What a year this has been! Three prime ministers in Britain, Sinn Féin the dominant party north and south, the death of Queen Elizabeth II, leaving English footballers all confused when they have to sing their national anthem.

 

And state papers that’ve been released show Lord Kilcooney warned that if the Orange Order wasn’t allowed to march down Garvaghy Road, there’d be no Garvaghy Road. An old tactic of threatening/not threatening loyalist backlash?

 

Gerry Adams, way back then, said he didn’t know about the Canary Wharf bomb and if he had known, he wouldn’t have done anything. Did anyone then or since publicly concede that the IRA had been on ceasefire for well over a year, and yet Sinn Féin weren’t allowed to be part of talks?

 

There’s more shoplifting going on now than ever before, in the south at least. Booze is a particular target, and staff are fearful of challenging the thieves. It’s a reflection of poverty in society, of course, but with CCTV and a bit more technology, surely staff shouldn’t be left to challenge those stealing?

 

Finally, Pele. Was he the greatest footballer ever? Probably, as the man in the ad said. But most of his football was filmed in black and white, whereas his two main rivals for greatest player – Maradona and Messi – were shown in much more advanced colour. So is it a fair comparison?

 

Our last vlog/podcast of 2022 – get it while it’s hot.