IT has been a year of political turmoil, as the Brexit debate shook the corridors of power and ground Westminster to a standstill. 

This month’s General Election may have brought the curtain down on the great debate between Leave and Remain, but only after months of rancour that saw the institutions of the UK shaken as never before. 

Away from politics, 2019 will also be remembered as the year when the fight against climate change took on a new dimension as young people around the globe became rebels with a cause as they took a stand to secure their own future.

It was also a year of flourishing in the arts and on the sports field as new champions arose and fresh life was injected into the Scottish football team, with a resurgent Old Firm locking horns with a ferocity not seen for years. 

Now a new year is soon to dawn, bringing with it fresh twists, turns, headlines, incidents and events sure to draw the attention of everyone in the country. 

On the political stage, perhaps the biggest day of the year will come next month when the UK finally leaves the European Union on January 31 now 
that there is a Conservative majority at Westminster and Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal has been passed by MPs.

READ MORE: Mark Smith: The hard lessons of 2019 – and a few predictions for Scotland in 2020 

After that, the clock starts ticking as Britain enters a transition period while the relationship with the EU devolves down to a trade agreement – with a deadline set by Mr Johnson of December  31 for those talks to come to an end.

But there may be bigger events on the political stage to come in the next 
12 months, with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, boosted by an election result that returned 48 SNP MPs to Westminster, calling for a fresh independence referendum in 2020.

Whether that becomes reality remains to be seen, as it will require the Prime Minister’s agreement, but the starting gun has been sounded and interesting times could once again be in store.

While the constitution will command the lion’s share of column inches in the coming months, there is also the small matter of who will lead the official opposition to the UK Government.

With both Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn and the LibDems’ Jo Swinson – who lost her East Dunbartonshire seat – stepping aside, new leaders of both these parties will have to come to the fore. 

Both are expected to be in place sooner rather than later because England and Wales will contest local elections in May, along with a vote on the London Assembly in conjunction with one for London mayor.

These races will be important bellwethers for the new men or women who take charge and face the task of gaining ground on a resurgent Tory party.

Closer to home, politics and climate change will take central stage in Glasgow towards the end of the year when Scotland’s largest city hosts the major global warming summit known as the 26th Conference of the Parties, or COP26, in partnership with Italy.

Up to 30,000 delegates are expected to attend the event at Glasgow’s Scottish Events Campus in November as world leaders debate a response to the climate emergency.

The conference has been described as the most important gathering on climate change since the Paris Agreement was signed in France in 2015.

Claire Perry, UK nominated president for COP26, said: “In 2020, world leaders will come together to discuss how to tackle climate change on a global scale 
– and where better to do so than Glasgow, one of the UK’s most sustainable cities with a great track record for hosting high-profile international events.”

The Scottish Government’s Climate Change Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said the decision to host COP26 in Scotland was right “given our leadership on climate action”.

READ MORE: Take me to the river. Why 2020 will be all about the water. 

She continued: “Scotland was one of the first countries in the world to acknowledge the global climate emergency and the Scottish Government has introduced the toughest targets in the UK to ensure our action matches the scale of our climate ambitions.

“We look forward to working collaboratively with partners to deliver an ambitious and effective conference that ensures Scotland plays a leading role to help promote the increased global effort to tackle climate change.”

Lasting for two weeks, it will be the largest summit the UK has ever hosted, with up to 200 world leaders expected to attend for the final weekend.

Before things heat up at the conference tables, however, Glasgow will already have invited Europe to come for a visit, when the city hosts four European Football Championship matches – or Euro 2020 for short.

For the first time the competition is being spread out across the Continent, rather than being held in one host country, and Scotland’s national stadium will host three group games and one from the last 16 between June 15 and 30.

It remains to be seen if Scotland’s national team will be at the party – first it must overcome Israel and then beat either Norway or Serbia for a place at the tournament, which will see giants such as Germany, France, England and Holland compete for the title of European champions.

Europe also remains high on domestic football’s agenda, with Celtic and Rangers still in action in the Europa League after the New Year celebrations end. Celtic will take on Danish side Copenhagen, while Rangers have been drawn against FC Braga of Portugal after both Glasgow clubs progressed through to the last 32 teams. 

Away from football, Glasgow will also host the Men’s World Curling Championships between March and April, while June will bring the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup to Fort William, followed by the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open in July. 

The coming months will also see cultural events take place across Scotland. As well as the usual Edinburgh Festival –the world’s biggest cultural event 
– galleries and museums plan a host of exhibitions, such as the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art focusing on Ray Harryhausen, the pioneering special effects film-maker whose credits include movie masterpieces such as Jason And The Argonauts and One Million Years BC. 

His work inspired Peter Jackson, Steven Spielberg and many other leading directors and it is hoped visitors to the Edinburgh exhibition will be similarly inspired by his designs and creations laid out in glass cases and picture frames.

National tourism agency VisitScotland has declared 2020 Scotland’s Year of Coasts & Waters, with a programme of events dedicated to the attractions, scenery and wildlife of the country’s coastal regions. 

Annual gems such as the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival at Portsoy and Crail Food Festival will be joined by The Fife Regatta, an expanded Clydebuilt Festival, and Edinburgh International Film Festival will present Scotland’s Shores, featuring classic film screenings and a special outdoor coastal experience.

The RSPB will celebrate Aberdeen’s status as one of the few cities in Europe where dolphins can regularly be seen from the shore at DolphinFest 2020, while Scotland’s Boat Show and Kip Marina in Inverclyde will make a splash with a new event dubbed  River Of Light on the Clyde.
The National Theatre of Scotland will deliver Ferry Tales, a new production celebrating Scotland’s waters.