DO you make a New Year resolution? Probably you do - it's a habit most people keep.
But does it make any difference by the time February comes along?
Do you send out a New Year message? Probably not.
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This curious ritual is largely restricted to church leaders and politicians.
Do the platitudes these people churn out make any difference to the world?
Or even to the fortunes of the respective churches and political parties?
Probably not. There will be a lot of talk of new beginnings, new ways of doing things.
Of 2008 being the year when the world will be swathed in new hope; when people start to like each other and peace breaks out; when mankind stops heating up the planet to dangerous levels.
For the various party leaders it will be the year when the government recovers popular support, when the Tories establish an unassailable lead in the polls, and when the ultimate Liberal breakthrough takes place.
Or not in each case.
Still, I will join in the fun and offer a resolution or message or two to some of our local East Lancashire powers-that-be!
To the East Lancashire Hospital Trust: how about sorting out the chaos that the reorganisation of hospital services has caused, most of all by reversing the disastrous transfer of blue light A & E services from Burnley to Blackburn?
To Lancashire County Council: how about moving the decisions and the budgets over services in our towns to our local boroughs so that local people who know the area and know its needs make the decisions - instead of officials and the so-called "cabinet members" in places like Preston?
To Elevate: why not cut down on your ambitions to become a regional power - and at the same time let local councils get on with the job of renewing local housing, without all the wasted time and money involved in attempts to micro-manage it all?
To Network Rail and the Department for Transport: why not lay that short bit of track at Todmorden and run a proper train service from Burnley to Manchester?
(And while you're about it, start planning to put back the Colne to Skipton missing link!)
Well - we can all dream our dreams! And why not?
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