Some notable friends of ‘The Spectator’ share their hopes, fears and predictions for the year ahead
Dame Eileen Atkins
I hope we start getting education right. Michael Gove is correct when he says we should go back to an emphasis on five basic subjects: English, maths, geography, history and a foreign language. These should not be purely the province of the naturally academic. I grew up on a council estate. It was not expected that anyone from my area would go to university. My honorary degree was one of my proudest moments. There is no use making education easy and then celebrating success if young people leave school unable to write or add up. And I privately hope that next year begins with the news that the three episodes of Upstairs Downstairs over Christmas have achieved bigger viewer ratings than Downton Abbey.
Jeremy Clarke
My second grandson will be another boy. The Hammers will go down, more thoughts will be criminalised, and the man at the Inland Revenue will take a look at my file and say enough is enough.
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