Whilst we are transitioning from the Christmas and New Year break into the new world of 2024, and whilst we are allowing everyone to get their 2024 scheduling ducks in a row, we thought a look at what we can expect throughout this year might be a more appropriate for this first episode of the year, starting with the first half of 2024.
You might want to grab a pen and tear down the calendar to make a note of some of the key dates coming up.
There is still a lot going on this week, such as the Tube strike in London, the Commons returning after recess, and the International Court of Justice looking into South Africa´s complaint over war crimes and genocide enacted by Israel, and on a lighter note, this week marks the 25th anniversary of the Sopranos TV show airing for the first time, and sports fans have the Australian Open to look forward to.
One of the most significant developments in 2024 is likely to be controlled by the people, as it is election year in the UK, when, by all current standings, the current run of the Conservatives will come to an end, and Labour will regain power. Quite how that will manifest remains to be seen, and it might not happen, as the Tories seem desperate to cling onto power by delaying the inevitable as long as possible, in the hope that they might turn public opinion in this now relatively short space of time.
There might be a taste of things to come in May, if a general election hasn’t already been called, as the UK will have the chance to show opinion in the local elections on May 2, which also include the mayoral election in London.
The Commons returns from recess on Monday with the Rwanda Bill topping the headline grabbers.
In Northern Ireland, January 18 is a key date as that is the deadline for the agreement to be reached to restore the Executive Government, or elections will be on the cards there.
Of course, it´s not just the UK where elections are being held. Another vote of significance will be in the European elections. Many people in the UK had been led to believe that Europe was run by “unelected bureaucrats”, neglecting the fact that one of the loudest voices in that lie, Nigel Farage, was elected into a position in Europe, as in fact, the people of Europe do indeed vote for their representatives. Although, now excluding the UK.
The US and Europe mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings on June 6, the same day elections to the European Parliament get underway.
We also have the Presidential elections in the USA to look forward to this year, and a potential Joe Biden-Donald Trump rematch. There are actually elections in at least 60 countries this year, and in Spain, there will also be elections although only in a relatively localised sense.
Finally, the biggest election news of the year might be in March, when Russia has the chance to vote for their leader. We wouldn´t suggest rushing to the bookies for odds on Vladimir Putin not winning though. Presidential elections are also scheduled at the end of March in Ukraine, incidentally. Prior to that, Ukraine will be dominating the news mid-February as NATO defence ministers meet ahead of the opening of the Munich Security Conference on February 16, just a week before the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion on February 24.
On May 9, Vladimir Putin, sorry, we mean the winner of the Russian elections, will take to the streets of Moscow for the annual Victory Day celebrations.
In the 2024 financial outlook, February will start with either good news or bad news with the first interest rates decision of the year announced by the Bank of England. February will also be a key month due to the release of GDP figures for the final quarter of 2023, which will confirm whether or not the UK entered recession at the end of the year after revised figures showed a 0.1% contraction between July and September.
May 9 will be the next key date when the Bank of England makes its latest decision.
In entertainment, the awards season continues with the Grammy Awards on February 4 and the BAFTA film awards on February 18, then the BRIT Awards on March 2, followed by the Oscars on March 10.
In other entertainment news, Liz Truss’ book on saving the West from the ‘global left’ is released on April 16, the same day the IMF publishes its latest World Economic Outlook.
In May, celebrities will gather for the Met Gala on May 6, the Eurovision grand final on May 11 and the BAFTA TV Awards on May 12.
Glastonbury opens on June 26, and London celebrates London Pride Parade on June 29.
Sports fans have a lot to look forward to, and apologies to soap fans for the inevitable disruption, as 2024 also sees the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, Euro 2024 in Germany, and the T20 World Cup all on the calendar.
In America, all eyes will be on Super Bowl LVIII on February 11, not only for fans of the sport, but the now famous halftime show, and the extortionate amounts businesses pay for advertising slots being revealed.
March sees the start of the F1 season in Bahrain and the final round of the Six Nations tournament on March 16.
In April, we have the County Championship cricket season (April 5), the Grand National (April 13) and the London Marathon (April 21).
For football fans, the Premier League season comes to a close on May 19, followed closely by the FA Cup final on May 25.
The Champions League final will be on June 1, rounding off the football season, just before the T20 World Cup opens in the US and West Indies on June 4.
