Slugger Team

Secretary of State Overturns Parades Commission Determination on Drumcree

Northern Ireland Secretary of State Chris Bryant has overturned the parades commission determination allowing the Orange Order to parade along the Garvaghy Road, having earlier been asked by the PSNI Chief Constable to review the determination. The Belfast Telegraph quotes …

Brian Pope

The A5. Two Roads – One Destination…

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What do Jamie Bryson and Liz Kimmins have in common? Yes, you guessed it! Both have recently had reasons to celebrate significant legal developments involving two of Northern Ireland’s most controversial roads, although in very different circumstances. In our Infrastructure …

Andy Pollak

Incredulity and despair as the ugly stand-off at Drumcree poisons Northern Ireland once again…

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Something unreal is happening in talks to try to find an end to the nightmarish deadlock at Drumcree. On the one side is the Portadown district of the Orange Order, often led – judging by television pictures and press statements …

Frank Schnittger

From Drumcree to the Donbas…

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As a naturalised Irishman and as a European, I find myself thinking far more about the Russia Ukraine war than I do about Drumcree. The war is existential for Ukraine, and perhaps for liberal democracy in eastern Europe. Together with …

El Cavador

AI in NI schools: time found, learning lost?

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The Executive Office’s draft Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategy proposes that AI should help teachers grade and analyse pupil performance data. The Education Authority (EA), announcing its rollout of Copilot and Gemini, points to one supplier-funded study of Copilot. That study …

Brian O’Neill

Leo Varadkar calls on Dublin daddy to apologise for walking out on us…

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From the Irish Times: People in the Republic will one day need to offer apologies to northern nationalists for forgetting about them “for a very long time” after partition, former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said. Speaking in Dungannon, Co Tyrone, …

Slugger Team

The Northern Irish Brain Drain is a Myth

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For decades it has been widely believed that many of our young folk who decamp from Northern Ireland to pursue further education elsewhere tend not to return. The logic was that with our many local problems there would be greater …

Dan McGinn

Very Different People

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Episode One of the new series of ‘Blue Lights’ last week ended on a bit of a cliffhanger. But before we dive into that, another quick reminder of the ground rules for these reviews. We would urge those commenting on …

Brian Walker

Hooray. The A5 can now be built. Twice in a fortnight a High Court ruling has been overturned by the Lady Chief Justice. Let’s hope this one has better luck

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At last, even an inflated cost of nearly £ 2  billion, a new dualled A5   can be built.   Although the delay was represented as a Sinn Fein  failure, better now to look at as a victory for all, particlarly  in …

Brian Walker

Sure isn’t the Garvaghy Road dispute a terrible mistake? Let’s tell the politicians to be kind to us and behave

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So much more real than the familiar ranting,  Mick’s evocative  post captures spot on  how Catholic sentiment built up from the start of the Troubles,  grew in intensity during the long killing seasons and has finally been enshrined in powerful …