Bingo and the Burger | The Protocol debacle | A masterclass of song and music

Bingo:My recollections last week on my successful battle against the dreaded nicotine, sparked, pardon the pun, similar recollections from some of my friends. Richard, who never smoked, reminded me of our old comrade Joe ‘Bingo’ Campbell. Bingo used to work in the old Sinn Féin office at the corner of Sevastopol Street. In those days the office was little more than a slum. It housed a number of projects including the Republican Press Centre, the POW Department, An Phoblacht/Republican News and the transport hub for buses taking prisoners’ families to visits in Long Kesh, Armagh and Portlaoise and other jails.A masterclass of song and musicThe Protocol debacleSix years ago on 23 June 2016 the Brexit referendum was passed by a narrow majority. In England and Wales the majority voted to leave the EU. In the North and in Scotland the majority of people voted to remain in the EU. The democratic vote of the people of the North and of Scotland was ignored.A masterclass of song and music:Paul McCartney’s opening song for his amazing Glastonbury set on Saturday night was ‘Can’t buy me love’. As the opening bars began to play the years rolled back for this Beatles fan and I was a teenager again listening to their latest hit on the radio. It was March 1964. I was 15. ‘From me to you’ had been their first number one the previous May. ‘She loves you’ their second. ‘I want to hold your hand’ was next and then it was ‘Can’t buy me Love’.