It might surprise readers to learn I was disappointed England didn’t beat Argentina in their World Cup semi-final.

As a lifelong Spurs fan, I have a soft spot for Harry Kane, the ex-White Hart Lane player with Irish heritage. Truth be told, I genuinely wanted the British media to go absolutely bonkers with hyperbole, only to crash back down to earth when Spain beat them in the final.

The absence of either part of Ireland in the World Cup is proof that it’s long past time to accept that both the north and south of this island won’t have a competitive international soccer team until they’re united. It’s not a political point but rather a matter of talent pool and scale.

Speaking of talent pools, last week’s holiday season almost overlooked the huge salaries still being paid by the BBC to some presenters.

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In fairness, some of the bigger BBC names broadcast to millions of listeners - others less so. But, seriously, 42 BBC journalists now earn more than the PM - some many times more!

Remarkably, at the mid-range level of BBC journalistic pay scales are senior foreign correspondents like Jeremy Bowen, Orla Guerin, and Fergal Keane who literally put their lives on the line to report from war zones.

How can that be fair?

As a fan of public-sector broadcasting, I appreciate that despite its flaws, the BBC is one of the world’s media standard bearers. Victoria Derbyshire, Justin Webb, and Fiona Bruce are household names across the UK. Here in the north, we have Stephen........

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