The reckoning

At the beginning of the year, I made a 10-point “Fearless forecast.” Let’s see how well or otherwise I fared.
1. Justin Trudeau will remain leader of the Liberal Party. Pierre Poilievre’s 10-point lead will evaporate. No election will be caused or called.
• Two out of three right. The Poilievre lead is now 20 points.
2. A recession as defined by two quarters of slow or no growth will occur. Previously compassionate Canadians will turn mean and blame immigrants for both the housing crisis and hard times.
• A year too early on the first part. I believe a recession is still in the offing. I hesitate to say this but I probably got the second part right.
3. The S&P/TSX Composite Index will fall 18 percent.
• My worst prediction. TSE is up 22 percent.
4. Donald Trump will win the U.S. presidential election. All hell will break loose.
• Got that one right. We’ll have to wait and see about the all hell part.
5. Israel will reject international pleas for peace and continue to pursue Hamas even as the number of dead Palestinians rises to 50,000.
• Regrettably right although deaths are closer to 45,000.
6. Forest fires will repeat last summer’s sultry proliferation thereby bringing cries of outrage and threats of reprisals by the United States toward Canada.
• Correct about forest fires but wrong about reprisals. The U.S. suffered from fires too.
7. Russia will offer peace to Ukraine in return for keeping all the territory it has won. Ukraine will refuse. Fighting will carry on as the world loses interest and aid to Ukraine dries up. 
• We’re not quite there yet. May come to pass once Trump takes office.
8. Toronto and other cities will rename more streets and remove more statues in a futile attempt to forget a past that will forever haunt us.
• In June Toronto city council changed the name of Yonge-Dundas Square to Sankofa Square, a name that sounds like a brand of instant coffee. No one knows what Sankofa means.
9. We’ll wish Artificial Intelligence had never been invented.
• Turns out AI can’t even write a joke.
10. In spite of everything, may all your hopes and dreams come true.
• Let me know how I did on that one.
As for my score, I’m giving myself 70 percent right. Not bad for a guy from Guelph.