As 2010 slipped quietly into the fag end of the first decade of the second millennium I’m glad it’s over.

Do you view the coming year with trepidation, doom, gloom and outright fear, or are you a glass half-full optimist with rose-tinted spectacles just raring to get into 2011?

2011 is going to be a hard year for all you people out there in Reporterland as the financial cuts bite, the banks horde their money, the economy staggers under the weight of unregulated immigration and foreign companies make even more acquisitions of our once proud economy (they already own our gas, electric, airports, generating companies, parts of the railways, radio transmission facilities and will no doubt be bidding for Royal Mail in 2011).

What amazes me is that if a foreign company is willing to bid billions of pounds for the dubious honour of delivering our letters they must be doing it in the full and certain knowledge they will make a profit out of it.

That being the case, then why can’t we keep the company British-owned and let us keep the profits? We should stamp out such thoughts of privatisation in the Royal Mail and Post Office!

But hey, don’t let me make 2011 miserable for you as there must be something to look forward to.

How about 20 per cent VAT or massive redundancies in the public sector? What about the banks increasing the charges they make on credit card interest rates?

This was done just after everyone had used their credit cards over the holiday period. Sneaky eh? Don’t you just love our bankers?

They got us into this mess and they are even now raking the profits in at the expense of you and me. We bailed them out and they are literally laughing all the way to the bank!

As you can tell, my year wasn’t the best Christmas cracker in the box of life, my baubles feel extremely jaded and I don’t think 2011 is going to lead me to the crock of gold at the rainbow’s end either.

Yet there were a few interesting / amusing events in 2010.

Ann Widdecombe provided some notable lessons that, quite frankly, were mind-blowing as she proved that gravity can be overcome on planet Earth as her sweating and straining dance partner whirled her around the floor at Blackpool Tower Ballrooms. Sir Isaac Newton (discoverer of gravity) would have been twirling in his grave if he could have seen such an event.

The Pope came to Britain and didn’t ask for the churches back that Henry Vlll stole from him all those years ago (maybe they will be returned once the current owners realise they can no longer afford to maintain them!)

Manchester International Airport stayed open throughout the worst snow for years and showed our southern cousins at Heathrow and Gatwick airports just what forward planning can do to keep the travellers moving (well done to all the staff at Manchester).

My daughter lives in London and flew from Manchester to Norway to see Father Christmas.

Willy boy (that’s Prince William to you), second in line to be King, announced he was going to make an honest women out of his long-term partner Catherine (pictured).

The BBC News announced: "Prince William and Kate Middleton have named the day they will be married as April 29." I thought it was named that already! Are you going? Have you received your invite yet?

Mine hasn’t arrived either but I’m going anyway as we’re paying for it aren’t we? Take a doggy bag with you and bag yourself a corgi!

Talking of Prince William: he has a rewarding job flying helicopters for the Air Sea Rescue Service but maybe he won’t be with them long as even this life-saving service is going to be sold off and probably purchased by another foreign company.

Where will it all end?

I have a prediction for 2011 concerning global warming: In the first quarter of the year global warming will be confirmed.

In the second quarter global warming will be shown to be a myth and in the third quarter experts will be undecided.

However, in the fourth quarter of 2011 things will be so bad with increased carbon taxes and petrol at £7 a gallon and the country on its knees that the powers-that-be will be concentrating on meaningful things like the economy and helping the rising ranks of the poor (even now some job centres are handing out food tokens to their hungry clients – food tokens in the UK!!).

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