Eleven reasons to be optimistic about 2023

Here in England we have seemingly endless darkness and rain, with railway and other strikes, and the news, as always, is utterly depressing.

But maybe it’s not as bad as all that!??Summer’s on its way, we’re starting a new year, and I’m thinking:

1.?????Covid is going to fade away this year – we’ve all had the jab, herd immunity is pretty much here, so that phase of our lives is over.??Not for the poor Chinese of course, who will have to go through a bad patch to get to where the rest of us are, but for most of the world Covid is on the way out.

2.?????Electric cars are coming in big time, and they are quieter, less hassle to fill up with petrol, and better for the planet.??And don’t forget electric motorbikes, which are also brilliant!??And electric pushbikes, also fantastic things.

3.?????Podcasts are in their prime – free, plentiful, and great.??So many good ones to choose from.

4.?????Contactless payment is great – so quick and easy, so much more convenient than coins and notes and change, and leading to quicker service and reduced queues.

5.?????Ukraine – surely Putin is going to run out of money / missiles / conscripted soldiers / his own popularity this year, and either die (rumours are that he’s ill), get killed, resign, or find a way to withdraw from the pointless and barbaric war that he must surely regret starting, and will never win.??I’m hoping that by the end of 2023 it’ll be mostly over, if not completely, which will help with – number one – our friends the Ukranians, but also food prices, energy prices, stability in Poland and the other neighbours of Ukraine, and food supply to Africa.

6.?????Accelerated by 5 and 2 above, renewable sources of power are increasing fast – better for the planet but also making us less dependent on countries with regimes we don’t agree with.??Not naming any names here, apart from Russia.

7.?????Won’t happen in 2023 but energy from fusion is on the way, and I’m excited about that. What a game changer for the human race!??In 2023 we’ll continue to move towards it.?

8.?????Brexit – almost certainly a mistake, but what’s done is done and at least the dust is settling, systems are being set up to cover the paperwork requirements, agreements are being made etc.??

9.?????The supply chain should also be settling down, now that covid is receding, China is opening up again, the post-covid boom has been done, Brexit is settling down etc.

10.??Sport!??Women’s sport is on the up, football and rugby both very interesting, mens’ and womens’ tennis going through an interesting phase, even the Premiership is more open than usual.??The Tour De France should have another great year too.??

11.??Working from Home – once the balance is right, maybe a day or two per week from home , it’ll be great for both employers and employees.??Surely a bit of progress for the human race, and something to enjoy in 2023 and beyond.

I know that pessimists can argue with every single one of the above, and I may regret putting this in writing and sending it to 35000 people, but mostly things seem to be returning to how they were (1 5 8 9) , or things are moving towards a better brighter future (2 3 4 6 7 11) so – maybe we should be grateful for what we have.??

Here’s to 2023!!

Chris