Tags: Review of the year
Category: Thought pieces

This will be the ‘last phase of the struggle’ ‘not only is the end in sight, we know exactly how we will get there’ said Boris Johnson on 4th Jan 2021 in his televised address to the nation. No prize for guessing the subject, Covid, but how wrong the prognosis was, with over 70,000 more Covid-related deaths in the UK since and myriad twists and turns in government policy and guidance throughout the year.

If we are being kind, we could say Boris’s prediction was correct, just a little premature, as the current strain, Omicron, does seem to be far less potent than previous variants. The decision for England not to follow the rest of the UK into further restrictions on 26th/27th December did create at least an impression that we are finally on top of the pandemic, can see an end to its devastation and are brave enough to make the right decisions to get there.

Perhaps then, we are on the home straight and the end is in sight. Personally, although the economy has coped admirably and looks set to continue in that vein, I’m not so sure that the pandemic’s effect on society and individuals’ happiness will be so easily shrugged off. The nation’s feeling of wellbeing seems to be caught in a hinterland between Lockdown 1, those sunny days when so many of us were out walking and saying hello to strangers and the reality that the pandemic has forced us all further into the online world and in many cases, working from home with all the frustrations and anti-social issues that creates.

I, for one, hope that we can retain as much of the Lockdown 1 effect as possible and get back to working together in person, with all the benefits that offers, particularly for younger people for whom a physical work environment helps to foster learning and development in both work and life skills.

Paradoxically, the pandemic has been a period of growth for Clarion, with 2021 trumping the almost 40 years that went before it. Although we deliberately and determinedly keep client numbers low, we have welcomed a number of wonderful new and interesting client families into the fold over the last 12 months and are looking forward to serving them for many years to come. If I am right in thinking that the reflection on life brought about by these testing times has highlighted the need for true lifelong financial planning focusing on people, not money, then I am a very happy man indeed.

Highs and lows

Aside from Covid, 2021 has been a year of momentous highs and extreme lows both here and in the wider world, shining a light on some of the best and worst sides of humanity and how we behave individually and as part of a group or ‘tribe’.

On the 11th July, the UK’s biggest TV audience since the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales 24 years earlier sat glued to their screens as a valiant England football team battled out the Euros final with Italy. Although, sadly, ‘we’ lost, what a pleasure it was to be one of the 30m+ people who roared on their national team and how refreshing that when it all ended in inevitable tears, the nation generally, for once, responded without acrimony. That reaction surely has something to do with the fact that Gareth Southgate comes across as a thoroughly decent man who cares about more than himself and as such has earned our trust.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, seven months earlier, hordes of rioters spurred on by Donald Trump’s ‘march on Congress’ rhetoric stormed what is arguably the world centre of democracy, the US Capitol building, occupying the Senate chamber and leaving five dead in the process. 2021 offered up few more depressing ‘what’s the world coming to’ images than the narcissistic Jacob Chansley in his Viking headgear standing ‘proudly’ among the chaos, thoroughly enjoying his day out.

Democracy itself was again in the spotlight when the US and other nations’ troops pulled out of Kabul at short notice and with seemingly insufficient planning, resulting in inevitable chaos and leaving the Taliban to walk into power; how the despots and oppressors of the world must have laughed to see the US look so inept, all captured in glorious Technicolor as they say.

Images are of course extremely powerful, none more than that of The Queen sitting alone in her Covid mask at Prince Philip’s funeral. Whether you are a monarchist, antiroyalist or something in between, it is hard not to admire the Queen’s loyalty and devotion to duty, old-fashioned as those qualities may seem in the modern world.

Returning to happier themes, 2021 gave us many uplifting stories and heroes to look up to, not least the Liverpool cabbie who locked a terrorist bomber in his own taxi to prevent him blowing up a hospital and survived to tell the tale. Marcus Rashford also deserves our praise for his tireless campaign to alleviate child hunger, as does Catherine Johnstone, CEO of the Royal Volunteer Service which under her stewardship recruited a vast army of unpaid volunteers without whom the rollout of Covid vaccines would not have been possible; well done to each and every one of you.

I read an interesting article recently about the UK’s most extraordinary women of 2021 and while, understandably, tennis star Emma Raducanu was given centre stage, I couldn’t help but be drawn more to the less glamorous story of Sali Hughes and Jo Jones, two admirable young ladies who launched a charity Beauty Banks that now provides hundreds of boxes of hygiene essentials per week to women’s refuges and homeless shelters.

Clarion’s ‘own’ registered charity The Clarion Welsby Family Foundation was delighted in December to make a sizeable donation to a local volunteer group distributing hygiene essentials to under-privileged teenagers and although hygiene may seem someway down the list of life’s necessities, as Sali and Jo articulated so well “it’s not about soap, it’s providing people with dignity, self-respect and confidence”; worthy objectives indeed and a cause we were very happy to support.

On a personal front, the clear winner amongst many happy memories of 2021 is the marriage of my first daughter Marnie, which took place on a glorious day in September when even the British weather was kind to us; someone somewhere is looking after me.

So, what do I hope for in 2022?

Well, at the risk of sounding like a 1980s Miss World contestant, I would like to see more kindness in the world and, on a practical note, for us to spend more time communicating in person, rather than through technology.

Most of all I wish for a healthy and fun-filled year ahead for all.

Happy New Year everyone and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Ron Walker
Founder, Clarion Wealth Planning

If you’d like more information about this article, or any other aspect of our true lifelong financial planning, we’d be happy to hear from you. Please call +44 (0)1625 466 360 or email [email protected].

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