Only the most foolhardy of us would make predictions about what 2019 might have in store. As we head towards the great national rebirth/Armageddon (delete accordingly) of Brexit, in this topsy-turvy political climate, it's anyone's guess how this year will pan out.

I hope that 2019 will be the year of people being nicer to each other than were in 2018. I hope that we have seen the very worst of social media and that, this year, people will get over themselves, stop taking ridiculous online offence at everything and everybody - and stop being horrible.

Online bullying and name-calling really got out of hand in 2018, with the professional offence-takers ruining careers and reputations from the comfort and relative obscurity of their keyboards.

Most right-thinking people became heartily sick throughout 2018 of aggressive lobbyists shouting and abusing online in order to their views across. Whether they be rabid Remainers, blinkered Brexiteers, vegans, trans campaigners, anti-royalists, anti-capitalists or just anti-anythings, opinions were SHOUTED out on social media, everyone demanding to be heard and - more importantly - respected.

Unfortunately, few of the social media shouters really say much worth heeding, even less respecting.

The faux outrage which is now an inherent part of social media reached its nadir last week, when the Queen, no less, was "blasted" on Twitter after her annual Christmas message.

Just as in most of her 66 years on the throne, the Queen broadcast her Christmas message from Buckingham Palace, so it is fair to say that we, her subjects, expect that broadcast to be made among fairly opulent surroundings. We'd be pretty surprised if she got the cameras to set up in the kitchens or the Corgis' kennels.

But this year, for some reason, the twits of Twitter have come over all horrified at the sight of Her Majesty sitting in an elegant drawing room with - outrageously - a grand piano in the background. And not just any old grand piano, but a gold one.

Our 92-year-old monarch has duly been lambasted for being "out of touch" with the rest of the nation, as the Twitterati rounded on her for sitting in such surroundings while there are homeless people and families using foodbanks.

Leaving aside that the Queen's broadcast was from no more grand surroundings than the upstart president of France, Emmanuel Macron, uses to make his own grandiose broadcasts to his nation, what would the offended hordes of Twitter prefer? I doubt they can answer that as they're too busy taking offence to think around the subjects on which they pontificate.

Let's hope 2019 sees an end to all this online stupidity. As one of the Queen's illustrious forebears may say, "We are not amused". Happy new year.