The World In 2011

I recently came across this article The World in 2011 which got me thinking about what I am looking forward to in 2011 and how our world may change in 2011.

As the article mentions I guess a major change that will come in 2011 will be China overtaking America as the biggest manufacturer however I don't think we will see the real consequence of this in 2011, the consequence of this we will only start to notice in years to come. As the article mentions China could find itself being overtaken by India in economic growth and again we may not see the real consequences of this in 2011 but in the years to come.

We will also be marking the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2011 and this maybe the time to start thinking about what "we" in the "western world" have done right in the fight against terror and what do we need to be doing more and better off.

Personally, 2011 could be an interesting year for me in terms of the work I do as the government will be rolling out its Work Programme. As the company that I work for was not picked as a Preferred Supplier for the Employment Related Support Services Framework in West Midlands I could find myself working for another organisation. At some point in January we will find out who the prime contractors and the Work Programme (phase1) Go Live will be in April 2011 and phase 2 Go Live in June 2011.

In his 2010 Emergency Budget the Chancellor announced an increase in the standard rate of VAT from 17.5 per cent to 20 per cent effective from 4 January 2011. This will have an impact on everyone and it will be felt more when purchasing things like fuel. Diesel is already at something like £1.25 per litre and with the VAT rise should be about £1.29 come January and I wouldn't be surprised if by December 2011 the prices are around £1.40 per litre since I imagine we will get increases in the fuel duty at the budget.

I have watched a number of the games that England have played in Australia during this summer and was really pleased to see that England have retained the Ashes, my hope now is that England win the fifth test in Sydney to win the series 3-1 but what I am most looking forward to in 2011 is the India tour of England by the time of the first test on Thursday 21st July 2011 it could be a head to head clash between the top two ranked teams in the world which could be great fun to watch. As a Warwickshire fan I hope to see Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott continue to do well with the England team and I hope that Chris Woakes can make a breakthrough into the England side during the Twenty20 and one-day international series against Australia in January and February. Additionally I am also looking forward to the Twenty20 international games in Adelaide and Melbourne when the Australia women's team take on the England women's team before the men's team play. Hopefully this will help raise the profile of the women's game and
start helping it to get similar support in the media and press as well amongst fans as the men's game gets.

I am also very much looking forward to February 2011 as this will be when I will be taking my holiday to Malawi. My cousin gets married in February so during February I will be in Malawi for just over two weeks which I am really looking forward to.

On 13th March we will also have the first race of the 2011 Formula 1 season in Bahrain and hopefully this season will be as interesting as last season. The race I am most looking forward to is the 2011 Formula 1 Grand Prix of India at Jaypee International Race Circuit on Sunday 30th October 2011.

May 2011 will probably see the biggest event of the 2011 political calendar in UK as A referendum on changing the UK's voting system is planned for 5 May 2011. I think the outcome of the referendum will have a major impact on the future of UK politics as it could change the manner in which government in UK operates and it could also influence future election campaigns. A reduction in the number of MPs from 650 to 600 could also lead to a number interesting selections as neighbouring MPs could find that they are looking to be selected to contest next General Election in 2015.

Finally the Localism Bill will be making its way through Parliament in 2011 and as a consequence we could see the start of campaigns for referendums on having a directly elected mayor in major cities like Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Coventry, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Nottingham, Sheffield and Wakefield.