Financial institutions will no longer enjoy the clout of...

Financial institutions will no longer enjoy the clout of lobbying to cut corners in financial services regulation and prudential requirements.

The New Year will see all four major banks have their wings clipped. The warnings I issued in the past year over banks will take shape this year. It will be tragic.

The questions of large payments in bonuses to bankers when much of their profits have been fictitious or at least padded will come to light with the unravwelling of the biggest banking/ financial services industry scandal ever. I tell you it will be the Tsunami of the markets.

John Howard will step down as prime minister and a former prime minister or long serving minister will die in very strange if not tragic circumstances.

The comming year will also be
RIP. Lee Kuan Yew former Prime minister of Singapore,
Pope Johan Paul the second
another member of the Royal family of Britain
the break up of marriage of Princess Mary of "Tasmania" and death of a well known Sydney Stock Broker.
Sir Joh Bjelke Petersen will be sent to his maker
a major gold find in Papua New Guinea will be overshadowed by the fall of the Somare government from a major corruption inquiry.
The pipeline will either be abandoned for cost blowouts although this will not be the reason.
The US will suffer greatly in Iraq and Donald Rumsfeld will resign before the end of June.
Colin Powel has prostate cancer and Paul Mcartney will mourn the passing of another dear loved one.

I will watch the Banks. The whistleblower is by no means a low level operative. It is a network of them.

Another scandal will rock the life of Richard Butler braggart extrodinairre. Israel will find itself more isolated than ever and the Palestinians will find the US more sympathetic and ready o back them against the Jews.

The Russian army is on the move again.

Happy New Year