In a previous life, I served for two years as a member of the EU’s Committee of the Regions, a small EU institution that looks at European legislation from the point of view of local and regional government. As a member of Fine Gael, I sat on this body in the European People’s Party (EPP), more…
MEASURE WHAT MATTERS. Is GDP fit for purpose asked Professor Diane Coyle who was in Belfast to deliver the annual Donal Nevin Lecture at an event organised by the Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI).
Guess who’s back in the news? Stephen Brimstone, for long a prominent DUP Special Advisor (SpAd) at Stormont, has been revealed to be a beneficiary of the RHI scheme. Brimstone, very recently retired from his post as Arlene Foster’s SpAd, had previously served as SpAd for DUP Social Development Ministers Nelson McCausland and Mervyn Storey, more…
When should a politician resign? What is the bar for a politician to resign from Ministerial or public office? Firstly the trend in regard to leaders and major referendums is the most clear cut. Alex Salmond lost the Scottish Independence Referendum, he resigned as First Minister. David Cameron lost the EU Referendum, he resigned as more…
Twelve historians and social scientists from several different universities in Britain and Ireland came together recently for a workshop on the Stormont House Agreement. The aim was to consider the role of academics in dealing with the past and to make some recommendations on the kind of contribution they might make. I have pasted in more…
In the first of six reports on Brexit the House of Lords committee on the EU recommend that the British and Irish governments should negotiate a new bilateral agreement to minimise the impact of Brexit on British-Irish and North-South relations. This will be welcomed as the first serious attempt by British legislators to cut through the thicket more…
It’s clear that First Minister Arlene Foster has some serious questions to answer about an overrun of £400 million on one Renewable Heating Incentive (RHI) scheme. Ironically it is just a little over a year since Peter Robinson said he would not give “rogue Sinn Féin or renegade SDLP ministers” a chance to take “decisions that will harm the more…
The Cash for Ash scandal is the biggest financial blunder in the history of Northern Ireland. It has the potential to take down the first minister Arlene Foster. It is a mess of the highest order. The BBC spotlight team did an excellent job with last week’s programme on the affair. It was a forensic more…
2016 will doubtless be remembered for the political earthquakes of Brexit and Trump. These somewhat unexpected victories have generated significant levels of debate fuelled by the high levels of uncertainty each has created. These uncertainties stem, in part, from the nature of both political campaigns which were mired by numerous allegations of racism, chauvinism, and more…
Two good pieces well worth noting over the weekend on the big southern story of last week, Gerry Adams and that list he sent to the Guards. Both put their finger on something important. First Miriam Lord in the Irish Times: Perish the thought that this inconsequential email was sent with the express intention of more…
Newton Emerson in yesterday’s Irish News with some details on the other, less talked about, ‘social investment’ funds out there. From the Irish News IT is not just Stormont that has a Social Investment Fund. Belfast City Council runs the Belfast Investment Fund and associated Local Investment Fund, with a combined pot of £31 million over three years more…
An emergent network of environmentalists gathered at the Golden Thread Gallery in Belfast Saturday to mark International Human Rights Day. Four stories of activist achievement, focused on the human right to safe drinking water, were shared by activists engaged in campaigns to: “Save Our Sperrins” (SOS) from plans by the Canadian Gold-mining company, Dalradian Resources, more…
At the sad news of the death of Brooklyn born Tyrone raised poet John Montague, one of his most famous poems: The Rough Field I saw the pope breaking stones on Friday A blind parson sewing a patchwork quilt, Two bishops cutting rushes with their croziers, Roaring Meg firing rosary beads for cannonballs, Corks in more…
Arlene Foster was Minister at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment when the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme was introduced. She was responsible for implementing and managing the scheme when it was brought to Northern Ireland, having been previously rolled out in Britain. While she was in post as Minister, a conscious decision was more…
For all the talk of fake news, and attaching it to social media and the internet, much of the twisting and turn (and several blind alleys) in the Stack story, arises from a general unwillingness amongst political journalists to acknowledge the problem of partial disclosure. Rules of evidence in court govern whether, when, how, and more…
The BBC reports that former Sinn Féin MLA, Daithí McKay [now a Slugger contributor… – Ed], is being sued for damages by Belfast property developer, Paddy Kearney. According to the report the writ lodged at Belfast High Court alleges Mr McKay “unlawfully conspired” with Loyalist blogger Jamie Bryson to damage Mr Kearney’s reputation. From the BBC report The more…
With this attempted distraction in mind, the latest comments by Denis Bradley make even more interesting reading. Bradley also expressed concern about the fate of thousands of one-time informers if there was “full disclosure” of all sensitive Troubles-related security files. “What Robin Eames and I found out in our investigations leading to the Consultative Group more…
Who benefits from the current debacle in the Dáil? No-one. Certainly not victims of the conflict seeking truth and some closure to the deaths of their loved ones. The Irish Times’ Michael O’Regan told Radio Kerry this morning that the Stack family are being used by opponents of Sinn Féin. He isn’t far off the more…
A tabloid storm blown up by the Sun and the Mail with the Daily Telegraph in tow has been set off to save hundreds, perhaps thousands of “our boys” – the soldiers who served in the Troubles – from the “ witch hunt” of being singled out as a class for prosecution as a result more…
Pat Leahy has some interesting material on what people want from government, ugarnered from the latest Irish Times MRBI polling, from which he concludes there’s been a sharp tack to the left: The findings are clear. Offered the option of increasing public sector pay, just 6 per cent of respondents who expressed a preference said more…
