Jude Collins

JUDE COLLINS: Mixed fortunes as talent goes south

RORY McIlroy (MBE). He’s in his thirties, was brought up in County Down and is a household name throughout the world for his golfing skills. Patrick (“There’s a part of me that’s British’ ) Kielty. He’s in his early fifties, was brought up in County Down and is a household name throughout Ireland and the UK for his comedic skills.

JUDE COLLINS: Lack of information lies at the heart of policing mess

IT'S hard not to think of that old slapstick duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy (“This is another fine mess you’ve gotten me into!”) when reading about the present disarray within the PSNI. The Chief Constable resigns, the Police Federation representing rank-and-file officers passes a vote of no confident in the Assistant Chief Constable, another of no-confidence in the chief operating officer, and another of no-confidence in the assistant chief officer.

JUDE COLLINS: Jeffrey should beware of dangerous autumn drift

SO here we are in September. You remember September: that was the month when the DUP were supposed to go back to Stormont. They would have received a nicely-patterned fig leaf from the Westminster government and they would have marched proudly back into Stormont, flags flying and shouting loudly, to anyone who’d listen, about the way Westminster had been pressured into delivering. no, not a fig leaf at all, but a major concession. Others might prattle about fig leaves, but this was a strong, firm-as-a-rock commitment that NEI would be a part of the UK for the next 1,000 years at least.

JUDE COLLINS: Why are we so harsh on kids on phones?

IT'S easy to forget how much and how quickly our world has changed. Thirty years ago, there was no internet or mobile phones, which makes you wonder what adults gave out about regarding young people. “The internet and mobile phones have detached our children from reality! All they ever do is stare down at their phones, their thumbs texting like mad!” This is bad, we’re told, because it means these youngsters have opted out of real life. The obsession with selfies is more of the same.

JUDE COLLINS: Data breach only one of many problems for police

THE fear and trembling brought on by that massive PSNI leak has been loud and public, and perhaps with reason. The names of PSNI people, their places of work, the departments in which they worked – virtually all the stuff you’d not want to be made public was made public, excluding home addresses. Think of a fox’s nose appearing at the entrance to a henhouse and you’ll get something of the PSNI’s state of mind right now. Some police officers have spoken of emigrating, others of changing house, others of changing jobs.

JUDE COLLINS: Less mattress-stuffing and more fireside chat, please

'Money is the root of all evil' – that’s what some would have you believe. As it happens, it’s an amputated quotation; the full one is ‘The love of money is the root of all evil.' And how true that is. Throughout my life, my concerns over money were more often about how little I had in my bank account rather than on to what degree was that little was impacting on my life. When I thought of my balance looking solid or even bloated, I got a warm fuzzy glow. When I thought of my balance being skinny and skeletal, I worried.

JUDE COLLINS: Allister's eloquence is stymied by his obvious unhappiness

I WAS going to start this column with “Jim Allister is not a happy man." But then I remembered that Jim is rarely anything other than unhappy. Many things lead him to this suspicious view of life; currently it’s Casement Park that has raised Jim’s well-exercised hackles.

JUDE COLLINS: Why do hidden victims evoke less sympathy?

Occasionally, a news story will stop me in my tracks. The Guardian newspaper carried one such story a month or two ago. It was about a woman in Britain who aborted her foetus at somewhere between 32 and 34 weeks – in the eighth month of her pregnancy.

TV REVIEW: Does a shady past undo an artist's greatness?

THE first part of last Thurday’s Prime Time (RTÉ ONE) was about a breakthrough in the treatment of Alzheimer’s. Although that part got most of the airtime, it was the second (and shorter) item on statues that carried questions for us all.

JUDE COLLINS: A brace of broadcasters in a different kind of studio light

SYNCRONICITY they call it, I think. It’s two events happening that appear related but don’t come about for the same reason. The two events preoccupying us at present both centre on broadcasters, both involve the use/abuse of money, but only one of them involves sex as well.

TV REVIEW: Our Friday Night Friend with feet of clay

AT the end of hours of witness questioning, Labour TD Alan Kelly said he was as confused as ever about the Tubridy/RTÉ debacle. I felt Alan’s pain, so I checked out Prime Time (RTÉ ONE) last Thursday night. You know Prime Time – where they give a summary of what’s happened and then explain what happened. Perfect.

JUDE COLLINS: Presenting the Troubles to a British public

I WAS in London last week and I remarked to a Yorkshire man I knew that I’d be interested in seeing an exhibition called ‘Northern Ireland: Living with the Troubles’ at the Imperial War Museum. He sardonically commented: “Remember you’ll be getting the British version of that time." But he didn’t need to say a word – I ‘d sort of factored that in already.

TV REVIEW: School's out and Wimbledon is here

I'VE been to Wimbledon once – I drove a factory van past it when I had a summer job as a university student. But I’ve never been in the real Wimbledon.

JUDE COLLINS: Handy scapegoats leave questions lingering at RTÉ

JUST supposing you were wakened around 1am and when you peeped out the window you saw a group of youths dancing on the roof of your car. And supposing next day one of the group arrived at your front door and told you he was sorry about that, he’d jumped on your car the previous night. My guess is, among other things, you’d demand from him: “What about the four other yahoos that were with you? Where are they?”

TV REVIEW: Personal stories tell the tale of the NHS

EARLY into 'The NHS: A People's History (BBC1), a voice notes: “The NHS is seventy-five this year and it’s come a long way.” I’m pretty sure they meant it as a compliment. The documentary – much of it old black and white film – did chart the NHS’s development, but the emphasis, for better or worse, was on individual stories.

Soccer: Three second half goals see Ireland defeat Gibraltar

Mixed reaction as Brendan Rodgers confirmed as new Celtic manager

Athletics: Belfast Irish Milers Meet announces 2024 date

Gaelic Games: Antrim advance into Tailteann Cup semi-finals

ANDRÉE MURPHY: Legacy plans lay dynamite under victims' hopes

GERRY ADAMS: At St Comgall's, Eileen's shining vision becomes a reality

DÚLRA: A new way to learn about the birds and the bees

JUDE COLLINS: Efforts to create a single conflict narrative won't succeed

Jude Collins

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