Ben M

Fine Gael published their Unified Ireland Blueprint at their Ard Fheis in Cork yesterday. https://www.finegael.ie/app/uploads/2026/11/Fine-Gael-Blueprint-Unified-Ireland.pdf ​I’ve been curious to see where it will land on bread-and-butter issues, as I think this is what will most influence northern middle-ground voters who’ll decide the constitutional question. The report draws heavily on independent research conducted by Professor Deirdre Heenan (social/political context) and Professor Stephen Kinsella (economic modelling).​ The proposals are divided into three main operational pillars: 1. Actions to Take Now: Deepening practical …

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The US and Israel are gearing up for another attack on Iran, but should it happen, the signs are that it will be far more globally consequential than before. Iran and Israel have been in a proxy war for years. Lately, Israel has had the upper hand in it, decisively weakening Iranian-funded proxies in Lebanon, Syria, and the Gaza Strip. Now the Israelis feel they might be in sight of a final victory, perhaps reducing Iran to Syria’s status, riven …

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A new Savanta poll carried out in February 2026 shows support for the monarchy at just 45%, with a third preferring an elected head of state. Support drops as low as 23% and 28% for the 18-24 and 25-34 age groups, and only breaches 50%+ with the over-fifties. As recently as 2020, that support level was at 63%. It’s reasonable to assume the revelations in the Epstein files about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his former wife are driving this. As repugnant …

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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 Chancellor. In language that would have seemed unbelievable even a few months ago, he has said he even doubts if NATO may survive even as long as the next NATO summit in June, and that it is time for a …

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The Guardian reports that the Government’s plans to force food manufacturers to put “not for EU” labels on all meat and dairy products sold across Britain next month have been indefinitely postponed after warnings that the scheme could cause “chaos” for producers and suppliers. Had this been done by the Tories, especially in Boris Johnson’s time, I would have expected it to be sticking two fingers up to the EU. In this case, it seems Unionists are the losers. This measure …

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Most people are aware that TV viewing is on the decline, but it might surprise some people to see just how swift that decline is. New research by Ofcom shows 52% of 16-24-year-olds in the UK watch no broadcast TV at all in an average week. Facts like this are often framed in a discussion about the rise of social media and its ill effects but are less usually considered relative to what we’ll miss about the effects mass-viewing of …

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