Soapbox 
Claire Hanna is the Leader of the SDLP It’s not true to say that people in Northern Ireland can’t agree on anything because I think most of us would accept that Stormont isn’t working, and hasn’t done for some time. Whilst my ambition is ultimately to see a new Ireland in the future, I don’t believe that this can be achieved by letting this place go to ruin, and nor do I want to see that. For me and for …
Brendan Mulgrew is one of the organisers of the Belfast Summit If Belfast is serious about thriving – not just surviving – then we need to get more comfortable with new ideas, fresh thinking and perspectives that challenge our assumptions. Too often, civic debate here circles the same arguments, the same constraints and the same caution. Yet Belfast is changing rapidly. Investment is coming in. Our cultural life is growing. The city centre is evolving from a nine-to-five destination into …
Northern Ireland is no longer a simple two-way divide. As a growing “middle ground” of voters begins to prioritize economic stability, healthcare, and public services over traditional ideology, Independent Unionist MP Alex Easton argues that Unionism must stop the infighting and start selling the tangible benefits of the UK. From the £25 billion fiscal gap to the strengths of the NHS, Easton explores why the Union remains the most viable path forward—if Unionists can finally get their act together.
Historian Hiram Morgan explores a Mediterranean capital untouched by mass tourism, where the gritty realism of the Battle of Algiers meets the unexpected jungle of Tarzan. Discover a city of revolutionary monuments, ancient Casbahs, and vibrant Berber revival.
Hannah McVeigh from Tyrone and is studying International Relations and Global Development When I moved to Wales, I found myself reaching for the PG Tips box of tea bags. I was disappointed I had to leave my beloved Thompsons Punjana at home. Tea bag wars can be fierce. Punjana, Namberrie or Tetley. These three caused a lot of playful arguments growing up. I always was in the Punjana corner. I have to admit, when PG Tips was no longer cutting …
Finley is a Slugger reader from Belfast China’s growing economic, diplomatic, and military capabilities make it likely to challenge U.S. dominance not only in East Asia but also in the Americas and beyond. As Mike Tyson famously remarked, “Everyone has a plan.” The United States now finds itself in precisely such a moment. After three decades of unchallenged post-Cold War dominance, the costs of maintaining global influence are rising, relative power is shifting, and emerging competitors—above all China—are eroding America’s …
By Jason Bunting, Advocacy Manager at the Fairness Foundation Northern Ireland is falling behind on fiscal powers- and it’s holding back our progress. Over the past twenty-five years, Scotland and Wales have each gained significant new fiscal tools, and both now has a credible suite of levers at their disposal. English devolution is also accelerating, with the Chancellor’s recent Budget giving regional Mayors the power to introduce tourism levies- an admittedly modest charge that can nonetheless raise millions for local …
Jennifer Todd is Emeritus (Full) Professor, School of Politics and International Relations, UCD Constitutional change to a united Ireland is high stakes– it would change almost every aspect of life for almost everyone on the island. Even discussion of it provokes anger among unionists and avoidance amongst others. Meanwhile, there are growing gaps in understanding and expectation between people in Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland – if these aren’t addressed, democratically achieved unity will disappoint even those …
Jack Russell is a parent, primary school governor, and member of the core team at Parents for Inclusive Education NI, a grass-roots organisation that advocates for the rights of all children and parents across Northern Ireland. Following the Supreme Court’s judgment last Wednesday that RE taught in NI schools is unlawful and amounts to indoctrination, the Education Minister appears more interested in talking about witchcraft than meaningful reform. This distraction and deflection is unhelpful to schools seeking guidance, but it …
On 21st of November 2025, Stormont hosted the Disabled People’s Parliament. This is part of a series of people’s parliaments, which in the past have included a Women’s Parliament. The motion under discussion was, in summary – This Parliament affirms that laws and policies are most effective when informed by the lived experience of those that they affect. In attendance were Minister Mike Nesbitt for the Department of Health and Minister Gordon Lyons for the Department of Communities, with Ms …
Finley is a Slugger reader from Belfast Axios just reported that Donald Trump proposes that the U.S. and other states recognise Russian claims of sovereignty over forcibly occupied Ukrainian lands. “The new Trump plan to end the war in Ukraine would grant Russia parts of eastern Ukraine it does not currently control, in exchange for a U.S. security guarantee for Ukraine and Europe against future Russian aggression, a U.S. official with direct knowledge told Axios… According to the Trump plan, …
Tim Cairns is a Senior Policy Manager for CARE Northern Ireland has a gambling problem. Around 3% of people here, roughly 47,000 adults, are experiencing gambling harm. To put that in perspective, there are more people in gambling harm in Northern Ireland’s six counties than in the whole of the twenty-six counties that comprise the rest of the island. The prevalence of gambling harm here is five times higher than England. The question that is not easy to answer is …
Eoghan Kelly is a postdoc on the University of Edinburgh’s Scottish Election Study and has lectured in Irish politics at Queen’s. Here, he uses his new election projection site to see how reform might perform on polling figures from LucidTalk.. The most recent LucidTalk poll provided a few interesting insights into NI party support. This includes a continuing slide in support for Alliance, growth for the Greens, and a slow decline for Sinn Féin, which is coupled with a small …
Chris McCracken is the Managing Director of Linen Quarter BID What story are we telling ourselves about Belfast? Most people appear to welcome the warmth of our hospitality, and give a grudging nod to new investment, but the dominant view is still negative perceptions about persistent dereliction and a rising tide of anti-social behaviour. Perhaps this should be no surprise, as these views reflect a city in transition. However, social, and mainstream media tend to accentuate the negative, and risk …
Seamus Leheny is the Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations. I can still just about remember learning about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs back in school. It’s a psychological theory that outlines five levels of human needs from the most basic to the most advanced: Physiological, safety, love & belonging, esteem and self-actualisation. The theory suggests that for any person or civilisation to achieve high-level outcomes, the most basic must be achieved first. The foundation stone for …
Celine McStravick is the CEO of NICVA This week’s Northern Ireland Affairs Committee hearing laid bare a troubling truth: the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland is teetering on the edge of a funding cliff, and Westminster’s silence is deafening. The current UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) has been a lifeline for tackling economic inactivity in Northern Ireland—home to the highest rate of economic inactivity in the UK. Over 24,000 people benefitted from the scheme that was led by …
Jodie Carson is a Professor of Strategic Policy in Practice at Ulster University After a brief reprieve resulting from stabilisation funding, internal NICS efficiency drives and a fairly generous recent UK Budget allocation, Northern Ireland’s public finances are once again on an unsustainable footing with some £800m in-year spending over-commitment. This is largely attributable to overcommitments within the Departments for Health and Education, but has wide-reaching implications for the Executive as a whole. It is highly unlikely that monitoring rounds …
Helen Armstrong lives in the North West and is a psychotherapist, executive coach and trainer. I have made several written attempts to call out the problems in our current education system and how children at the tender age of 10 or 11 are being subjected to an unnecessary and unfair transfer test. As a result, we have ended up with a two-tier system that not only harms many children’s perception of their ability but also promotes social and academic segregation. All …
David Mitchell is an Associate Professor at Trinity College Dublin at Belfast For some people, it is hard to think about Irish unification without thinking about bloodshed. As Fintan O’Toole and Sam McBride acknowledge in the introduction of For and Against a United Ireland, ‘The traumas of the Troubles, and the still unreconciled bitterness they generated, continue to shape attitudes and give all of these questions a sharp emotional edge.’ But, they argue, ‘emotion is not enough’. If a referendum …
Matthew Taylor is a local 23 year mental health campaigner from Belfast. In 2023, 221 people took their own lives in Northern Ireland. I almost became one of them. Admitted to a psychiatric ward from July-December in a state of crisis, I witnessed an overstretched, exhausted and often inconsistent health service that was fighting to keep its head above water. I experienced both profound kindness and stigma from staff, with some telling me “if you really wanted to kill yourself, …
