The crystal ball revisited

Time to revisit the predictions I made a year ago for 2013. You can read them here or believe me when I describe them.

My first idea was so far off base I got both parts wrong. I said that Sandra Pupatello would be chosen leader of the Ontario Liberal Party and be defeated in an election later in the year by Tim Hudak and the Progressive Conservatives. Of course, Kathleen Wynne got the nod, there was no election, and Hudak doesn’t look like he will ever win despite the government’s multiple failings. One wrong.

Second, I said that the the all-new Blue Jays, widely touted by Las Vegas oddsmakers to win the World Series, would NOT win it all. Got that one right. Third, I said Hilary Clinton would take herself out of contention for president. That did not happen and it looks like she’s gearing up to announce this year that she will run. Two wrong.

Fourth, I said the TSX would rise by double digits. With an increase of 9.6 per cent the market almost, but not quite, made it. Three wrong. Fifth, I said that the Bank of Canada would finally increase interest rates. Even a change in the governor did not alter the central bank’s as-low-as-she-goes thinking. There was no increase. Four wrong.

Sixth, I said gross domestic product would rise by a middling 2 per cent. Final figures are not yet in, but according to StatsCan, the October-over-October increase was a relatively healthy 2.7 per cent. Five wrong. Seventh, with Rob Ford facing a formidable court challenge, I gamely predicted he’d still be mayor at year’s end. Little did I know how much fiasco and farce he could face and still survive, even if in name only. Two right.

My abysmal record, two of seven, gives me a .286 average. If I were a major league baseball player, that would be OK. But as a savant, no one should believe me ever again. I hereby announce I will make no predictions for 2014. Instead, I’m drawing up a list of things I’d like to see happen in 2014. Come back in a couple of days to read my hopes, dreams and aspirations.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *