Some highlights and lowlights of things that made the news in 2011 …
A
A is for Arab Spring, the biggest story of the year. Starting in Tunisia, a series of popular uprisings engulfed the Middle East with regimes toppled in Egypt and Libya. This story will continue to develop well into the New Year.
A is also for Afghanistan. US forces are now leaving the country, but it remains doubtful that democracy will flourish there in the aftermath of a ten year conflict that has cost the lives of almost 400 British troops.
B
B is for Berlusconi. With his country’s economy in crisis, the colourful Italian politician was finally forced to resign in November following a succession of scandals – remember Bunga, Bunga? It’s unlikely we’ve heard the last of ‘Il Cavaliere’, however.
B is also for Bin Laden, finally captured and killed by US forces in Pakistan in May following a manhunt that lasted for over ten years.
C
C is for cyclist Mark Cavendish, surprise winner of the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year.
D
D is for Defection. Forth councillor Elaine Morris jumped from the Lib Dems into the arms of the SNP in July. Councillor Morris said: “Leaving the Lib Dems has been one of the most difficult decisions I have made but the SNP offer a clear political leadership, principled policies and vision for Edinburgh that I know I and many other Lib Dems across the city support”.
D is also for Diamond Jubilee. Her Majesty celebrates 60 years on the throne next year and we’ve all been invited to join in the celebrations which centre on a June weekend. We’ve certainly not heard the last of this – prepare for saturation coverage as the media goes into Royal overdrive.
E
E is for Europe and Eurozone. The Eurozone crisis was one of the biggest stories of the year and promises to remain so this year too. Put simply, too many countries have too much debt and can’t agree the best way to tackle the crisis. This story will run and run in 2012, and it’s unlikely there will be a happy ending.
F
F is for Forth Bridge. Thanks to advances in technology, they have at last stopped having to paint and repaint the Forth Bridge. The ‘never-ending’ paint job finished in December.
F is also for Fireworks and one of the quirkiest news stories of the year. Oban’s Guy Fawkes celebrations went badly wrong when a scheduled twenty minute fireworks display lasted barely a minute due to a ‘technical hitch’, with all the fireworks going off at once! Happily for the people of Oban the show was reran later in the month, and lasted a good bit longer!
G
G is for Ghaddafi. The Libyan dictator was captured and killed in October
G is for Gerry Rafferty, the talented but troubled Scottish songsmith whose classic songs include ‘Baker Street’ and ‘Stuck In The Middle With You’. Gerry finally lost his battle with the bottle and died in January.
H
H is for Hearts and Hibs. Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov seems to have fallen out of love with the game, leaving Hearts players waiting months for their wages. And with Hibs languishing perilously close to the foot of the SPL despite changing their manager (again), have Edinburgh teams ever had a worse year?
I
I is for Inflation. Despite efforts to control it, inflation remains stubbornly high at 4.8%. Prices continue to rise while most people find their income – pensions and wages – falling in real terms. Economic recovery? Not any time soon.
J
J is for Jimmy Savile. It’s many years since Jim fixed it for anyone, but the irrepressible DJ passed away in October. Among many other achievements Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile OBE was the first and last presenter of BBC’s ‘Top of the Pops’.
J is also for Steve Jobs. The Apple founder who gave us the Ipod, the Iphone and the Ipad also died in October.
K
K is for North Korea. ‘Dear Leader’ Kim Jong-Il died last month and was replaced by his son Kim Jong-Un. Will that mean policy changes in the world’s most secretive country? No. Increased tension around the South Korean border? Most definitely.
L
L is for Landslide. The voting system meant it should never happen, but the SNP won 69 seats to gain a clear overall majority when they swept to victory in the Holyrood elections in May.
L is also for Leveson Inquiry. The investigation into press standards and ethics began in August following phone-hacking revelations and will run well into the New Year. It’s already clear that phone hacking was not the work of just one rogue reporter but was widespread among tabloid newspapers. Expect some more murky details of dubious practices to emerge.
M
M is for March, the month that saw the final publication of North Edinburgh News after thirty years following council budget cuts. The NEN was perhaps the highest profile casualty of the cuts, but March was a miserable month for all local voluntary projects as budget cuts brought about redundancies, reduced services and curtailed opening hours.
N-Z follows tomorrow
What were your highlights of 2011? Email us at northedinnews@gmail.com