Jonathan Powell, the British Government’s chief negotiator on Northern Ireland under Prime Minister Tony Blair (1997-2007), joined Prof Richard English Monday for a conversation on ‘Ending Conflicts’ at the Senator George J Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice at Queen’s. Powell is now director of Inter/Mediate, a charity he founded in 2011 to more…
Malachi, with typical verve comes out celebrating (ie, fighting) the beautiful but purposely underused name of Londonderry… And there are many who will insist on the name of the city being Derry. They include serious thoughtful people and people with strong commercial heads on their Londonderry shoulders. So flights having been arriving at City of more…
The Path has now entered its fourth year of closure with no sign of immediate change A large section of Blackhead path in Whitehead, County Antrim has been closed since July of 2014 when Carrickfergus Borough Council shut the path for safety reasons regarding rock-fall and erosion from the sea. The move to close the more…
Monday 23 October 2017 | 7:15PM | The Dark Horse Bar, Belfast Join us for a conversation with Tony MacAuley about his new book ‘Little House on the Peace Line’. Tony grew up in the 1970s at the top of the Shankill Road an experience that has shaped his life and inspired his writing. Following successful more…
With the extent of the growth of Sinn Fein in the Republic, it’s getting hard to give a convincing account of southern politics without also looking at what’s happening in Northern Ireland. Until or unless there’s a split in the way that the party organises itself in each jurisdiction, it’s hard to account for all more…
In the wake of this year’s snap general election, it has become apparent that age, not social class, has become the new fault line in British politics. Analysis published by YouGov highlights the woeful electoral performance by the Conservatives amongst younger voters. Amongst 18 and 19 year old voters at the 2017 general election, Labour more…
Back in February – when we were in a different world politically – I looked at the possibility of reforming the petition of concern and whether retaining the mechanism was beneficial for nationalists. The unionist majority in the Assembly disappeared faster than many predicted. From 52% of the 108 outgoing MLAs to 44% of those elected more…
The following is a joint statement on behalf of the leaders of the DUP, Sinn Fein, SDLP, UUP, Alliance Party and the Green Party; We as political leaders condemn all forms of sectarianism, intolerance and threats of violence. Four families have been forced to leave their homes in South Belfast. This is wrong. Any threat more…
Since it became clear that Angela Merkel would be re-elected as German Chancellor, there has been a re-focused approach to tax harmonisation within the European Union, driven mostly by Emmanuel Macron’s France, along with Germany. This has been covered by numerous media outlets and there is little I can add to the conversation. The argument more…
How should the Spanish government have handled the Catalan independence referendum? Option A: Do nothing. Let it go ahead and when the result is announced condemn it as meaningless and undemocratic. The world’s media would give it a passing tweet at most. Option B: Go heavy-handed. Send in police to smash up printing presses, seizing more…
In the bar last night I was talking with a guy who lives in Belfast but works in Swords in North County Dublin. He commutes around 3 hours 10mins a day, nearly 16 hours a week. He is up at 6am leaves the house at 6:30am and is in work for around 8am. He leaves work at 4 more…
Newton Emerson is one of the few political commentators who puts real sweat into his columns. So in their case I sympathise over the sheer tedium of waiting for SF and the DUP to find the most propitious moment to announce they’re going back to work: Stormont talks reconvened in the first week of September in more…
GREEN PARTY NI hired a larger room this year in the Clayton Hotel for their annual party conference. As well as hearing from Clare Bailey who was stepping down as deputy leader, party leader Steven Agnew spoke about his thankfulness for volunteer commitment and stable finances that had sustained the party through unexpected elections and more…
Bertie Ahern, former Taoiseach and someone who has spent a political lifetime in the art of political negotiation gave this speech on Brexit to the Kennedy Summer School a few weeks back. This draft is published with the permission of both the Summer School and the author. The uncertainty surrounding the outcome of the Brexit more…
Last Friday for Culture Night, Translink extended their bus services from 11pm until midnight. I have always been incredibly frustrated that even on weekends our services end at 11pm, leaving people dependent on taxis or walking to get home. Belfast is a relatively small city, but I have always been a firm believer that even more…
We debate the role of mandatory coalition in our devolved institutions with our own Chris Donnelly and Statagem’s Grainne Walsh.
Today is National Poetry Day and I thought it would be nice to share my favourite poem and in the comments section encourage all of you to do the same. “For A Leader” by John O’Donohue May you have the grace and wisdom To act kindly, learning To distinguish between what is Personal and what more…
As noted previously, Micheal Martin’s public determination to isolate SF seems to be giving rise to those aforementioned wider consequences. From playing up to SF a few weeks back, if this exchange is anything to go by, the Taoiseach is hardening his line: .@sinnfeinireland has no respect for our Parliament. They shout people down & more…
Maybe a dose of distance and diplomacy is what the NI political talks need? Country estates like Mount Stewart offered hospitality and privacy to decision makers. It was an age of slow diplomacy. Something that the National Trust are celebrating in their second year of hosting the Mount Stewart Conversations at their lough shore property.
It is fair to say that things are going to get worse. A friend in the civil service says they have been told to implement 4% cuts this year, 8% next year and 4% the year after. Education has a 105 million black hole. Health is getting 70 million chopped off its budget. And all more…
