Predictions

What are your predictions for 2009? Here is a rag-bag of mine:

* Following the success of the new Guns n Roses album, China to take its first tentative steps towards democracy;

* A long cold winter in both north and southern hemispheres;

* A few prominent supporters of AGW to fall off the wagon;

* Some solutions for carbon emissions to be put forward, but dismissed by environmentalists who kind of like this whole moral crisis thing;

* Premiership winning teams of 2008 to fail to win in 2009 following a horror run with injuries;

* The AFL to use the GFC as an excuse to abandon plans to establish a second Sydney AFL team (after they receive market research showing it was always a bad idea);

* The Global Financial Crisis to be blamed for everything;

* Mugabe to leave Zimbabwe one way or another, but an idiot of equal douchebaggery to emerge from another country (Uganda looks like a good bet at this stage);

* ShadowLands readership to exceed that of Tim Blair's website. (His old website, that is, not his current one, obviously.)

* Barack Obama to make some major gaffes that are ignored by the mainstream media.

* Signs of economic recovery by the end of the year, but American auto industry to continue to go downhill;

* Kevin Rudd to get less keen on carbon trading as the next election approaches;

What are your 2009 predictions?