Athbhliain Faoi Mhaise!

2016…big Centennial Year but I will not dwell on that in this post.

Also Assembly Elections and you can bet your life that the European Football Championships will provide a LetsGetAlongerist love-in and we will be treated to fans from Republic of Ireland and Norn Iron doing all that “we will remember” stuff at the Somme. Pass the sick-bag.

The year ending in a few hours time was pretty good in terms of Blogging. I had a few sick weeks in late summer which affected the number of posts I published.

No doubt in 2016, I will apply for yet another job in SDLP. I might lie about my age…or possibly grow a pony-tail. This is the last way a wee baldy man can look trendy. Basically I need to be more dynamic….so that I can blend in with the SDLP whiz-kids up at Stormont.

I have often been described as being an independently minded SDLP member and this makes this Blog more credible.

Readers will expect me to be part of the election campaign. Well….yes and no. If I am asked, I will do so. But frankly I dont expect to be asked.

I am a socialist, republican and a nationalist. SDLP represents me better than any other Party but Id like to see Colum Eastwood spell out reasons to vote SDLP rather than have its supporters go to polling stations to vote SDLP “in spite of manifestos”.

The Blog is at its best when it gets comments from fellow socialists/republicans/nationalists. And respect that there is more than one choice.

I fully respect the opinions of unionists. People I described as “LetsGetAlongerists” (2010) have nothing to add to any discussion. There are enough outlets for their views.

My own priorities for 2016 is my Family. Which is probably the same for you.And Health…I have got my health back and I intend to keep it.

I daresay I will get a sudden burst of political energy around Easter and the Assembly Elections. But the reality is that on a day-to-day basis, Politics does not seem particuarly important.

And yet we will have Dáil Elections, Assembly Elections, US Presidential Elections.

In terms of Blogging, “Keeping An Eye on the Czar of Russia” is just one Blog with which I am involved…either on my own or as a collective.

I intend to travel a lot in Ireland…and blog about it. For over three years, I have used my Translink pass to travel free within Norn Iron….but for the most part, the travel has been linked to Politics. It might be nice to travel for its own sake.

I guess I have done the equivalent of four or five trips all over Ireland. Making trips to (say) Galway in five different decades is interesting.

The next decade is the last one. And from May 2017, I will be able to travel round Ireland for free. So that means that for a year and a half, I will be getting around Norn Iron and getting acquainted with Newtownards, Newtownbutler, Newtownstewart and Newtownabbey.

Anyhow I intend to grow old disgracefully.

Happy New Year.