THE Roman deity Janus, after whom January is named, was literally two-faced. This enabled him to look back on the old year and forwards into the new.

As the last day of 2011 and the first day of 2012 approach, many people throughout the world will be following Janus’s example by taking stock of the past 12 months and trying to guess the sort of surprises, good and bad, that the next 12 will deliver.

Sadly, on a global scale, 2011 will not be greatly missed. It has been a year of natural disasters – such as the cataclysmic tsunami in Japan and the Christchurch, New Zealand, earthquake – which claimed many, many lives. It has also been a year of further financial chaos, not least among the countries of the Eurozone.

On a brighter note, this has also been a year in which some Arab countries have overthrown long-standing dictatorships, though it must be said that the much-vaunted ‘Arab Spring’ has yet to mature into anything like a tranquil Arab summer.

Here in Jersey we should, without doubt, follow the advice of our Dean, the Very Rev Bob Key, by counting our many blessings. We have a great deal to be thankful for in both social and economic terms.

That said, this Island has also seen its share of trouble and, indeed, horror and grief during the past year. The tragic killings at Victoria Crescent will, for example, long stand out in people’s memories – not only because of their brutality but also because they show how even the most peaceful communities can, out of the blue, be blighted by awful events.

If, however, we direct our attention to the possibilities of 2012, we can envisage a year of change. We have a new government and new States Members who will no doubt be eager to make their mark.

We also have a debt-free public sector which a great many other jurisdictions would view with envy. And we have a financial services industry which, though bruised by the global recession, is poised to flourish anew and is already heavily involved with new business in parts of the world least affected by the economic downturn.

Now, as we all look forward to the celebrations marking the transition from 2011 to 2012 and to the ensuing holiday, it remains only for the Jersey Evening Post to wish all Islanders a very happy, healthy and satisfying New Year.