Normally, I try to leave the mad house that is mainstream US politics alone. We’ve enough madness at home to want to go seeking it elsewhere. This probably shouldn’t need saying, but clearly (judging by some of the general commentaries) it clearly does… The question that has been troubling me, however, is this: is it OK to punch a more…
Ireland needs new stories for a stable social compact in a protean digital era
Good to see Fintan O’Toole dig a little deeper into the narratives which have helped construct Irish public life and, more importantly, sustain its public imagination and self-conception. This from the first in a series that assays some seriously under-regarded ground: …people do need a sense of collective purpose, a sense that there is something more…
Michelle O’Neill proposes a resumption of talks
Michelle O’Neill has proposed the formal resumption of talks to begin on 28th August; “With limited engagement since the talks concluded on 4th July, I am keen to formally re-engage at the earliest opportunity in order to re-establish an Executive and power sharing institutions on a proper and sustainable footing. “Moreover, I do not believe more…
SOAPBOX – GovCampConnect unconference returns on 2 September to Narrow Water Castle
SOAPBOX – GovCampConnect is back, bringing its unconference user-generated agenda to the beautiful mock gothic Narrow Water Castle near Warrenpoint on 2 September. Head along to discuss open data, citizen engagement, public sector use of social media, smart cities, and government as a platform.
2017/8 NI Party Conference dates
PARTY CONFERENCE SCHEDULE – a list of the 2017/18 party conferences and gatherings most relevant to followers of NI politics. It’ll be updated with information as and when the parties confirm and share their plans, and updated with links to Slugger’s conference coverage after each event.
Despite McGuinness’ charisma SF ministers and MLAs have made a poor fist of government
Whilst the institutions are down (and they may be down for some time) rather than just assume we’re all getting back into the same car only for it to crash again another 12 months down the road it’s worth using for some honest assessments of what keeps going wrong. Fionnuala O’Connor nails one assumption that’s more…
Only when they negotiate on trade will we know how the UK plans for customs and the border will fly
It’s clear already that the options easiest to negotiate with the EU in the UK position papers on customs and the Irish border are those which cross UK red lines and point to a soft Brexit by any other name. But this is far from the end of the story. The Institute for Government which more…
“the UK does not want to see border posts for any purpose…”
Quickly, here’s a resume of Theresa May’s piece in the Irish News today: On the citizenship rights guaranteed by the Belfast Agreement, our position is clear. Northern Ireland remains an integral part of the United Kingdom, but it is also the permanent birthright of the people of Northern Ireland to hold both British and Irish more…
Some bold solutions, several welcome “principles” on dealing with the Irish border. The British paper in full is a serious document
The British paper on the border is at last the meaty document long called for. It makes a several bold and practical suggestions for a seamless border but leaves much up in the air, laying down “ principles” for future negotiations. Many of these go far beyond the Irish border issues to the heart of more…
What role do consultants play in health service waiting lists?
Seanin Graham’s exclusive in the Irish News “Desperate Patients Pay for Eastern Europe Ops” highlights a persistent problem in our Health Service; lengthening waiting lists. She focuses on the use by local patients of surgical services in other European states and identifies the lengths some will go to improve their situation. She has identified the more…
Tackling Educational Underachievement: Poverty, Selection & Comparative Levels of Attainment for Poorest Boys
Last month, I wrote about the welcome improvement in the number of poorer Protestant boys (Free School Meal Entitled) who have secured 5 ‘good’ GCSEs when compared with the figures from previous years. This formed part of a broader article in which I outlined the need to recognize the existence of two underlining themes if more…
If there is to be a hard border, it will be the EU that imposes it, say the British
No surprise then that little new has emerged in the British paper on the border. It’s right that as we shape the unprecedented model, we have some very clear principles. Top of our list is to agree upfront no physical border infrastructure – that would mean a return to the border posts of the past more…
The 70th anniversary of the 1947 Education Act has lessons for the DUP
On a different tack the Bel Tel recently published a second article showing unionists in government in a more favourable light. This time it’s an article by Prof Graham Walker of QUB on the 70th anniversary of the the passage of the 1947 Education Act. Would that today’s Stormont could agree on effective measures to more…
More than a hint of things to come on the Irish border
Once this period expires, the UK will look to agree either a “highly streamlined” border with the EU, or a new “partnership” with no customs border at all. This is the most optimistic reading of London’s proposal for “a temporary customs union.” introduced by David. It gives a pretty broad clue of what they’ll propose more…
UK Government publishes its Customs Union proposals
The UK Government has begun producing a serious of papers outlining its post-Brexit vision for relations between the UK and the European Union. The 14 page document outlines how the UK will seek a transitional period before attempting to set up a system that gives it basically the same access that it has now. There more…
“in just the same way that nationalists in Northern Ireland can’t permanently settle for their Irish/nationalist identity being simply recognised and accommodated in part of the United Kingdom…”
In yesterday’s News Letter, Alex Kane, in effect, calls ‘bullshit’ on Sinn Féin’s latest pronoucements on a new united Ireland… and, perhaps, the political psychosis that underlies their thinking. That’s without addressing the question of the authority to offer any such constitutional guarantees and/or the willingness, or ability, to deliver them. [It’s ‘Blue Sky’ thinking! more…
No Irish unity to be got from leaning on the idle end of a long handled shovel
Fintan O’Toole in the Irish Times has something useful to say on the matter of Sinn Fein’s latest push for a United Ireland. (Remember how we were told last June’s general election was to be a poll on whether to have a border poll?) In particular, this: In the context of Ireland’s future, 50 per more…
Scenario Four: Doing Less, More Efficiently: Overview.
Scenario Four presents a radical new modus operandi for the European Union. From this avenue, we would see the EU focus its time and resources on delivering more (and faster) in targeted policy areas, while doing less in areas which have traditionally proved to be difficult in forming consensus. In this scenario, the EU27 recognize more…
People waiting less than a year in England for surgery compared to five years in Northern Ireland…
Great article by Seanín Graham in today’s Irish News about the ever expanding waiting list for medical operations in Northern Ireland. In Northern Ireland patients are waiting on average five years for routine operations. This compares to less than a year in England. From the article: It emerged that one million patients are now waiting more…
More than a wider vision of unionism is needed to take us through Brexit
This article in the Belfast Telegraph by John Wilson Foster is an honourable fret about unionist identity in the light of Brexit. Foster’s answer to the problems of Brexit appears to lie in the creation of a wider unionism closer to British norms. So far so good, but only so far. In his own terms more…