Do we need a Chief Executive Officer to run our country?
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There are historical examples where companies did indeed run countries but not for the good of the citizens. The British East India Company effectively ran India for over 70 years during the late 18th and early 19th century, extracting as …
Look North Festival is back with a Slugger Event
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The Look North Festival is back this Friday and will run throughout the weekend, promoting the best of North Belfast. We are back with our event, which will examine some of the challenges and opportunities facing North Belfast with some …
Can we see a direction of travel from polling on Remaining or Reunifying?
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Updated to add graphs excluding NILT/Liverpool datasets. More opinion poll data from LucidTalk in the Belfast Telegraph (February 24th 2025), suggesting that 48% of their NI sample wish to remain in the UK (“Remain”) and 41% wish for a reunified …
Brexit boom in British people applying for Irish passports…
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Ah, Brexit, the biggest act of self-sabotage in UK history, continues to have its ripples. The FT reports that Irish passport applications from Britain are at their highest peak ever as people look for backdoor access into the EU. From …
As NATO fades, and Germany takes the lead in European defence, where does this leave Irish neutrality?
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Friedrich Merz looks like he will be the next German Chancellor. Where his predecessors were ambivalent about European defence, Mr. Merz has been far more clear. In fact, he has said it is his number one priority as an incoming …
Jim Beaming: LucidTalk poll…
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It is unusual for NI to have a period of more than two years between elections. It has only happened twice before in the last 50 years. With last year’s Westminster election receding rapidly into the background, the next planned …
Open Sunday – discuss what you like…
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The idea for Open Sunday is to let you discuss what you like. Just two rules. Keep it civil and no man/woman playing. Comments will close at 12 pm on Monday.
Open sunday – politics free zone…
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In addition to our normal open Sunday, we have a politics-free post to give you all a break. So discuss what you like here, but no politics. Comments will close at 12 pm on Monday.
Weekly Bulletin. What you need to know this week
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Green light for new Children’s Hospital On Wednesday (19 February), the Executive Office confirmed that its “flagship project”, a new £671 million children’s hospital development on the grounds of the Royal Victoria Hospital, had received the “green light”. The new hospital …
Unionism: A Soft Target, But Its Own Worst Enemy…
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Since I first began writing about Unionism, I have watched its influence wane, its relevance fade, and its voice grow weaker. What was once a formidable political force now struggles to find direction, leaving Unionists disillusioned, underrepresented, and—too often—a soft …