Brian O’Neill

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.

Brian O’Neill

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.

Brian Walker

“Saying Nothing ” was a great poetic theme but the time to speak out is now. A lament on a society ” based on lies” by Paul Muldoon

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Paul Muldoon  the boy from the Moy ( I can still see the youth in him at 75), is probably the last living survivor of the  group of poets who were the best and brightest of the age of the …

Chambré Public Affairs

Weekly Bulletin 31/10/26

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The fallout from Drumcree continued to dominate at Stormont this week. Calls within the DUP for Michelle O’Neill’s removal grew louder, led by Carla Lockhart, who now looks set to leave the party altogether. Even so, Gavin Robinson stopped short …

Mick Fealty

Evidence, not inevitability: the Taoiseach’s plan for Ireland’s futures…

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The Taoiseach’s new constitutional research body will examine three futures for the island: a unitary state, a devolved united Ireland and the status quo. Rather than staking everything on a border poll that may never come, it builds an evidence base, and a set of tools for future taoisigh, that will be useful whatever happens.

Mick Fealty

A choice, not a crisis: why Stormont still has no budget

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Seven months into the year, Stormont still has no budget, and this time there is no collapse to blame. Ministers are sitting and a £1.5bn offer is on the table, but the Finance Minister has made more money from London a precondition. That is a choice, not a crisis.

Soapbox

Diehards Under Pressure: The DUP and Education…

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Helen Armstrong lives in the North West and is a psychotherapist, executive coach and trainer. Well, here I go again on the campaign path to help end our system of academic selection as the next round of tests is looming: it’s …

Macha

One Road, Two Perspectives: Hughie Beag and Macha on Drumcree

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Fellow Slugger poster Hughie Beag and I have crossed swords a few times in the comments section, particularly over my attempts to understand unionism and his challenges to how I’ve approached it. We’ve occasionally managed to get under each other’s …

Soapbox

Does the Secretary of State’s decision about Drumcree serve social justice, or victors’ justice?

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Gadfly is a political geographer from Belfast with a particular interest in the relationship between democracy and the creation of more sustainable futures. Northern nationalists and republicans have long aimed to differentiate themselves from unionists through a strong commitment to …

Soapbox

Drumcree: What does Northern Ireland think?

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Conleth Burns is Associate Director (Ireland and Northern Ireland) at More in Common. More in Common is a research agency that aims to help leaders understand and better navigate public opinion. You can reach out to Conleth directly on: [email protected] …