Slugger Team

As the dispute at Drumcree winds down, Northern Ireland is left to look at the political aftermath. Commentators have been talking about what is playing out within the DUP as Carla Lockhart advocates for ‘profound consequences’, seeming to mean removing Michelle O’Neill as First Minister by having Emma-Little Pengelly resign as Deputy First Minister, whilst DUP leader Gavin Robinson argues that such a move would be highly damaging to Unionism. The open divide is causing outsiders to ask, what is …

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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 him as saying “In the interests of wider public interest and safety, I’ve come to the conclusion that the circumstances under which that decision was made have now changed considerably. As a result, the procession cannot go ahead as it …

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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 opportunities and perhaps even a better quality of life for our best and brightest. As they made their lives elsewhere, Northern Ireland was diminished by their absence. Hence, we suffered from a brain drain (or ‘Human Capital Flight‘ as the …

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The Parades Commission has approved a request from the Orange Order to hold a march along the Garvaghy Road on the 27th September subject to a number of restrictions. As per the Belfast Telegraph Permission has been granted for no more than 35 people, including five named marshals, to take part in the parade, which will depart Drumcree Church at 8am on Sunday. The Commission has ruled it must disperse no later than 9.30am. A number of conditions have been …

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Richard Sullivan has written a piece in the Belfast Telegraph explaining that the UVF’s negotiation with Independent Expert Fleur Ravensbergen has stalled as the group seeks an amnesty for members who committed crimes, including murder, after the Loyalist ceasefire. As per the article… The UVF has been keen to see their organisation transition to that of being a veterans’ organisation, still bearing their name and allowed to parade as the UVF at commemorations and other ceremonial occasions. Progress has been slow …

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From ‘The Belfast Telegraph‘ A decision to bar the Orange Order from part of the flashpoint Drumcree marching route is to be quashed, a High Court judge declared today.The outcome was reached after the Parades Commission conceded a procedural error in how it dealt with an annual application for permission to walk along the nationalist Garvaghy Road in Portadown…The Orange Order is now expected to make a fresh application for permission to parade on the contentious route for the first …

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Health Minister Mike Nesbitt dramatically resigned yesterday amidst a policy clash with his party leader Jon Burrows. As per the Belfast Telegraph   Confirming his departure tonight, the UUP said Mr Nesbitt “leaves a significant legacy”. His decision to quit comes amidst a clash with party leader Jon Burrows over retaining emergency general surgery (EGS) at Causeway Hospital in Coleraine, a senior source said. The Northern Trust had recommended its closure. There is widespread local opposition to such a move… …

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From the FT: Israel should be killing “30 to 40” people each night in Gaza and should build Jewish settlements in the Palestinian enclave, the country’s far-right national security minister has said in an interview. Itamar Ben-Gvir, a hardline settler previously convicted of incitement to racism, made the comments on a podcast hosted by Rom Braslavski, who was taken hostage by the Palestinian militant group Hamas during its October 7 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the war in Gaza. …

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It’s been nearly two weeks since Chris Bryant was appointed the new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and it seems he has already got stuck into the job as he ruled out the possibility of a border poll any time soon. As per the Belfast Telegraph from a news conference yesterday, Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant has said that an Irish border poll is “not top of my list of priorities”…Pressed on whether he believes a united Ireland …

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The new UK Prime Minister has wasted little time in assembling his new cabinet, but of particular interest to those of us resident in Northern Ireland would be his choice of Secretary of State. Any suggestions that Hilary Benn would retain the role were swiftly dealt with as Benn confirmed yesterday in a post on X that he was leaving the government. It has been a great privilege to serve as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and to work …

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Taoiseach Micheál Martin has announced that the Irish government will establish and fund an annual peace prize honouring the late John Hume. Speaking in Strasbourg, the Taoiseach said “John was both a visionary and an immensely practical man. He saw obstacles, but he also saw how to move them out of the way. To honour his legacy, later this year we will be establishing and funding a new annual prize in his name. This will be awarded to a European …

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Last night Sinn Féin brought a Private Member’s bill before the Dáil that would have established a Citizen’s Assembly on Irish Unity. From the RTÉ report The party has tabled legislation which, if accepted, would compel the Taoiseach to produce a Green Paper examining the implications of constitutional change within 18 months. It would also trigger the establishment of a Citizens’ Assembly to examine the implications of Irish unity. There have been several suggestions through the years for a Citizen’s …

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Casement Park’s redevelopment may be reaching its endgame at last. On Friday it was reported that the GAA has decided that the Stadium will not be built to the hoped for 34,000 capacity due to a shortfall in funding and that it will have to be scaled back. According to Enda McClafferty reporting for the BBC…. As a result it will not be able to stage Ulster senior final matches but will instead be used for other provincial fixtures…Rebuilding the …

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It is well known that Northern Ireland has an issue with the flying of paramilitary flags, one which our police service has been struggling with for many years. Last week the Belfast Telegraph reported… East Belfast Alliance MLA Peter McReynolds hit out at the latest banners which were placed next to a new housing development completed last year. Such flags are seen as a means of controlling who moves into the properties. “Alliance has always strongly condemned the placement of …

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Back in January, Sinn Féin minister John O’Dowd put his proposed three-year budget out for consultation. His statement on the consultation highlighted what he saw as a key issue in terms of the contributions from the British government and finished with a warning to his Executive colleagues… “There is no doubt the ongoing under investment in public services by the British Government means that both the Resource and Capital DEL funding position remain extremely constrained. Our public services are facing …

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Artificial Intelligence doesn’t exist as a ghost in the machine you know, living like digital spirits in the cloud alone, oh no. The Chatgpts, Co-Pilots, Claudes and Groks of the world require physical infrastructure. And this infrastructure is, to put it mildly, controversial. A recent poll from Gallup shows that Americans for example are less than enthusiastic about the prospect of having a data centre built in their local areas… Seven in 10 Americans oppose constructing data centers for artificial …

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DUP’s Tracy Kelly hands over chain of office to new Belfast mayor Róis-Máire Donnelly from Sinn Féin. pic.twitter.com/VqZ9m8ckNd — Mark Simpson (@BBCMarkSimpson) June 2, 2026 This exchange seems to have resonated with a lot of people, and it’s easy to see why. As DUP councillor Tracy Kelly hands over the chain of office to Sinn Féin’s Róis-Máire Donnelly, the genuine warmth of the exchange is hard to miss. Why do moments like this seem to strike a chord? Does our …

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It was nearly two years ago that Doug Beattie resigned as UUP leader after losing an internal debate over who would fill the Assembly seat vacated when Robin Swann was elected to Westminster in the 2024 General Election. Since then, various snippets of news have indicated all was not well in relations between Beattie and his UUP colleagues. A few weeks ago, there were rumours that he was poised to be deselected by his constituency association in favour of local …

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According to ‘The Belfast Telegraph’s’ report on the matter, our leaders at Stormont believe Northern Ireland is racing towards something of a fiscal cliff… ‘Devolved ministers in Northern Ireland have yet to agree a budget for the current financial year and have insisted they need more financial support from the Treasury to plug an estimated £1 billion hole in their balance sheet and deliver spending plans that avoid dramatic cuts to public services. On Thursday, DUP deputy First Minister Emma …

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Readers may be aware that today marks the beginning of the trial of former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson. The PSNI have posted a warning about online commentary on this case A police spokesperson said: “As legal proceedings are ongoing in a high-profile sexual offences case, we are reminding the public that speculation and commentary online may prejudice proceedings. “Publishing information which could directly or indirectly identify complainants is a criminal offence.” Slugger O’Toole’s stance on this matter is clear. Do …

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