The BBC is in trouble again over some of its coverage of the election - it's been accused of being biased in favour of Boris Johnson? Do you think the BBC is losing its balance?
Dr Nicola Duffy who works at the Covid-19 centre at Altnagelvin Hospital says the footballer James McClean โhas purchased kit, equipment and sanitisers due to be delivered in the coming days.โ
#coronavirus
Today we speak to the family of lorry driver, Fra McCaffrey, who may have been blinded in one eye when a recycling bin filled with large rocks was thrown from an overpass, smashing his windscreen & filling his cab with glass.
Listen from 12:
.
@jeremycorbyn
says he's open to continuing in frontline politics with a role in the shadow cabinet once
@UKLabour
chooses its new leader. Why is it so difficult for politicians to know when to call it a day?
Belfast's Lord Mayor and general election candidate, John Finucane, and his late father and family are being targetted in a poster campaign -- why do some people think it's even close to appropriate to attack the family of a victim of the Troubles for political purposes?
Everyone is talking about Prince Andrew and that 'car-crash' TV interview .... with calls now that he should agree to give evidence under oath with the FBI in the United States. Should the Queen get involved and tell her son he should stand aside from all public roles?
Advice from
@WomensAidNI
: โIf you hear a row going on between your neighbours and you are concerned, you should ring the police. We need to create a society that has a zero tolerance towards domestic violence and abuse.โ
We'll introduce you to a
#tradwife
, a young woman who has chosen to be a traditional wife, staying at home to take care of the household chores while her husband works, and she is fine with submitting to her husband as he makes the key decisions in their lives.
QUB law professor Colin Harvey tells us he's been "under siege" from some unionists because of his academic work on Irish unity. The UUP leader Steve Aiken says QUB needs to show more political balance. Are you concerned that politicians are trying to restrict academic freedom?
.
@GRobinsonDUP
becomes the first elected DUP politician to publicly agree with the party's former leader Peter Robinson that unionism needs to prepare for a border poll. Is this the beginning of a change in how unionism will approach a debate it has previously ignored?
The leading archive of the Troubles, based at Ulster University, is to be mothballed due to a lack of funding. Itโs called CAIN, the conflict archive on the internet. Shouldnโt that archive be saved as record of living history?
We'll also ask how democracy is working in Europe when the former Catalan president is arrested in Germany because Spain wants to put him on trial for rebellion.
More than a thousand people, north and south - many of them public figures - have called on the Taoiseach to establish a Citizens Assembly on Irish unity. And they call on unionists to join the conversation. Is it time for the Irish government to take a big step into that future?
Sinn Fein's John O'Dowd tells the DUP that the only honest partner they've ever had was Martin McGuinness and invites them to "rebuild mutual respect" and "come home". Is he right about that? Is nationalism a better friend to unionism than the British government?
Sectarian intimidation prevents 3 Catholic families moving into a new social housing development in north Belfast - the police are now treating as a hate crime. We'll ask what more can politicians and community leaders do to challenge those prepared to target homes and families?
We'll also be talking about - Belfast City Council gives the green light to a statue of one of the greatest statesmen in black and American history, activist Frederick Douglass - the statue is to be located on the very street in Belfast where he made a powerful speech in 1845.
Adam and Christina Campbell have got a call from the Home Office that Christina - who is facing deportation - won't need to leave NI while her application for a spousal visa is being reviewed
@BBCTalkback
The
@allianceparty
leader says it's time to ditch the labels unionist and nationalist.
@naomi_long
thinks they are tribal markers that hold us back. Is she right?
Gerry Adams says, Don't have a border poll until you have a plan for what a united Ireland would actually mean in practice. And he thinks the Irish government has a duty to plan for it now. Is he right?
Caller Anne says she "felt compelled to phone in" because "I feel that my family's whole future is being held to ransom by the selfish attitude and short-sightedness of the DUP bully-boys"
For the first time ever, a majority of people here describe themselves as Northern Irish rather than British or Irish - according to the annual life + times survey which has been mapping changes in identity here since 1998. Do you think this is a positive step forward?
๐ง PODCAST: Nelson McCausland supports actor
@LozzaFox
's
@bbcquestiontime
appearance. He says the actor's denial that Megan Markle was a victim of racism deserves support. He is joined by playwright
@Bonn1eGreer
.
Jon Sopel wants the Beeb to allow its presenters to have more freedom to reflect aloud about the stories we cover - even it there's a risk some people might be offended. The alternative, he says, is that our coverage of the big stories of the day will be bland. Is he right?
Also: a warning today from the food and drinks industry that upwards of a quarter of food businesses face extinction within six weeks of a no deal Brexit. They say that's not project fear -- it's a very real and catastrophic outcome if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
The newly elected DUP MP
@carlalockhart
joins us to make the case for a ban on anonymity on social media. She thinks that could help reverse some of the nastiness and abuse we've seen on many platforms. Do you think it's a good idea?
.
@AmandaFBelfast
says the Irish Language Act represents more than the legislation now. It asks the question - Is Irish identity in Northern Ireland respected on an equal par with British identity?
What did you make of Alan Partridge's doppelgรคnger Martin Brennan last night on BBC1? Who, precisely, was Steve Coogan poking fun at last night - and where should the line be drawn for what's acceptable and what's not in comedy?
๐ง PODCAST: We were delighted to be joined by Katie Price
@KatiePrice
on today's show. She spoke to us to talk about the difficult decision facing the parents of a child with special needs, when it's right to consider residential care.
#Katieprice
Two years after Martin McGuinness's resignation triggered the fall of Stormont, the government is talking about giving our defunct Assembly extra powers? That's right extra powers - are they for real?
"Tomorrow, a British Jew could move to Israel and receive citizenship on the basis that they are Jewish. A Palestinian in Britain whose family was expelled in 1948 is prevented by Israeli authorities from returning home because they are Palestinian," says
@benabyad
.
@NIOgov
being challenged by
@ClaireHanna
to explain why officials met the Loyalist Communities Council, which represents Loyalist paramilitary groups, to discuss their concerns over Brexit. We'll hear from Claire Hanna and the Chair of that representative group, David Campbell.
The Chief medical officers on both sides of the border have agreed a new cooperation plan in response to the
#coronavirus
pandemic. What will it mean in practice?
A row is brewing at Belfast city hall over calls for a Blitz memorial. A thousand residents of Belfast died when the bombs fell from the sky during the second world war, and much of the city was scarred forever. Doesn't that merit a memorial?
๐ง PODCAST: DUP MP Sammy Wilson says his party will "fight guerrilla warfare" against the Protocol.
We ask him if his words are a dangerous use of militaristic language.
"This was essentially Robinson saying 'yes the vote for a united Ireland is almost demographically inevitable and unionists should approach that and plan for that on a generation by generation basis'... absolutely jaw-dropping remarks from a unionist leader," adds
@NewtonEmerson
Theresa May's government has already set a record for cabinet resignations. Why, then, is Karen Bradley still in her job as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland given the enormity of the her gaffe this week? Is Theresa May simply so weak, she can't afford to sack her?
Tony Blair's former chief of staff Jonathan Powell says Brexit could lead to a united Ireland within a decade. Our top story today: Is Boris Johnson's victory in the general election a hammer-blow for the UK as we know it?
Brian Feeney is one of the signatories on the open letter to the Taoiseach - he says the DUP and the Conservatives have been blocking progress in NI for the past 7 years.
More than 30 Conservative MPs along with party leaders at Westminster are calling for Dominic Cummings to resign. One of those parties is not calling for his resignation -
@duponline
Are they right to stay out of this one? Or are they out of touch with the public mood?
Have you noticed how countries led by female leaders seem to be faring better during the pandemic? Whyโs that? Weโll hear from one writer who thinks she can explain it.....
.
@naomi_long
says the people who delivered the anti-Islam leaflets are an "embarrassment" and it's "utterly offensive". "We stand in solidarity with those who are being attacked"
After one: Speaking ill of the dead. The death of the victims campaigner Willie Frazer unleashed some very abusive responses on social media. Even if you disagree with the views of controversial figures, when they die, doesn't basic decency require that you show some respect?
The Grand Secretary of the Orange Order, Mervyn Gibson, is facing claims of hypocrisy for attending the opening of an art exhibition by the loyalist killer Michael Stone while the Orange Order continues to refuse to meet Sinn Fein. His reaction on
@bbctalkack
now...
Politicians, unions and media organisations stand in solidarity with the Belfast journalists threatened by paramilitary groups in recent days. One newspaper editor has said, โenough is enoughโ What should be done to put an end to these criminal gangs once and for all?
We're saying goodbye today to some of BBC NI's best-known journalists. Maggie Taggart, Mervyn Jess,
@KevinMageeBeeb
and
@markdevenport
.... Join our on-air wrap party as we talk about their combined service of more than 140 years at the beeb.
Happy New Year! Welcome to the last in our
#TalkbackChristmasSpecials
. Today
@WilliamCrawley
is joined by Irish language rights activist
@ErvineLinda
who has challenged the perception that the Irish language is the exclusive domain of nationalism or republicanism.
We'll hear from the German economist who's making headlines today with research claiming that the only way for Northern Ireland to avoid the negative economic impacts of Brexit is a United Ireland.
The image of a young Paddy Coyle wearing a gas mask during the Battle of the Bogside is one of the most iconic images of the Troubles.
Sadly Paddy died yesterday, but that image will live on.
We're joined by
@Cathal1978
& Maeve McLaughlin
๐ธ credit:
@bogsideartists
.
@M_AndersonSF
: "I don't know if
@DianeDoddsMEP
was asleep at the wheel or anyone else for that matter, but the three options were quite clearly put out there in the joint report in December"
#talkback
After a rise in applications from NI and GB for Irish passports,
@NiallSF
says it's time for the Irish government to set up an office here. Do you agree?
.
@vincekearney
joins us after judge rules former first minister and DUP leader Arlene Foster's decision to block funding for Lord Chief Justice's plan to deal with legacy inquests was "unlawful and flawed".
PODCAST ๐ง:
@GerryAdamsSF
says: "Reunification is now a mainstream topic" and a border poll is on the way. We heard from and got reaction to the Queen's Law professor who is now suggesting an actual date for unity referendums.
Leo Varadkar says there was an effort to co-ordinate with Northern Ireland, but that Stormont has not agreed to an all-island approach. Is politics now standing in the way of the most effective health strategy for fighting this pandemic?
Is the Prime Minister aiming for a Deal that's already been done: the original Northern Ireland-only backstop that Theresa May agreed with Brussels before the DUP pulled the plug on it? If that's the Prime Minister's plan, the DUP won't be happy. Would it please you?
Bill Wolsey says his bars like the Dirty Onion will open tomorrow: "If Stormont cant come to a decision we are allowed to open under the same terms that were there prior to this latest lockdown. We announced the Dirty Onion will open on social media and we've had 5,000 likes."
Rev David Latimer: I would like intermittently unionist politicians to refer to the city as 'Derry'. If we interchange these terms we're conveying to people that we're equal.
@MaryLouMcDonald
has to be congratulated - this isn't appeasement, she genuinely wants to reach out.
Should the Israeli team be welcomed in September for an international friendly against Northern Ireland? Sinn Fรฉin, which supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel, has called on the IFA to cancel the match.
Up next is Sinn Fรฉin MP
@johnfinucane
He was asked to leave a protest against an illegal dump by a unionist community worker this week.
Can a politician from an opposing ideology fully represent you & your community?
We hear from Brian Feeney,
@deirdreheenan
& Winston Irvine
Michelle O'Neill has broken her leg, triggering an avalanche of insults including sexist trolling about her physical appearance. Why do so many responses to female politicians here so quickly descend into sexist abuse?
@AmandaFBelfast
@andreemurphy
and
@mikenesbittni
They say they were arrested for doing their jobs as journalists by investigating the Loughinisland massacre in their film No Stone Unturned. We hear from Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey about why they believe their case should worry everyone who values the freedom of the press.
Sinn Fรฉin wants any new government in the Republic to create a unit tasked with preparing for a border poll, complete with a proposal for a minister for Irish unity. We'll debate it this lunchtime with
@dmcbfs
@IRLPatricia
and unionist commentator Nelson McCausland.
At 1pm: If you want to make the case for a united Ireland, stop calling unionists planters, invaders, colonists and blow-ins. That's what former Deputy First Minister Seamus Mallon told nationalists. Did it strike a chord with you? : โ 03030 80 55 55
A new survey published in the
@BelTel
finds that less than a third of people here would support a united Ireland if a border poll was held tomorrow. Is the Union safer than many think?
The executive is meeting at 2 o'clock - why is it taking so long for our political leaders to do what the other regions of the UK have done and give the public clarity about any new restrictions we can expect as part of our lockdown? We'll have the latest
Superbike champion
@jonathanrea
tells
@bbctalkback
he's in the process of relocating back to County Antrim with his family. "I've been in the Isle of Man for eight or nine years and it's been great but it was always an aim to come back home"
We'll talk to the former Sinn Fein TD
@Toibin1
who hopes to lead a new all-Ireland pro-life Republican party -- and he expects to have 7 councillors before they stand candidates in May's council election.
The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust receive Points of Light Award from the Prime Minister. Colin Bell, Brendan Prunty and Gloria McLaughlin talk about their experiences