Rhod Sharp

Conversely, those who read @davabel's story about the opening of previously closed areas of Massachusetts waters for ropeless lobster gear in today's Boston Globe and would like to hear from all sides in the ongoing debate may enjoy (trumpets sound): bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p…

@BBCSteveR @BBCPanorama @BBCiPlayer @BBCOne Steve, I take your point about courage, but it was overwhelming to see you staying with the story day after day after day. We all owe you a debt of immense gratitude

Double-headed eagles, white parrots and “defecating squirrels”: my experiences reporting from Russia. Our film ‘Our Man In Moscow’ for @BBCPanorama is available on @BBCiPlayer and on @BBCOne at 8pm tonight (Mon Feb 2). bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

@BBCNewsPR @awzurcher Many congratulations, Anthony. It’s a source of great relief to have you still covering our glorious republic for the BBC. And, bosses take note, being acclaimed for it.

Congratulation ⁦@awzurcher⁩ 🏆 bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/20…

@DavidLloydRADIO From me too. Don’t stop, David

45 years ago tonight I presented my first commercial radio show. I never dreamed I'd ever be on-air - and certainly not still at it all these years on. Thanks to Len Groat who took me on - and all who put up with me along the way. It's been a blast - and a privilege.

RIP Paddy Higson, “mother of Scottish film” for good reason. I hope to bring her monumental contribution into my conversation tonight with @bonsuman on @TimesRadio

@Peston I so agree, Robert. We are all uncomfortably close to the fire, wherever we sit. This is about the full and faith and credit of the US government, which has given shelter to its bond holders everywhere for nigh on a hundred years.

We just learned that the world’s most powerful person, Donald Trump, has a boss: the bond market. He may not have acknowledged this to himself, yet, but the global financial tumult he caused - and has temporarily eased - has locked him in a fiscal prison. Because, as I have been saying for 24 hours, he came perilously close yesterday to having caused such an extreme fall in the price of US government debt that it would have become prohibitively expensive for his administration to fund a large deficit - more than 6% of GDP - and also to refinance the almost $8 trillion of government debt that matures in the coming year (almost a third of America’s sovereign debt). The point is he is totally in hock to the good will of bonds investors. And when he announced his reckless roster of massive tariffs eight days ago he alienated them, because they feared he would tank the economy such that tax revenues would plummet and the deficit would balloon. So they sold US government bonds, Treasuries, and the yield on the bonds - the de facto interest rate - soared. Which is why Trump blinked, and put on hold the more extreme tariffs, except for the 140% on China, for 90 days. You might think the worst part of this is the uncertainty he has created for businesses and investors for the next 90 days. Since no one in their right minds would make a major US investment till the final tariff determinations are made. But the cancerous uncertainty is not the worst of it. The worst of it is he has shredded any respect that overseas governments and investors might have had for America’s economic and fiscal competence. Shades - you might say - of how Truss and Kwarteng’s unwise unfunded tax cuts undermined the perceived fiscal competence of the UK. But unlike Truss and Kwarteng, there is pretty much no mechanism for removing Trump. All of which means that bond and stock markets will remain fragile and volatile - fearful that Trump will regain his mojo and engage in some other fiscal extravagance. He has also handed a loaded gun to his perceived enemy, China, and his supposed ally Japan. This matters in both cases, because he is engaged in the mother of all trade wars with China - and Japan wants a trade deal with him that would see it escape mega tariffs. The loaded guns they have are their massive loans to the US government. Japan owns more than a trillion dollars of US Treasuries and China not much less. If they were to sell those bonds, or even if they chose not to refinance maturing bonds, that could be a disaster for Trump. Because it could cause another potentially crippling spike in bond yields. Here is the measure of Trump’s debacle. He may well have trashed America’s single most important financial competitive advantage, namely that investors have traditionally bought the dollar and US Treasuries at a time of economic and political uncertainty. No more - because he personally has become the world’s source of economic uncertainty snd anxiety. So, as I say he, is now in a fiscal prison. And if bond investors, including Japan and China, see him imposing tariffs or cutting taxes in ways they don’t like, they learned yesterday they have the means and power to stop him.

@BBCBlindGazza Very very well deserved, Gary! And long overdue congratulations on your RTS Breaking News award. My goodness, I was proud. One of our stalwarts, Judy Tait, met you at a conference in Salford and says she thanked you for all you did for the show. That goes for me, too.

As they say, some personal news. BBC News announces Gary O’Donoghue as new Chief North America Correspondent bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/20…

If it’s Friday, the vice president must be offending somebody somewhere. I expect we’ll talk about this on another of my occasional visits with @bonsuman on @TimesRadio tonight at midnight

@stephensackur Wishing you the very best, Stephen, and here’s to you for not taking the line of least resistance. More fun to be had out there

I’ve just recorded my last contribution for the BBC after 39 years. It’ll be on the next edition of From Our Own Correspondent on @BBCRadio4 and @bbcworldservice Now onward to new adventures… As my hero Marcelo Bielsa might say, ‘Vamos Carajo!’

@ShippersUnbound And they’ve been lucky to have you, Tim. Best of luck at The Spectator

SOME PERSONAL NEWS: For the last 11 years I have had one of the greatest jobs in journalism with the Sunday Times. I'm lucky enough that I've now got the chance to do one of the others, so in the next few months I will be joining The Spectator as Political Editor 1/

@DavidLloydRADIO Many congratulations, David! What an achievement

Four years ago today we launched Boom. The dark days of Covid, and real uncertainty about whether it would work. After much laughter and a few tears, it’s been the most fulfilling thing we’ve ever done. Thanks to all involved - and for the encouragement from the sidelines.

Once more unto the breach as @bonsuman has invited me to be his midnight friend on @TimesRadio. Quite likely we’ll shed a tear for the vice president who came to Munich looking for love and lost it when he opened his mouth.

@Baddiel What a sweet man he was.

RIP. How sad.

@katherinebhowe Is this some sort of record?

Who me? Oh, just submitting my doctoral dissertation. NBD.

A better way both for listeners and producers’ careers was the road not taken which I advocated at parting and before of combining 5Live overnight with @bbcworldservice output. Salute to the first show on any BBC network to truly follow the sun. What’s old is new again.

Roughly 30 years and millions of happy listeners later, those who argued that @tweetallnight (Up All Night) was a waste of money finally have their way. My sympathy to those in @bbc5live management forced into this shotgun marriage and to all ex-colleagues losing jobs.

@neilstock1 @RadioToday Thank you, Neil - very well indeed. And I still miss it, too!

@Rhod_Sharp @RadioToday I hope you are well Rhod. Miss you on the radio on up all night. Brilliant show.

More job cuts announced as BBC radio stations combine further bulletins and programmes @radiotoday radiotoday.co.uk/2024/10/more-j…

@stephensackur @BBCHARDtalk Dear Stephen, there are some few BBC programmes of which it can be said they will never be forgotten but yours is one. Well done to you all for starting something and staying with it. Now put out best dress uniform and salute as the ship goes down.

THREAD: 1. PERSONAL NEWS: Today BBC News has announced plans to close @BBCHARDtalk after 3 decades holding the world’s politicians and powerbrokers to account. This is sad news for me personally, but much more important, I think it’s depressing news for the BBC🧵