New Year's Day

It's 1 January. No different from 31 December. What will happen over the next 364 days? Will Tony Blair retire? There is a precedent. It's 30 years this year since Harold Wilson shocked the nation with his resignation. I speak with authority. In March 1976, I was feeling under the weather.A full-blown cold threatened, and a few days off school seemed sensible. My conscience was clear: my only commitment was a rendition of Santa Lucia in my music class. I looked forward to watching Crown Court, ITV's court drama. If I could spin the illness out a few days, I could witness The Verdict. As it happened, I viewed history as Labour's last election winner until 1997 bowed out.