

Red Lines
BBC Radio Ulster
The back-stop’s here? Bad puns with top political coverage from Northern Ireland. Red Lines brings you essential analysis and commentary by BBC NI’s politics team.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 5, 2023 • 35min
The President is coming to town.
Mark and guests chat about US presidential visits to Northern Ireland

Mar 29, 2023 • 59min
GFA#3 The Dealmakers
There was a lot of heavy-lifting done by a lot of people to make the Good Friday Agreement happen, but some key individuals shouldered more of the burden than others. Mark Carruthers is joined by David Kerr, the former Director of Communications with the UUP, his opposite number in the SDLP, Conall McDevitt, Kate Fearon who was the Women's Coalitions's Chief of Staff and Mark Simpson, who covered the negotiations for BBC NI .

Mar 22, 2023 • 50min
From our own Correspondents
Recorded in front of a live audience as guests of the Imagine! Belfast Festival, Mark Carruthers is joined by Suzanne Breen, Political Editor of the Belfast Telegraph, Mark Devenport, former Political Editor of BBC NI and Gareth Gordon, Political Correspondent with BBC NI, to discuss the challenges of political journalism over the last 25 years.

Mar 15, 2023 • 38min
Playing the part
Mark Carruthers talks to writer Owen McCafferty, director Charlie Westenra and stars Dan Gordon and Andrea Irvine.

Mar 8, 2023 • 38min
Taking on the trolls
Mark Carruthers is joined by the BBC's Disinformation and Social Media Correspondent, Marianna Spring, BBC NI's Health Correspondent, Marie-Louise Connolly and Professor Deirdre Heenan to talk about their experiences dealing with online abuse and discuss what more platforms can do to try and stop it.

Mar 1, 2023 • 33min
Unravelling the Windsor knot
Mark Carruthers assesses the Windsor Framework and whether the DUP will accept it with Gareth Gordon, John Campbell and Suzanne Breen.

Feb 22, 2023 • 53min
GFA#2 Women of the hour
Mark Carruthers is joined by Bronagh Hinds, one of the founding members of the Women's Coalition, Dawn Purvis, a former MLA and leader of the Progressive Unionist Party, Kathleen Stephens, the former US Consul General in Belfast and Liz O’Donnell, a former Progressive Democrat TD and Minister of State in the Department of Foreign Affairs plus of course Mark Simpson who was the BBC Political Correspondent covering the negotiations.

Feb 15, 2023 • 32min
D(UP)-Day
What are the big decisions facing the DUP & Sir Jeffrey Donaldson?

Feb 8, 2023 • 32min
Reading the Right
Mark & guests discuss the recent anti-migrant protests in the Republic.

Feb 1, 2023 • 34min
Coiled springs?
Mark Carruthers speaks to MLAs Patricia O'Lynn, Diane Forsythe and Mike Nesbitt about what they've been doing while Stormont hasn't been sitting.