idea, but it will happen anyway.

TfL will again pay massive bonuses to its directors while continuing to lay off operational staff with claims of "budget necessities". The number of staff left will not be sufficient to continue properly maintaining all systems, and there will be passenger casualties as a result.

A nuclear bomb will be used offensively for the first time since 1945.

A far right Nazi party will become the plurality party in a European country's parliament or win a country's presidency.

Widespread civil unrest in Catalonia as the Spanish government cracks down ever more harshly on independence parties.

Scotland will call a new independence referendum. Theresa May will declare it invalid. The Sun will consider all Scots traitors and an MP will again be murdered. Scotland will secede (possibly in 2019), but will not be welcomed into the EU due to the Spanish influence re Catalonia.

Jodie Whittaker will be an excellent Doctor, but will suffer unrelenting harassment relating to her gender from the tabloid media.

The #MeToo movement will generate significant backlash after one story among thousands is proven to be false. Later investigation will reveal the liar is a right-winger trying to discredit the movement, but this will not matter at all and several of those who have been excommunicated due to their actions coming to light will make their way back into social graces and use it as a way to make money.

 

[Bletchleyite]

A nuclear bomb will be used offensively for the first time since 1945.

Sadly, I agree with this prediction.

I would predict:
* North Korea will fire one at the US
* It will be intercepted mid-ocean and not reach its destination, but the US will fire one back which will destroy Pyongyang despite threats from China
* No more will be fired, but the region will be unstable for years and have a near unprecedented humanitarian crisis

 

[najaB]

* No more will be fired...

I wish I shared your optimism - it'll be USA first, Seoul second.

 

[DarloRich]

Trump will still be president come 2019, or he'll have died in office.

Robert Muller will have been fired (as will Rob Rosenstein). What he was working on will be released. It will not change one single person's mind about Trump. No Republicans will vote for any sort of censure of Trump's conduct.

Democrats will retake the US House, barely, despite a landslide vote in their favour. The vote will be marred by massive Russian cyberattacks, and will be decried by Trump as a sham (but not because of Russia).

Putin will run effectively unopposed and will be Russian president again.

There will be a number of small-scale terrorist attacks on the UK, none will cause sinificant damage or citizen worry, but they will be seized on as a chance for a crackdown on people who are not regular Tory voters.

Brexit will be widely seen by a large majority of voters as a really bad idea, but it will happen anyway.

TfL will again pay massive bonuses to its directors while continuing to lay off operational staff with claims of "budget necessities". The number of staff left will not be sufficient to continue properly maintaining all systems, and there will be passenger casualties as a result.

A nuclear bomb will be used offensively for the first time since 1945.

A far right Nazi party will become the plurality party in a European country's parliament or win a country's presidency.

Widespread civil unrest in Catalonia as the Spanish government cracks down ever more harshly on independence parties.

Scotland will call a new independence referendum. Theresa May will declare it invalid. The Sun will consider all Scots traitors and an MP will again be murdered. Scotland will secede (possibly in 2019), but will not be welcomed into the EU due to the Spanish influence re Catalonia.

Jodie Whittaker will be an excellent Doctor, but will suffer unrelenting harassment relating to her gender from the tabloid media.

The #MeToo movement will generate significant backlash after one story among thousands is proven to be false. Later investigation will reveal the liar is a right-winger trying to discredit the movement, but this will not matter at all and several of those who have been excommunicated due to their actions coming to light will make their way back into social graces and use it as a way to make money.

WOW. So basically the worst possible year. Superb. I am fairly certain that if this happens:

A nuclear bomb will be used offensively for the first time since 1945.

then this wont matter:

Jodie Whittaker will be an excellent Doctor

 

[Aussie_Rail]

Quite a bit of gloom predicted for 2018. I'm hoping for a few positives.

I think given the current climate with North Korea, I think as we have seen in the past that despite all the huffing and puffing from either side, not much will actually happen. There might be a bit of 'tit-for-tat', but that might be about as far as it will get. I don't think nuclear missiles will be whizzing across the oceans next year either. I do think though that enough pressure will be applied to China that they will have to rein in North Korea, especially that they've just been busted giving them oil. In the end, North Korea will keep testing missiles, the West will condemn it and life will go on.

Donald Trump will still be President of the United States this time next year. I think its laughable that the even when he won the media claimed that it won't be for long, that a loop hole will find him ineligible, he'll be impeached etc etc. They painted a picture of dire catastrophic doom and to date nothing has happened, the US economy isn't in a nosedive, World War III hasn't broken out and the Sun will continue to rise each morning.

I'm hoping for some technological breakthroughs being announced in 2018, particularly in the field of driver-less cars, wearable technology, home entertainment and in the energy sector. Not being a huge tech guru, I wish I could be a lot more specific on a few of those..

No doubt Apple will unveil another new phone or gadget, ripping off those who buy it.

A discovery in near or distant space will be found next year, in particular something on Mars will get everyone excited. We soon might be well on the way to sending someone there too.

As with every year, many well known celebrities and notable people will pass on, in another forum I used to be a member of it was an annual thing to name them at the start of the year, it was incredible morbid and shameful, thankfully they don't do that anymore.

St Kilda will win the AFL Grand Final. My team won it last year.

Australia will top the medal tally at the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast.

 

[Up_Tilt_390]

England won't win the world cup...

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

England won't win the world cup...

But that will not stop the usual hundreds of back-page xenophobic column inches of drivel from so-called sports journalists writing on that subject manner.

 

[507021]

Here's my predictions for 2018.

• After initial teething troubles during the testing phase, the Class 769 bi-modes will be a success with their respective operators, with Northern, the Welsh Assembly Government and/or other operators ordering more to boost capacity for their respective fleets.
• The Class 195s and Class 331s will begin to enter service on time and be very popular with their passengers.
• Sheffield Wednesday will be relegated to League One.
• Warrington Town will be promoted to National League North.
• Merseytravel confirm their options for another fifteen Class 777 units which will be delivered between 2022 and 2025, with significant new infrastructure on the Merseyrail network due to become operational in a similar time frame.

 

[MotCO]

As we come to the end of a year and the start of a New Year, what are your predictions for the next twelve months?

My predictions? Russia will reach the final of the FIFA World Cup. There will be snow in February in the south causing major traffic disruption. Arsene Wenger will announce his retirement. There will be a Vote of Confidence in the House which Theresa will win.

My crystal ball (unfortunately) seems to have been right on one item already this year!

 

[Busaholic]

My crystal ball (unfortunately) seems to have been right on one item already this year!

I'm more interested in your last prediction!

 

[DarloRich]

My crystal ball (unfortunately) seems to have been right on one item already this year!

that is hardly the work of Nostradamus! It snows every year around my birthday. In February. plus 1 flake of snow in the southeast leads to chaos

 

[MotCO]

that is hardly the work of Nostradamus! It snows every year around my birthday. In February. plus 1 flake of snow in the southeast leads to chaos

I wasn't trying to unseat Nostradamus! In the South it rarely snows in February (certainly not in the last five years or so), and you must admit that there is major traffic disruption with low temperatures not seen in these parts for several years.

 

[MotCO]

My predictions? Russia will reach the final of the FIFA World Cup. There will be snow in February in the south causing major traffic disruption. Arsene Wenger will announce his retirement. There will be a Vote of Confidence in the House which Theresa will win.

Two out of two so far - not bad!

 

[Busaholic]

Two out of two so far - not bad!

I must have missed Theresa May's vote of confidence!

 

[MotCO]

That's yet to come!

 

[MotCO]

MotCO said: ↑
My predictions? Russia will reach the final of the FIFA World Cup. There will be snow in February in the south causing major traffic disruption. Arsene Wenger will announce his retirement. There will be a Vote of Confidence in the House which Theresa will win.

Two out of two so far - not bad!

Three out of four, but Russia did reach the semi-finals. Not bad at all!!

I'll have to dust the crystal ball ready for 2019 predictions!

 

[GusB]

MotCO said: ↑
My predictions? Russia will reach the final of the FIFA World Cup. There will be snow in February in the south causing major traffic disruption. Arsene Wenger will announce his retirement. There will be a Vote of Confidence in the House which Theresa will win.



Three out of four, but Russia did reach the semi-finals. Not bad at all!!

I'll have to dust the crystal ball ready for 2019 predictions!

I hope you paid a visit to the bookie's at some point

 

[507021]

• After initial teething troubles during the testing phase, the Class 769 bi-modes will be a success with their respective operators, with Northern, the Welsh Assembly Government and/or other operators ordering more to boost capacity for their respective fleets.

It seems I got this part right.

 

[MotCO]

I hope you paid a visit to the bookie's at some point

Yes I did - for Russia

 

[Cowley]

Yes I did - for Russia

Hahaha.
I mean you did pretty well overall, but that’s quite unfortunate considering how far they did get.

 

[Busaholic]

MotCO said: ↑
My predictions? Russia will reach the final of the FIFA World Cup. There will be snow in February in the south causing major traffic disruption. Arsene Wenger will announce his retirement. There will be a Vote of Confidence in the House which Theresa will win.



Three out of four, but Russia did reach the semi-finals. Not bad at all!!

I'll have to dust the crystal ball ready for 2019 predictions!

MotCO said: ↑
My predictions? Russia will reach the final of the FIFA World Cup. There will be snow in February in the south causing major traffic disruption. Arsene Wenger will announce his retirement. There will be a Vote of Confidence in the House which Theresa will win.



Three out of four, but Russia did reach the semi-finals. Not bad at all!!

I'll have to dust the crystal ball ready for 2019 predictions!

NOT trying to rain on your parade at all, but I'd just have to point out that Theresa hasn't faced a Vote of Confidence in the House, given Jeremy's understandable reluctance to set the ball in motion, given the hurdles that'd have to be crossed (mixing my metaphors!) Well done, all the same!