Our 'Views on the Scottish News', Murdoch fires Tucker Carlson and The Big Issue Northern edition to close after 30 years

Stuart and Eamonn are joined by a dynamic duo of author and commentator Lesley Riddoch and Big Issue editor Paul McNamee. This week : Today, Our Views on the Scottish News, Murdoch fires Tucker Carlson and The Big Issue Northern edition to close after 30 years. This week's listener question is from David McParland. Recommendations: Stuart: 2022 Booker Prize-winning novel: The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Sri Lankan author, Shehan Karunatilaka. A photographer in the afterlife sets out to expose the carnage of Sri Lanka's Civil Wars, in a novel filled with humour and pathos. https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-seven-moons-of-maali-almeida/shehan-karunatilaka/9781908745903 Lesley: Blue Lights: Belfast based drama `Blue Lights' follows new police recruits Grace, Annie, and Tommy, as they learn the ropes in a high-pressure environment. Grace is a former social worker who has decided to switch careers in her forties, Annie has had to leave everything she knows behind, and Tommy finds it challenging to be on the frontline. The team deal with divided communities, criminal gangs, and struggle to know who to trust, all the while wondering if they have made the right choice in joining the PSNI. Blue Lights airs Mondays at 9pm on BBC One, with all episodes available on BBC iPlayer. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-65069989 Lesley’s bibliography https://www.waterstones.com/author/lesley-riddoch/52415 Lesley podcast https://lesleyriddoch.com/podcast Lesley's book 'THRIVE' as referenced in the podcast is available on pre-order now from  https://lesleyriddoch.com/shop-mobile. Eamonn: New York Times opinion piece by Thomas Friedman: Why Kamala Harris Matters So Much in 2024 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/25/opinion/kamala-harris-joe-biden-2024-reelection.html Paul McNamee: Ryuichi Sakamoto 12 The cult Japanese musician and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto is back with all new album, “12”, via Milan Records. The 12 compositions were recorded by Ryuichi Sakamoto in Tokyo during his 2-year long fight with cancer throughout 2021-2022. The album, his 15th so far, is the first of new solo material since 2017. The album’s twelve tracks are titled and sequenced by the dates each were written, culminating in a diary-like collection of music that provides an intimate snapshot into this period of Sakamoto’s life. https://sakamoto.bandcamp.com/album/12 The Big Issue https://www.bigissue.com/