The following is the first in a three-part series on future scenarios for the North.

We should probably start this series of columns with an important disclaimer. We are going to talk about the future – but, as every reasonable person is perfectly aware, the future is unpredictable. A great number of prophets (actually, a vast majority of them) have been proven wrong in the past millennia and there is no reason to believe that the coming centuries will be different. Nonetheless, this need not stop us from being engaged in such speculations and, in this case, your humble author