While Ireland will continue to commemorate events in the War of Independence between the IRA and the British forces, namely the Black and Tans, some very important dates in January will bring significant political changes to the island.
In the North, the main parties have until 13 January to agree to reform the stalled power-sharing Stormont Executive, which has been mothballed since January 2017.
If the DUP and Sinn Fein are smart, they will agree a deal, given the slump in votes which both parties suffered in December’s snap Westminster General Election.
If no deal can be agreed, BoJo’s massive Commons Tory majority will vote to impose Direct Rule from Westminster on Northern Ireland. And given the way the DUP behaved with BoJo before the snap pre-Christmas poll, there’s no way a Johnston Government will allow the Northern Ireland Office to be staffed by Northern Ireland MPs - especially as the largest grouping on the nationalist side, Sinn Fein, doesn’t even take its seats.
Had the DUP played political ball with BoJo and voted through his Brexit deal as part of the ‘Confidence and Supply Arrangement’ agreed by BoJo’s predecessor - Theresa May - then the DUP could have been claiming ministerial posts in the new-look NIO.
Sinn Fein’s immediate worry will be the expected General Election in the Republic. During the Adams era, Sinn Fein had hoped that one day, it could be a junior partner in a Dail coalition government.
But under Mary Lou McDonald, Sinn Fein could once again be reduced to fringe status in Leinster House in terms of political influence. Current Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is expected to win another term; all that remains to be decided is who his junior partner will be.
Could it be a rejuvenated Irish Labour Party, a bunch of independent TDs, or even a break through by the staunchly pro-life Aontu party?
A poor showing by the Shinners could see Mary Lou’s position as party president put in jeopardy. Speaking of leaders whose position could be at risk, will the DUP blame Arlene Foster for the loss of votes and seats in the Westminster debacle?
Who might be the successor to Arlene if the DUP elected representatives decide a new boss is needed? If Arlene goes voluntarily or is pushed, expect to see the fundamentalist stalwarts attempt to reimpose a Rev Dr Ian Paisley-style agenda.
Such a move could also throw a spanner in the works of those within the Unionist community who want to see a single Unionist party simply called The Unionist Party.
With Unionism now the minority ideology in terms of the Assembly and the Northern Ireland Commons tally of MPs, calls for a merger between the DUP and Ulster Unionists are increasing.
While this would not be the flavour of the month about the UUP’s ruling liberal clique, Right-wing UUP members are more enthusiastic about such a political shotgun marriage.
Keep an eye on talk of reforming the once highly influential Ulster Monday Club pressure group, or a Northern Ireland branch of the hard Right Tory group, the ERG, as the catalyst for this DUP/UUP merger.
If BoJo does opt for a snap Assembly poll, while the DUP and Sinn Fein will be back as the two largest parties, the Alliance protest ‘bounce’ seen in 2019’s council, Europe and Westminster elections will continue.
This will leave Alliance well into double figures in terms of MLAs and party boss Naomi Long holding the balance of power. With the UK definitely quitting the European Union on 31 January, all three Northern Ireland MEPs will be losing their seats, so Mrs Long could be following the example of Mrs Dodds of the DUP and making a return to Stormont.
The Boris Brexit deal could spark a new wave of activity by both dissident republicans and loyalists; republicans angry at a border, the loyalists angry that the deal shifts Northern Ireland into a united Ireland by the back door.
For loyalists, it is 1985 all over again. The late UUP boss Jim Molyneaux used to quietly talk of his special political relationship with then Tory PM Maggie Thatcher - then she signed the Anglo-Irish Agreement of November 1985, which gave the Republic its first significant say in the running of the North since partition in the 1920s.
The DUP once crowed about its special relationship with the Tories, until the Conservative Party threw the DUP ‘under the political bus’ in the Boris deal on Brexit.
Unionism needs to remember that BoJo is a huge fan of former wartime British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The latter wanted to throw Northern Ireland ‘under the political bus’ during the Second World War to guarantee the South’s support for the Allied war effort.
Unionism’s way forward in a post Brexit 2020 is either to persuade the Irish Republic to rejoin the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, or prepare for some kind of Irish unification.
Talking of unity, could the revitalised SDLP with its two new Commons MPs signal the ‘full steam ahead’ policy of a formal merger with Fianna Fail? After all, a FF/SDLP merger would take the wind out of the sales of the Shinners’ ‘all Ireland’ organisation.
However, a merged FF/SDLP movement could be the catalyst which prompts Sinn Fein to finally ditch its outdated abstentionist policy at Westminster and take its Commons seats along with the Scottish and Welsh nationalists.
Maybe, too, the next British Labour Party leader who succeeds Corbyn will finally give the green light to Labour officially contesting seats in Northern Ireland. This would allow the fringe Hard Left People Before Profit party to merge with Labour - and become the new Militant Tendency, or Momentum, faction in the Northern Ireland Labour movement.
On the religious front, expect more rows to erupt within Northern Ireland’s mainstream Presbyterian denomination, while church attendances in the main denominations - Presbyterianism, Methodist, Church of Ireland, and Catholic - continue to slide.
The one denomination seemingly destined for growth in Northern Ireland is the overtly pentecostalist Vineyard Church, which already has branches in Lisburn and Coleraine.
And if that doesn’t fill you full of excitement, expect Americans to re-elect The Donald in a sharply fought Presidential election in late 2020.
Follow Dr John Coulter on Twitter @JohnAHCoulter
Listen to Dr John Coulter’s religious show, Call In Coulter, every Saturday morning around 9.30 am on Belfast’s Christian radio station, Sunshine 1049 FM, or listen online at www.thisissunshine.com
Good to see Coulter still talking 'balls' as usual.
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