Memories of 2010

It’s that time of the year when we all cast our minds back to those moments that made the departing year memorable; the events in years to come will be our witnessed tales, benchmark and aha moments. This year I was lucky to have three pivotal events – which for all intends and purposes makes 2010 a very good year.

My first moment came very early in the year. At the time I was following with great interest the US Special Election (By Election) for the next senator of Massachusetts to replace the late Ted Kennedy – who held that seat since for ever. All eyes were on the Democrat favourite, Attorney General Martha Coakley and the Dems presumed the seat was in the bag until one morning a couple of weeks before polling day. When the virtual unknown GOP, Republican Party candidate pickup Truck driving hottie Scott Brown took the lead and never looked back. It was at that instant I realised the Tea Party Movement meant business and is a force to reckon with. And the current one year old administration was in deeper trouble than anybody thought or anticipated.

The second was local, at home, it happened in May after the General Election. With all the talk, before and during the election about a hung parliament and the possibility of a coalition and even after the Coalition was formed and announced, it was all just a haze and a blur. Until watching Cameron and Clegg, in the Rose Garden of Number Ten, walk down to their his and his podiums, the chemistry and the ease between the two was unbelievable; they were so natural with each other I knew then this was much more than “a have to arrangement” – and what we are witnessing here is something very special.

On a personal level it meant coming to terms with and accepting the liberals as partners and colleges, it meant putting aside my life long suspicion of all things LibDem and work towards the greater good – sounds cliché, maybe, but that was the moment I knew UK politics has changed forever and it will never be the same again.

My third moment of 2010 was personal, it came in August, it was a case of mistaken identity – but what started as an awkward and potentially embarrassing moment has turned into an opportunity, an eye opener and possibly a great friendship – importantly for me, it was a reminder that there is so much good out there we just need to stay positive and remain open to see and receive it. Plus it confirmed my long standing conviction that “the glass is always half full and life is what we make it!”

These three events marked my 2010 – below is the video from the Rose Garden and that joke. What event or events touched you?