A LOOK AHEAD TO 2018.....

OKAY WITH 2017 NICELY BEHIND US, LET'S LOOK AHEAD AND TRY TO DETERMINE WHAT'S IN STORE FOR US IN 2018.

AS FOR ME, I BELIEVE IT WILL BE MORE OF THE SAME.

IN OUR COUNTRY CANADA, OUR PRIME MINISTER JUSTIN TRUDEAU WILL CONTINUE TO PROMOTE EVERY PROGRESSIVE POLICY THAT COMES DOWM THE PIKE.  AND IN DOING SO, HE WILL KEEP CANADA AN IRRELEVANCE ON THE WORLD STAGE.  MORE IMPORTANTLY FOR US CANADIANS WE WILL CONTINUE TO FALL SHORT OF OUR POTENTIAL.

THE COUNTRY TO OUR SOUTH, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL CONTINUE TO BE SPLIT DOWN THE MIDDLE WITH THE PROGRESSIVE LEFT HATING EVERYTHING TRUMP DOES OR DOES NOT DO... THEY SIMPLY HATE TRUMP.  FULL STOP. 

LIKE CANADA, EUROPE TOO WILL BUSY ITSELF WITH THE MUNDANE AND IN SO DOING WILL LEAVE THE HEAVY LIFTING ON THE WORLD STAGE TO THE UNITED STATES, CHINA AND RUSSIA. 

THE MIDDLE EAST, NOW THAT IT HAS BROKEN THE YOKE OF ISIS AND ITS WISH FOR A CALIPHATE, WILL CONTINUE TO WALLOW IN CHAOS.  RUSSIA AND IRAN WILL SEE TO THAT BY WORKING TOGETHER TO KEEP THIS AREA OF THE WORLD OFF-BALANCE.  THE US HAS BEEN RENDERED NEUTERED HERE FOR THE TIME-BEING. 

RUSSIA WILL LOOK FOR ANY OPPORTUNITY TO POUNCE ON FORMER USSR STATES SHOULD ONE OR MORE OF THEM SHOW SIGNS OF WEAKNESS.  NATO WILL HAVE TO KEEP ON BEING VIGILANTE. 

CHINA WILL CONTINUE TO FLEX ITS MUSCLES.

OKAY, ENOUGH OF MOTHERHOOD, NOW SOME SPECIFICS WHICH WILL INCLUDE MY OWN RATING OF BETWEEN 1 AND 3 IN REGARD TO LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY.


SO LET'S START WITH MY LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND WORK OUR WAY UP:

MY CITY OF OTTAWA will see our quadrennial Election (every 4 yrs)  FOR COUNCIL AND MAYOR TAKE PLACE THIS FALL. 

I do not know how many Councillors we have nor do I know many of their names.  I do know that the Councillor for my area is Allan Hubley and the Councillor for the area where I recently lived , Eli El-Chantiry are both are good guys and will win re-election easily.  The real action, as always, is the contest for Mayor and we in Ottawa have a good one.  Pundits joke that our Mayor Jim Watson would come to the 'opening of an envelope' if only asked. 

In his last election he gained over 76% of the popular vote and should do very well again in 2018.  Some 'heavy duty' names are being bandied around as potential opponents and although this may well reduce Watson's margin of victory should one or more decide to run... they will not threaten his ongoing reign.   My Rating 1:3  i.e. easy to predict

MY PROVINCE OF ONTARIO  will also see an Election in 2018..by law, it must be called no later than the 7th of June.

The Liberal Government under the Premiership of Kathleen Wynne and before her, Dalton McGuinty is one of the worst, if not the worst in Ontario History.  When the Liberals took power in 2003 Ontario was the economic engine of Canada, today it is a basket case labelled a 'Have Not Province'  and relying upon the largess of its sister provinces to help us pay the bills racked up by our out-of-control Liberals.  Our Province's Debt has gone up from $110 Billion in 2003 and today stands at $312 Billion.  Close to a 300% increase in just 14 years.  Unbelievable but true.

Also unbelievable but true is the fact that a sizable minority of Ontario's voters still plan to vote Liberal in the upcoming Election. The Liberals will lose though to the Progressive Conservatives under the anemic leadership of Patrick Brown.  It remains to be seen whether the Liberals will come in 3rd behind the New Democratic Party.   Rating 1:3.

• Plus I predict that both the Liberal Leader and the NDP Leader will not survive the year.   Rating  3:3

MY COUNTRY CANADA  Unfortunately Canada is not having an Election this year, I say 'unfortunately' since we have been led for 2 years by Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who sports the good looks of his mother, as well, it appears, he inherited her hippie brain.   Nothing wrong with that per se, but it does not make for good leadership.

 A few prediction involving Young Trudeau's Government for 2018:

1. His Finance Minister appointed along with great expectations will lose his post this year plus he will be through with politics.   Ratings 1:3 and 2:3
2. Liberal popularity will continue to remain flat.  Over the course of 2016 Party support stood at approx 47% which in our country is considered very high and guarantees majority government status. Today, at the beginning of 2018, their support is in the mid 30s with some reputable polls showing a Conservative victory if an Election were to be held now. The Conservative support at approximately 33% will rise over the course of the year.     Ratings  2:3 and 2:3.
3. The current NAFTA Trade Talks between Canada, the US and Mexico will continue to spin its wheels resulting in no successful conclusion in 2018.   Rating  2:3.
4. There is even a good chance that President Trump will actually pull out of these NAFTA TALKS.  There are two major reasons for this: first Trump foolishly prides himself on being an isolationist and it follows that he is not an admirer of Trade Pacts.  Second, our Prime Minister has laced these talks with demands that have zip to do with Free Trade: things like Measures to Fight Climate Change, as well as Native, Gender, and Human Rights.  With mid-term elections coming at the end of this year, I predict he will pull the plug on these talks.   Rating 3:3
5. Like their Liberal Cousins in Ontario, the Federal Liberals love Debt and Deficits.  Trudeau campaigned on actually running an annual debt of $10 Billion during his administration.  Upon attaining office, he up the anty to $30 Billion per year.  I predict that his misguided policy will continue unabated throughout 2018 and beyond.    Rating 1:3.                          (The Conservative Party does not have clean hands here either.  They were the Governing Party during the 10 years prior to Trudeau and during that time added over $150 Billion Dollars to the National Debt.)
6. Canada has large pools of in-ground oil especially in the Province of Alberta and to a lesser extent Saskatchewan.  The big problem we have is that we lack sufficient pipelines to take our oil to market.  Trudeau professes to support pipeline construction...albeit reluctantly, but I do not see any new pipeline construction for this coming year even though oil is one of the few pluses our country has economically speaking.    Rating 1:3

The United States of America   Our neighbour to the south.

Their Big Issues for 2018, as I see them, include the following:  Obama Care, Major Infrastructure Spending, Immigration Reform, Military Rebuild, North Korea, Iran, the Wall, Trump's Survival and November`s Congressional Elections:

1. Obama Care will limp around if for no other reason than the Democrats will await the outcome of November's Congressional Elections.  It is going to take the 2 Parties working together to undo the damage done to their health system.   Rating 1.5 : 3
2. Infrastructure Spending will not occur on any serious scale since America is broke and the Republicans have to overspend in the neglected area of Defence.  They cannot do both.  (There is away they can do both - ie privatize Infrastructure Projects but that too won't happen.)   Rating 2.5 : 3
3. Improvements to their Immigration System will continue over the year to the consternation of the Dems.  That said, with the Congressional Elections in November, Democratic opposition will be noticeably muted.   Rating 1.5 : 3
4. Military Spending will continue to rise, again to the chagrin of the Democrats.  Trump will find the money which when you think about it is a little out of character for a person who claims to be an isolationist.  Rating 1.5: 3
5. North Korea will continue to be the world's primary evil doer. I predict that its Leader...The Yung-un, will not survive the year.  (I know I can hear many of you now saying that I predicted this would happen last year...to which I say, one of these years I will be right).   Rating 2.5 :3 
6. Iran may not be the primary evil doer as I have classed North Korea but it remains this year, as it has for many years past the most dangerous country in the world. As an Ally of Russia it is virtually untouchable in the immediate future.  The only faint hope in the short term is that its own people rise up and replace their twisted Theocracy.  I predict it will not happen this year.   Rating 2:3
7. The Wall is going to continue to be built despite recent mutterings by Trump`s Chief of Staff that they are having second thoughts.  Kelly may well be having second thoughts but Trump is not.  If he wants to keep his job, Kelly needs to be more careful with his gratuitous ramblings.  Rating 2:3
8. Trump will not last the year ...so many believe.  They of course said the same thing throughout 2017.  When we usher in 2019, the world will do so along with President Trump.   Rating .5:3 (that`s point five out of three)
9. Finally, I`d be remiss if I did not include something here about the November Elections.  To be quite frank with you I do not know how these Elections will turn out.  It is too far in the future.  I do know that as of right now everything is up for grabs.  I am a strong believer in polls and as such await the polling numbers that come out in the days leading up to Election Day.  I will though venture some guesses - First that the House of Representatives will retain a Republican Majority,  Rating 1.5:3    And although I personally hope not, the Democrats will regain majority status in the Senate. Rating 2:3   

Europe including Great Britain

This will be the final area that I will pontificate on.  Other countries in the news such as China, Russia, Iran and so on have been covered more or less indirectly above.

• Europe Generally will polarize between the alt right and ISIS and their ilk.  Although both sides are loathsome, the former`s rise is directly due to the Terror inflicted by the latter.  This has been allowed to happen by Europe`s open borders and its inability to prevent cultural ghettos.  It will be much more bloody than last year.   Rating 1:3
•  The days of majority government are over for the foreseeable future.  Rating 1:3
• The Prime Minister of Great Britain and the Chancellor of Germany have no future and are just marking time.  They may well make it through this year but will not be around when 2019 comes to an end.   No Rating
• As noted above, for the most part Europe is a non-player even though it is needed more than ever with the rise of China and Russia and the financial troubles of the USA.  Sooner or later they will have to get off their collective duffs and join the fray but it ain`t going to happen in 2018.  No Rating

So there you have my thoughts ...gloomy as they may be, for the coming year.  They relate to Leadership throughout the world which too often is found wanting. 

But for individual families and friends, especially those living in the West, things are pretty darn good and will stay that way over 2018 and beyond.  We are collectively so fortunate.

So keep the faith, love God and your fellows and don't forget those who have so much less than we do.

As I See It...   

'K.D. Galagher'