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bwalker2.bsky.social
Former BBC journalist in Belfast and London. Special interest in UK and Irish affairs north and south and in media and wide cultural developments. Always glad to hear from dwindling band of Boomers but willing to learn from the young.
26 posts 72 followers 63 following
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Such a pity Musk's denunciation of Farage hadn't surfaced in time for his recorded interview with Kuennesberg at 9 a.m. It would have thrown it into merry confusion live.

submitted 53 days ago • 1 comment

Only when the "threat" of Unity becomes real will the DUP and UUs try to coalesce. (WF is a sidebar distraction). Only the GFA fully operative inc pragmatic N/S is on offer. But by then it may be too late. Discuss.

submitted 54 days ago • 0 comments

www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/colu...

submitted 54 days ago • 0 comments

Daft Brexit rules have brought havoc for the Alliance Party as well as Northern shoppers www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2025... Alliance will decline with a hollow centre. Should become militant on all issues in the way of a better life inc WF nonsense, militant nationalism and failure to govern.

submitted 57 days ago • 0 comments

Is there any slogan quite as dated as this one from Obama? Shows the pitfalls of writing by committee. Try again FT.

submitted 65 days ago • 0 comments

And Trump? With supreme irony, a rough tongued version of the very elite his core supporters despise, dependent on money and access to power. Unusual in mounting a direct challenge to elite compromises but unlikely to transform politics and society after four years of turbulence.

submitted 76 days ago • 0 comments

BBC News - Justin Welby to miss Christmas services before quitting www.bbc.com/news/article... Why have his statements been so inept? Does their lurk in Justin Welby's mind a confession of innocence, that he did "show enough curiosity" and did enough but believes it's pointless to say so?

submitted 81 days ago • 0 comments

EU will demand early fish deal in UK reset talks - on.ft.com/3VrVtsN via @FT Bad old news for unionists. For Starmer's bid to reset relations, the EU demand acceptance of their rule book, even for an SPS deal that would remove most GB-NI frictions. " Mutual enforcement" still not a runner, Jim.

submitted 82 days ago • 0 comments

www.thetimes.com/article/e78c... In secular France, the President will take the lead as the owner of Notre Dame, not the absent Pope. Macron exploits it to suck up to Trump. Blatant but unlikely to succeed.

submitted 83 days ago • 0 comments

According to the Constitution how many prime ministers can the National Assembly reject before Macron resigns or calls another parliamentary election a year after the last one?

submitted 83 days ago • 0 comments

BBC News - Emmanuel Macron vows to name new French PM within days www.bbc.com/news/article... Macron seems bent on toughing it out with the divided National Assembly until new elections next year, or for the full 2 years of his term if necessary. Who will blink first? I wouldn't bet against him.

submitted 84 days ago • 0 comments

Dublin to Belfast exposed at last as a major route to illegal entry to Great Britain, exploiting the common travel area of the British Isles.

submitted 84 days ago • 0 comments

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024...

submitted 84 days ago • 0 comments

Both SF and the DUP cling to their default internal logic. SF to sit it out and wait for a border poll majority, dragging the south with them. Unionists to give not an inch and rely on the veto power of a large minority. Both see little percentage with their voters to work together effectively.

submitted 85 days ago • 0 comments

With the announcement of a new Legacy Act, the UK government has placed the future of the Northern Ireland Troubles legacy directly in the hands of victims and survivors. They appear to have given up on the local parties and legal critics. It's a gamble. Will it work?

submitted 85 days ago • 0 comments

The real danger now is of Sinn Féin quiet quitting in Northern Ireland www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2024... The real problem is how to define it. A DUP version is flailing against the Windsor Framework.The 2 govs should convene and knock local heads together to focus on real life solutions

submitted 85 days ago • 0 comments

BBC News - Gregg Wallace: BBC should consider pausing Masterchef over allegations, says Rupa Huq MP - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... I say broadcast the programmes unless complaints emerge about his behaviour during recording. Pull them if the earlier complaints are verified.

submitted 88 days ago • 0 comments

www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio... Why did Kirsty Wark wait 13 years before speaking out? She was no vulnerable freelance. She had more prestige than Wallace.

submitted 89 days ago • 0 comments

For flax sake: why is the idea of a new flag for Northern Ireland so controversial? www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2024.... We could have had a public competition the St P cross and Red Hand or the Flax. Too late. They're stuck with the Ulster Banner or maybe the White Flag of Truce

submitted 91 days ago • 0 comments

Mishal Hussain's steelily efficient sudden departure is a watershed for the BBC, far more serious than Gary Lineker's.They've regularly been scooped by lesser rivals in formating and casting debate, discussion and long form interviews. A serious loss of nerve and commissioning skills.

submitted 92 days ago • 0 comments

BBC News - Mishal Husain to join Bloomberg after leaving BBC Radio 4 Today - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... Part of a mounting crisis for the BBC. Not only about holding " talent" but an inability to devise absorbing formats for discussion debate and long interview, just when most needed

submitted 92 days ago • 0 comments

BBC News - Mishal Husain to join Bloomberg after leaving BBC Radio 4 Today - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... Part of a mounting crisis for the BBC. Not only about holding " talent" but an inability to devise absorbing formats for discussion debate and long interview, just when most needed

submitted 92 days ago • 0 comments

BBC News - Angela Merkel defends ties with Russia and blocking Ukraine from Nato www.bbc.com/news/article... A missed opportunity. Ms Adler too soft and overawed. Merkel's legacy has vanished like snow in the desert. But no, she wouldn't have done anything differently.

submitted 94 days ago • 0 comments

Olivia O’Leary: There’s an air of autocracy about some of Sinn Féin’s recent pronouncements www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2024...

submitted 97 days ago • 0 comments

We've yet to plumb the depths of the Church of England crisis. Why did they ignore the fate of the Catholic Church and try to protect their reputation by delay and cover-up? Or is it that they consult for years on everything in an effort to stay together that a result is never reached?

submitted 99 days ago • 0 comments

Potential for serious damage to Irish economy as Trump reshapes trade, Ministers warned www.irishtimes.com/politics/202... Dark clouds ahead. But not a word of the storms to come during the high spending auction of the Irish election campaign.

submitted 99 days ago • 0 comments