Author Jude Collins

O Happy Day, O Happy Flagpole…

‘O Happy Day!’  Is that the song unionists will have on their lips today? Especially the flag protestor unionists? You might expect so, because today the Union flag will be raised over City Hall once again. It’s to mark the birthday of  Katie Middleton,  former commoner, now the Duchess of Cambridge. It’ll go up on […]

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Turn your radio on and hear some wisdom. Maybe.

Sometimes your reputation can mean people assume you’re talking rubbish, and even when you talk good sense it’s still seen as rubbish. It works the other way too: develop a reputation for thoughtfulness and you can get away with superficial tripe. There was an instance of it on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 […]

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Turn your radio on and hear some wisdom. Maybe.

Sometimes your reputation can mean people assume you’re talking rubbish, and even when you talk good sense it’s still seen as rubbish. It works the other way too: develop a reputation for thoughtfulness and you can get away with superficial tripe. There was an instance of it on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 […]

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A brief chat about tit-for-tatters

Q: You actually seen some of these flag demonstrators/rioters in action? A: No, but I’ve read reports about their actions – and the response of politicians. And of course there are the telly reports.  Q: So the media are keeping you posted on what’s happening? A: Yep. Q: And what to make of it. A: […]

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A brief chat about tit-for-tatters

Q: You actually seen some of these flag demonstrators/rioters in action? A: No, but I’ve read reports about their actions – and the response of politicians. And of course there are the telly reports.  Q: So the media are keeping you posted on what’s happening? A: Yep. Q: And what to make of it. A: […]

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What’s that glugging sound?

Can you swim? Yeah, me too. On the other hand I’d be useless as a support  to someone who was showing signs they might be drowning. All that thrashing about and grabbing the first limb they can locate – you’d find me swimming hard in the opposite direction. Which is why I’d stay well back […]

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What’s that glugging sound?

Can you swim? Yeah, me too. On the other hand I’d be useless as a support  to someone who was showing signs they might be drowning. All that thrashing about and grabbing the first limb they can locate – you’d find me swimming hard in the opposite direction. Which is why I’d stay well back […]

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Theresa Villiers – what is she for?

As Belfast City Hall braces itself for another flags protest at lunchtime today, and Leinster House in Dublin waits with fear and trembling for the arrival of Willie Frazer and his rag-tag-and-bobtail crew, who will demand “sarcastically” (Willie’s word, I promise you) that the tricolour be removed from above that place, my thoughts turn naturally […]

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Theresa Villiers – what is she for?

As Belfast City Hall braces itself for another flags protest at lunchtime today, and Leinster House in Dublin waits with fear and trembling for the arrival of Willie Frazer and his rag-tag-and-bobtail crew, who will demand “sarcastically” (Willie’s word, I promise you) that the tricolour be removed from above that place, my thoughts turn naturally […]

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History and her abuse

“History’s a whore. She rides the winners”.  That was the blunt assessment of one of Stewart Parker’s characters in Northern Star.  Is it a fair judgement? What is history anyway? When I was interviewing for my book Whose Past Is It Anyway?  Davy Adams made the point that he’d be happy to see  TV commemoration […]

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