Brian Walker

David Cameron’s article in the Belfast Telegraph underscores the Conservative and Unionist intention to stand in all 18 Westminster constituencies ( I can’t stand that damned, near-obscene acronym). Despite Ed Curran’s injunction not to lose any sleep over TUV, the hasty end of double jobbing and other little problems, this must throw unionist political calculations into the melting pot. Reg may be basing his confidence on the shifting sands of the Eurovote but it’s hard not to believe that Cameron’s …

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He may be a “a 70-year-old smiling public man” but Michael Longley exudes the lyrical joy in nature, the birds and flowers of Mayo and anything else in creation. His classical learning inspired him to give the troubles an elegaic quality few can match. Ceasefire by Michael Longley 1 Put in mind of his own father and moved to tears Achilles took him by the hand and pushed the old king Gently away, but Priam curled up at his feet …

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The BBC ‘s director general Mark Thompson must be joking. “Defending the £6 million pay package to Ross and other stars, Mr Thompson said that “disclosure of this kind is likely to lead, not to better value for money” but “fresh upward pressure on pay”, saying that Graham Norton or Anne Robinson or others could not be described as “public decision-makers or public officers of the BBC”. Still, this is one silly gamey statement in a pretty unapologetic defence of …

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Seamus Heaney has lent his electronic presence to the Ireland for Europe campaign, an assembly of notables who aren’t leaving it to the politicians this time. The move to give the campaign a wider platform seems to have paid off. Tim Garton Ash the foreign affairs academic and commentator picked up on the launch event in Dublin at the weekend for a Guardian comment piece. A video reading of Heaney reading out his poem Beacons at Bealtime (a May festival) …

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“We have a peace process and a political process that are working well, Now the third process, reconcilation.” Ever so gingerly, and leaving a black slick behind him as is his oleaginous style, Shaun Woodward has just launched a 14 week consultation on the Consultative Group on the Past. A bit like the Assembly structure, you may chose to tick the boxes with predictable answers to the Group’s questions in a big glossy NI Office book and /or give your …

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I wrote a wrap for my thread on the future of the Lisbon Treaty in the UK and Ireland but for some reason the system won’t let me comment! ( Shurely shome mistake). Having typed out the piece, I don’t want to deny you the benefit of it ( small joke). As ever, many comments om the subject are deeply sceptical. I agree that a long line of fudges leaves plenty of room for confusion as to how the EU …

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Having worked for two national media treasures of different sizes, the BBC for 30 years and the Belfast Telegraph for just four, I miss them but I’m often relieved that I don’t have to cope with the increasing pressures of media competition and technological change of today. I’m now at the stage of life when cabinet ministers and not just police officers are getting younger. And so it was a pleasure the other day to greet a former junior colleague …

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You gain security but you lose power – that always was the deal in the Lisbon Treaty. The UK and Ireland are Siamese twins as never before. In Brussels, Gordon Brown led the attempt to reach a compromise with Brian Cowen, the taoiseach, after the Irish leader warned he would lose the referendum expected in early October unless the concessions to Dublin took the form of a special “protocol” in European law. Given Tory opposition to the Lisbon treaty, the …

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With the Roma persecution, condemnation is essential but not enough. In a clash between our own marginalised and Europe’s most persecuted minorities, there’s no contest. I’m no expert but I’ve talked to Roma and about them in Iasi, Romania where anti-racism is, shall we say, in its infancy and memories of horrific Jewish and Roma massacres in WW2 are underplayed. Roma are not easily assimilable. Some, not all, are travelling people.There are places in Europe where they have much less …

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Sectarian attacks didn’t do it and neither even did the murder of two soldiers and a policeman. It took a phenomenon they more readily identify with as not exceptional to Northern Ireland, the racist attacks on 100 Romanians in Belfast’s university area to attract top level media passion. “What I want to hear you say is, there were five days of racist attacks in Belfast, we failed to deal with it and I’m very sorry” That was Jon Snow on …

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Update. What did I tell you? Prime Minister Gordon Brown has told the man heading up an independent inquiry into Iraq that he can decide to hold public sessions if he chooses. Students of public inquiries will marvel how the right kind of pressure can produce results. One of the grandest of grandees, Lord Butler of Brockwell, Cabinet Secretary when Tony Blair came to power, looks like forcing a U turn in double quick time over Gordon Brown’s controversial decision …

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Will there be a race to bring forward limited taxation powers for Scotland before the SNP minority government moves a referendum Bill? It looks like it – even though the Bill stands no chance of passing through the unionist majority in Holyrood. Alex Salmond will claim moral authority though, after the Euro election results which put the SNP ahead of Labour by almost nine points. And now crafty Alex has a plan to break the unionist logjam – to put …

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The Stalker affair, “shoot to kill”, Drumcree leaks, the Castlereagh raid, Sir John Chilcott probably knows more about both sides in the “dirty war” than anyone else alive. As head of the closed inquiry into the Iraq war he know all questions, but will he bother to ask them? Brian WalkerFormer BBC journalist and manager in Belfast, Manchester and London, Editor Spolight; Political Editor BBC NI; Current Affairs Commissioning editor BBC Radio 4; Editor Political and Parliamentary Programmes, BBC Westminster; …

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Has growth has already started or is the recession just bottoming out? That’s the state of the debate on recession. An FT poll of City economists suggests that more than half think that the economy has returned to growth. The CBI sounds a cautionary note, but: In a hopeful sign, the CBI cut its forecast for unemployment to a peak of 3m from a previous prediction that it could hit 3.2m. Ian McCafferty, its chief economic adviser. said the degree …

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Update For those who have no time for red herrings, please ignore this thread. I read the story too quickly, as Mark rapidly points out. “The north” was the north of England! It’s always a bad mistake to rush to comment without getting the facts right, as all Sluggerites know. “Planning files at the local council, which The Sunday Times has agreed not to name for security reasons, show that more than 60 local people raised objections. A council official …

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Judge Weir’s boob in the trial of Sean Hooey was a serious flaw in a difficult judgement. It’s several months since his rash condemnation of two scene of crime officers was furiously challenged by the chief investigating officer in the case. However the police are being careful not to raise hopes of a retrial very high. Brian WalkerFormer BBC journalist and manager in Belfast, Manchester and London, Editor Spolight; Political Editor BBC NI; Current Affairs Commissioning editor BBC Radio 4; …

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With Gordon shakily back in the saddle, the big political row of the week is over the old hark-back to public spending cuts. “Cuts” is a word all sides avoid like a plague, so nobody knows what the hell they’re really talking about, as columnist Matthew Parris observes. Nevertheless, David Smith of the Times manfully tries to sort out the Labour sheep from the Conservative goats. The recession may be coming slowly to an end reports Smith, and the Conservatives …

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An upheaval in the whole shape of devolution is foreshadowed tomorrow when the report of the Calman Commission on more powers for the Scottish Parliament is published. Tax raising and government borrowing powers are being recommended, giving Holyrood direct control over around £6 billion worth of tax income to make it more accountable for its spending decisions, according to an email leaked to the Scottish media. The report, commissioned by the previous Labour/LD coalition is an argument in favour of …

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The clearest sign that effective north – south co-operation is a different ball game from Sinn Fein’s latest campaign for unity has come in the news that the hard-pressed Dublin exchequer will fund 80% of the costs of a £3 million removal of a massive 250,000 tonnes of illegally dumped southern rubbish north of the border. Even Sammy Wilson, soon to be our only DUP double jobbing minister, welcomes the move which was made under EU rules. Removing this running …

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In response to their election shock, the DUP’s double quick moves to ease themselves gently out of double jobbery ( but with the dynasties so far intact), are undemocratic. The Assembly rule allowing co-option rather than requiring a by-election if a seat is vacated, was created to avoid disturbing the party balance during the formative phase of the Assembly, when the loss of an MLA or two might have unraveled the whole deal. Far better these days if the DUP …

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