New Year Resolutions

Marina Hyde has a nice column in the Guardian today about new year resolutions. First she makes a good point:

The crucial thing is not to set goals too high. Resolutions should always be incredibly realistic and achievable, so you can despise yourself even more when you fail to live up to them. By way of an example, a friend tells me he "might try and eat slightly healthier snacks when watching sport". See? There is simply no point kidding yourself about thrice-weekly gym visits, but piously denying yourself the fourth tube of Pringles before half-time is a possibility.

She then makes some resolutions for other people:

The rampaging armies of middle-class thrift bores currently laying waste to features sections should resolve to expand their ingenious brainwaves into the sports pages. We've already had our Christmases revolutionised by their suggestions for making our own presents ("Why not melt down 250g of really good quality white chocolate and stir in some nuts and rose petals?" Because it still costs a tenner, you tedious creature.) Now let's see them work their alchemy in the transfer window, starting with solving Arsène Wenger's midfield problems using only a ball of yarn and some really good quality white chocolate.

Hmmm, Frank Lampard in white chocolate? I see him more as a cheaply flavoured soft centre myself, but that could just be me...

Anyway, here are a few more for finance.

• Bankers should resolve to accept that the world has changed now that many banks have significant state ownership. A little humility - just a touch - might be in order.
• Ditto hedgies after Made-off. The regulators are coming: you know it, I know it, and the whole process will be a little less tedious if you could avoid foolish rants about the constraint of free enterprise while it is happening.
• Chicago school economists. The game is up. Please retire somewhere far away and never darken our media again.
• Finance ministers. Just once, for a change, why not actually spend some money on something the country needs. You know, like infrastructure. You might be able to build a credible midfielder from white chocolate, but it works less well for railways.