– Luke 21:11It was an annus horribilis, the year of the pandemic, but a year when, biblically it seemed, nature, unconstrainable, unleashed its rage against us, reminding us of our place. By January 30th the World Health Organisation declared a “public health emergency of international concern”. And a Stanford University study would link more than 30,000 Covid-19 cases and 700 deaths directly to his campaign rallies. The remarkable spread of Black Lives Matter across the world was an important landmark in the globalisation of civic protest. The Brexit deal will not save him or his party from the fallout that is building inexorable pressure on the union itself in the year ahead, with polls showing majorities now in favour of Scottish independence.

Source: The Irish Times December 28, 2020 22:41 UTC