Mark Andrews: More strikes on the railways, Royal Mail sale, and why Jude Bellingham never stood a chance of winning Sports Personality of the Year

Avanti West Coast has warned passengers to prepare for disruption, as rail services are hit by strike action on New Year's Eve. The burning question is, how will we tell?

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This time it's the 'train managers' who are walking out. Or 'guards' as they used to be known.

Of course, it's inevitable that, having seen the train drivers, cabin staff, doctors and nurses get eye-watering pay rises, that the guards would want a slice of the action too. You can hardly blame them for chancing their arm. And don't be too surprised if other public-sector workers now feel they are getting 'left behind', too.

What  I don't understand is why the Prime Minister capitulated so quickly. Here was a man who had just been elected with a landslide majority, and five years to go before he needed to face the voters. It was a gilt-edged opportunity for him to show that he is not a man to be messed with, and was prepared to make the 'tough decisions' he is always talking about. I suspect that, sooner rather than later, he will be wishing he did just that.

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Congratulations to Keely Hodgkinson on winning the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Just one question: who is Keely Hodgkinson?

Ok, I'm being facetious and a little unkind. Winning Gold at the Olympics is a tremendous achievement, and there is a strong argument that the award should go to someone who has actually won something, rather than the 'nearly men' and 'plucky losers' we produce in abundance. It's just that if you showed the shortlist to the average 'working person', the stand-out names would have been Jude Bellingham and Joe Root. The two candidates we pretty much knew never stood a chance. 

Chas & Dave once sang that the 'academicals don't like a song everyone can sing'. And I suspect that the panel Sports Personality judges are a little bit sniffy about the sports that everyone watches.

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Well, it looks like my 11-year stake in Royal Mail will soon come to an end, after Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky has been given the all-clear to take-over the venerable postal service. 

I've no idea whether that will be a good thing or not. I suspect the consumer will barely notice the difference, as the price of stamps will continue to rocket and the management will continue to demand its obligations are lifted, pretty much as they have done for years.

From a personal point of view, it will probably be for the best, the 370p-a-share offer probably as good as it is going to get, the company's value having been eroded by what seems like years of strikes, pitiful dividends and rapped knuckles from the regulator. But a 12 per cent capital return after 11 years isn't a great return on investment.

In truth, I should have just taken the quick killing when the stock was floated. But so much for the claims Vince Cable gave the shares away on the cheap.  

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And wishing you all a Merry Christmas, even my online detractors. Look forward to continuing the fun on the other side.