Afghanistan – with invasion comes responsibility

brown mountain

I’m late to the funeral that is the news from Afghanistan. I was on holiday, trying not to cry every time I saw the news, and in a UK area with limited connectivity, struggling to connect with Afghan friends – and wondering if I should even be trying in case I drew more attention to them. I’ve been involved with Afghanistan since 2004. It’s an amazing country with a resilient and inventive people. With hindsight, all of the work I’ve …

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What Northern Ireland Means To Me…

trees, avenue, road

I’ve always been of the view that every birthday is worth a celebration, even if it’s simply to remind people you still exist. But of course marking the centenary of Northern Ireland was always going to tricky. In the Belfast Telegraph, Sam McBride laments the lost opportunity to use the anniversary to find common ground between Unionists and Nationalists, and highlights the fact that recognition of the centenary has been underwhelming to say the least. In the ever present ‘crisis’ …

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Has Coronavirus helped us remember what the internet is really for?

Just over a week ago I was in my office at the BBC building at MediaCity in Salford. I was in the traditional end-of-project panic, trying to finish the series of radio documentaries I’ve been making for the BBC World Service. These programmes explore how digital technology and the online world has changed the ways the religious practice their faith – how mobile apps help the busy worship alone, and virtual reality church lets the remote or disabled worship with others. You can hear all four here. …

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Bringing Northern Ireland’s political process in line with the UK

It’s exactly a year to the day since Jo Cox was murdered. The Labour MP, who represented the Yorkshire constituency of Batley and Spen, was shot and stabbed in the village of Birstall. People in many areas are marking this day, not by remembering her killer, but by holding events to celebrate her life. Whatever your view of Westminster, or politicians, the murder of Jo Cox was an attack on democracy. It was also a terrifying manifestation of the desire …

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