Reflections as 2012 comes to an end

The year began with foul weather

 ... and continued that way

The Mayan "Long Count" calendar came to an end.

 ... the world didn't.

The Queen celebrated her Diamond Jubilee

 ... Britain celebrated with her

Britain hosted the most successful Olympic and Paralympic games I can ever remember

 ... and inspired the nation

The economy continued to be sluggish

 ... but the year ended with a significant fall in unemployment driven by a rise in full-time jobs

The defecit, and net migration, are down a quarter compared with 2010

 ... there is a long way to go but we are headed in the right direction

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