Scrolling in the Year: 2019 in review
It’s time again for my annual rip of RTE’s brilliant “Reeling in the Years” with my own half cooked version of looking at the stories that dominated social media homepages, threads and trending hashtags in a calendar year. The last year in review looked at the 8th amendment referendum, The Beast from the East and an Irish Presidential election. 2019 continued to be a divisive year in politics and current affairs, but in many ways it also provided us with some great moments of comic relief that eased the tension. Here’s a second look at some of my stand out moments of 2019:
Elections
When I wrote about Brexit in my 2018 post, I did so happy in the knowledge that by the end of 2019 we'd at least have some closure on the whole affair. Perhaps unsurprisingly, things in many people’s view have gotten worse. That clip of Theresa May dancing to her podium to dancing queen now almost seems heartwarming as shes been replaced by Boris Johnson. Better yet, having called another general election at the end of 2019, Boris and the conservatives won a massive landslide. Historians will probably look back on his “Get Brexit Done!” boxing gloves as geniously simple messaging. As all this was going on, we all became none the wiser as to what Brexit would actually look like.
On election day, Twitter was lively with different stories about both the Labour Party and the Conservatives. There was talk of Boris Johnson hiding in a fridge from reporters and a story going around that Labour’s Diane Abbott was wearing odd shoes while out and about canvassing. These two incidents and the result itself proved to many that the more you try and make sense of whats going on in the UK, the more you’ll feel at a loss…
Hotels & White Water Rafting
I’d like to say that things back in Ireland politically were a lot better but 2019 brought with it record numbers of homeless people across the country and systems like Direct Provision continue to be in place. The other side of the coin shows us that Hotels are still springing up in cities where renting or buying is attainable by the few. I have a stand up joke about how at 27 not only can I not afford to move out of my retired parents house, but with the couple of hundred I give them every month…they can’t afford for me to move out either! (you have to be there really)
I’m luckily sheltered by the real cost of living in Dublin and with cultural nightclubs and venues being shut down in favour of more hotels, there is a growing sentiment online that our cities favour wealthy tourists and corporations over their own inhabitants. This sentiment flared with the announcement of a planned €22m White Water Rafting facility in Dublin’s Docklands. Fingers crossed it’s finished just in time for the next recession!
Swing-gate
As politicians we’re continually seen as disconnected from both their constituents and reality, the stand out political story of the year for me was what became quickly known as “swing-gate”. Fine Gael have consistently stated that the “compensation culture” in Ireland has been to the detriment of businesses owners in recent years. Insurance costs for private companies and properties have sky rocketed as a result of dodgy claims and the party have promised to put an end to this.
This made it all the more entertaining when their own TD Maria Bailey, was swept up in scandal over a personal injury claim she was involved in. The scandal was like something that the writers of Father Ted and House of Cards would draft up after a heavy night out. The injury itself related to an incident in the Dean Hotel where Bailey fell off their much “Instagrammed” swings. Part of her claim was that the swing should have been supervised.
The media reported the story and suddenly swing-gate was everywhere. Memes, Halloween outfits and endless sketches were made about the story and Bailey. Bailey herself would get the chance to tell her side of the story though on the Sean O Rourke show. A chance to quell the controversy, calm everybody down and save face. That’s how she would have liked it to go…
Sports: Ireland Rugby, Katie Taylor and a Pillow Menu
2019 was a big year of sport in Ireland. This was the year that we were finally due to win the Rugby world cup having gone into the competition as the number one team! Unfortunately, Ireland were spanked by the All Blacks in the quarter finals. All was not lost though as England flunked the final to finish runners up to South Africa. The competition was in Japan and many games were disrupted by typhoons. The greatest amount of carnage was actually inflicted by Breffni and the lads though…
Carnage like Breffni’s would be the biggest of the year if it wasn’t for the Koh Samui Cup winners from Blackrock who went viral in Ireland for their horseplay. Closer to home Dublin won 5 in a row, Katie Taylor became a two weight world champion and the FAI were embroiled in a financial scandal that could now result in it’s liquidation. Of all the stories that swirled around the footballing controversy the one that stuck with me was Delaney’s alleged personal expenses. A report stated that he used his personal credit card for everything from food in his local pub to stays at hotel rooms in NYC where you're given a pillow menu. It’s now my life ambition to browse through a pillow menu before I lay my head down…
Prince Andrew
Conspiracies were a big part of 2019 and perhaps the most unusual one was that of Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein was found hanged in his cell from an apparent suicide but this set conspiracy theorists into overdrive. This was mainly due to the powerful people that Epstein had known. The case itself is a bleak one but a short moment of comic gold in the coverage was an interview with the Royal Family’s Prince Andrew. Andrew fielded questions about his relationship with Epstein and tried to explain an allegation about him away by detailing his inability to sweat and a trip to a Pizza Express in Woking. The Woking franchise was then inundated with fake 5 star reviews claiming that it was “Fit for a Prince”.
Saving the World
As climate catastrophes swept across the Amazon, Australia and other parts of the world in 2019, our governments inaction became a flash point. Climate action groups and school children joined the “Extinction Rebellion” and began strikes and demonstrations in major cities. 16 year old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg became an unlikely face for a generation. Her impassioned speeches at climate action summits went viral with people debating the issue in comment sections. In a Twitter moment that only 2019 could produce, Donald Trump had the below to say when Thunberg was made the Time Person of the Year…
I don’t know if he saw the irony in asking a Global warming activist to “chill” but I really hope he did. Greta was quick to hit back though by temporarily changing her Twitter bio to “A teenager working on her anger management problem. Currently chilling and watching a good ole fashioned movie with a friend”. You love to see it! (a phrase that was everywhere in 2019)
“Wagatha Christie”
With conspiracies everywhere, a mounting global climate catastrophe and Ireland’s housing crisis only getting worse, I thought I’d end on a lighter note. Part of the reason why we all keep checking our phone is for something to happen. We don’t usually know what this something good will be but a great example was Colleen Rooney’s Tweet on October 9th. The story below of her catching out a fellow wag in selling stories about her is so desperately well thought out and dramatic that it sent Twitter into meltdown!
Via Coleen Rooney
Rebekah refuted the claims and the pair went back and forth while ironically telling their sides of the story to many press outlets themselves? Here’s hoping 2020 brings more moments like this and less of the whole world about to end misery (even if it is). I’m looking forward to writing more myself in 2020 so please follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up!