After a roller coaster year, let’s celebrate the positive

YES, many people will be glad to see the back of 2017, a year that will be remembered for the nasty rather than the nice side of life. The homelessness and housing crisis – another consequence of the wrecking of our economy 10 years ago by casino banks, greedy property speculators and sleeping regulators – is, without doubt, the greatest shadow over the past year.

The only glimmer of hope in the crisis is the reaction of the Irish people. There is an even greater housing crisis in the UK but it doesn’t get the prominence it deserves as that country lurches from one Brexit crisis to another.

It’s hard to believe that the spiral our neighbours are in will end well under the hapless, luckless and rudderless Theresa May.

While Brexit delivers a lot of negativity, at least the outcome on Friday December 8 – when the breakthrough deal was finally agreed – was positive for us and means no border with the North.

As the gardaí are still reeling from the breath test scandal and the revelations about their treatment of whistleblowers, hopefully 2018 will be a better year for this critical pillar of our society.

Let’s not go into our international sporting disasters. France snatched the rugby World Cup from our grasp, while Denmark humiliated our soccer team with a 5-1 hammering, and Rory McIlroy continues to fade on the golf course.

Donald Trump is only 11 months in office – it feels like a lifetime – and he is beyond a joke at this stage. His ignominious place in history is already assured, our only hope – and it’s a slim one – is that he won’t do any more damage .

However, there were positive events. Katie Taylor proved she is our most enduring sports person, possessing skill and dignity in equal measure. Conor McGregor did add to the gaiety of the nation, though his tracksuited court appearance left many bemused, even angry.

Our cities went back into traffic gridlock, but at least the arrival of the Luas on the capital’s main street heightens the demand for a decent transport infrastructure. ‘Where’s the metro?’ I hear you cry.

At least we were the only country in the world to get a laugh out of North Korea as three of our TDs toyed with the idea of reeling in the Rocket Man with a bit of Irish dancing and blarney.

Hurricane Ophelia brought havoc and death but it’s comforting to know we proved that as a nation we are still a solid community when a crisis hits.

It was also the year we finally honoured our heroes of Jadotville – the 156 Irish soldiers who held out against 3,000 attackers for five days in the Congo in 1961.

So, on this Christmas Eve, let’s celebrate the positive – we are still here. Have a good break this coming week if you can, and let’s face into 2018 with gusto and confidence.