Soapbox – Page 31 – Slugger O'Toole

It’s not just about Marriage – or how the Executive parties have failed to deliver for LGBTQ people in Northern Ireland.

Soapbox on August 4, 2017, 5:22 pm

| Readers 1581

This week is the week of Belfast Pride. It is the 26th year of a festival that has grown to huge proportions. Little did the pioneers of 1991 (who were outnumbered by protestors), think that we would have come so far. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer equality is now firmly in the mainstream. One of the greatest indicators of that being Cameron’s Tories bringing forward Equal Marriage in 2013. There has been huge progress on LGBTQ liberation over those …

Beyond a Spin of the Wheel – GPs and mental health care

Soapbox on July 17, 2017, 8:22 pm

| Readers 664

The crisis facing GP services in Northern Ireland has been well documented, including in previous posts on Slugger O’Toole. Increasing patient lists, ‘red tape’, underfunding, an ageing workforce and the compounding of health issues in deprived communities due to austerity policies, are only some of the problems faced by the service. The British Medical Association has mooted the unwelcome spectre of GPs walking away from the NHS, while the Royal College of GPs NI, in an open letter, has highlighted …

Photos of this year’s Twelfth parade in Belfast…

Soapbox on July 16, 2017, 7:13 pm

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All photos by John T Glover… SoapboxThis is a guest slot to give a platform for new writers either as a one off, or a prelude to becoming part of the regular Slugger team.

Soapbox – the loss of priceless built heritage can’t be justified – Save CQ

Soapbox on July 16, 2017, 7:06 pm

| Readers 2554

SOAPBOX – If phase 1b of the Royal Exchange redevelopment proceeds, we will either lose the Arcade or the developer will lose the commercial basis for the scheme. The alternative could be a win-win solution. We are not opposing redevelopment, we simply think arbitrary needs of a hypothetical retailer do not justify the loss of priceless built heritage.

Looking at the York Street Interchange

Soapbox on July 5, 2017, 2:29 pm

| Readers 2847

David Capener is a contributing editor for Archinet a global online architecture website/magazine. On the face of it even the hardest critics of the DUP’s deal with the Conservative party would find it difficult to argue against an extra £1bn investment for Northern Ireland. Even if it is only a small ripple of 0.12% in the vast ocean that is the £770 billion budget that the government spent last year. Small change behind the back of the sofa? Maybe, but …

If you want to see how the poor die, come see Grenfell Tower…

Soapbox on July 4, 2017, 4:55 pm

| Readers 1039

It has a tragic few months with the horrendous terror attacks Westminster, Manchester and London. These were shocking terror attacks. We were then all stunned by the images from Grenfell, nearly three weeks ago. – sadly this time a man-made disaster We all watched in horror as the fire engulfed so many families in their homes, we witnessed the heroism of residents who went to the aid of neighbours, and the courage of the emergency services. Today, we now the blackened building of Grenfell Tower, “the …

From Mixed Marriage to Same Sex Marriage

Soapbox on June 30, 2017, 2:20 pm

| Readers 3515

When will our Church leaders learn from their past mistakes? I was a teenager in the early 1980s when the fear of the Church leaders was of mixed marriage. As a young Catholic in 1989 in Belfast I fell in love with a Protestant. I knew not to expect support from either my parents or the Churches. The Churches still treated mixed marriage as second class. This was fuelled by the Catholic Bishops’ hard line teaching deriving from the Pope’s …

The collapse of the Executive, two Assembly elections, a General Election, a new Taoiseach, Trump and the decimation of the Conservative Commons majority.

Soapbox on June 23, 2017, 11:02 am

| Readers 623

Steven Agnew is the Leader of the Green Party in Northern Ireland. It’s a year to the day since the referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union. It’s been remarkable but often disconcerting. The Green Party campaigned to Remain within the EU with great effort and energy. A year later, we haven’t shifted from our position that the interests of Northern Ireland are best served within the European Union. In fact, events of the past year only emphasise …

For Leo A Week is a Long Time in Politics

Soapbox on June 22, 2017, 1:49 pm

| Readers 1287

Eoin Neylon was President of Ogra Fianna Fail from 2014-2016, he has taken a look at the week in Irish Politics “A week is a long time in politics”. This quote is often attributed to former UK Labour PM Harold Wilson. It’s a quote that was likely ringing in the ears of Leo Varadkar this morning as he made an appearance at law firm Arthur Cox. Just a week ago he was accepting international plaudits as he accented to the …

Northern Ireland’s complexity is its strength

Soapbox on June 19, 2017, 7:26 pm

| Readers 3083

Katy Hayward is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Queens University, Belfast The difficulty of allowing for the maintenance of the United Kingdom whilst also catering for the varied circumstances of its various parts is an acutely difficult one. Anyone trying to square this circle in the Brexit process must accept that modes of governance and policy will have to change in any transition out of the EU. But let us take comfort here from recognising the messiness of the …

Time for unity among those advocating Unity

Soapbox on June 14, 2017, 6:30 pm

| Readers 3447

Matt Carthy is a Sinn Fein MEP for the Ireland Midlands-North West constituency Something big is happening. Brexit has simply accelerated a debate on Irish Unity that was inevitably going to happen anyway. Irish Unity featured during the recent Westminster election campaign in a way in which it hasn’t in living memory. That is simply a reflection of what is occurring in communities, within civic society and among members and supporters of all the main political parties North & South …

Election breakdown – where now for progressive politics?

Soapbox on June 14, 2017, 11:34 am

| Readers 906

It can be argued that last week’s General Election marks a turning point: a shift away from neoliberalism and towards – or rather back to – social democracy. There is talk that the age of austerity is over. The initial focus on Brexit was replaced by a genuine policy debate, based around the Labour and Conservative manifestos and revealing voters’ anxieties about the state of public services. Young people were energised into voting in greater numbers, which could lead to …

‘DUP Facts’: An opportunity for education

Soapbox on June 13, 2017, 12:08 pm

| Readers 2277

Meghan Rice holds an MA in Early Modern History with a specialism in Irish and British History from King’s College London. She is passionate about both Gaelige and Ulster Scots and has worked with various groups and individuals from both communities in Northern Ireland to help foster a better understanding of the peace process among the diaspora. Tweets at @MeghanJRice With the understandable furore surrounding a potential DUP- Tory coalition, now being dubbed a ‘confidence and supply agreement’, many people …

SOAPBOX – The NI peace process is under threat: here’s how we save it

Soapbox on June 11, 2017, 8:30 am

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SOAPBOX – Scott Moore argues that a cross-community in the Assembly should be required before a Northern Ireland party enters a coalition at Westminster.

SOAPBOX: Tackling use of selective evidence by governments – free seminar on 15 June #A4UEevents

Soapbox on June 10, 2017, 11:15 am

| Readers 367

SOAPBOX Peter O’Neill argues that government must make the best use of evidence to be effective in policy-making. He’s organising a seminar in Belfast next week to look at the local perspective and how government can make the best use of evidence.

Why now is the time for voting rights outside the Irish state in Presidential Elections

Soapbox on May 30, 2017, 3:53 pm

| Readers 814

Áras an Uachtaráin - residence of the Irish President, and soon to be home to Northern Irish bees

Professor Colin Harvey is professor of human rights at the school of law in Queens University Belfast. Mark Bassett is a barrister in independent practice. They made a joint presentation to the Oireachtas GFA committee on the 18th May 2017. 1. Non-resident voting rights raise important questions concerning equal citizenship. This includes Irish citizens in Northern Ireland. The relatively modest proposal of an extended franchise for Presidential elections received overwhelming support at the Constitutional Convention in 2013. There also appears …

Queen’s Hosts Interactive Showcase ‘Global Thinking Locally’ at Belfast City Hall tomorrow

Soapbox on May 29, 2017, 8:32 pm

| Readers 319

Queen’s University Belfast will be hosting an interactive showcase event at Belfast City Hall to demonstrate the impact the University has on the community in Belfast and across the globe. The showcase will take place on Tuesday, 30 May 2017 from 10am – 2.30pm in the Great Hall at Belfast City Hall. There will be over 30 interactive exhibitions from a range of Queen’s world-leading experts and researchers showcasing their work under the themes of Future Cities, Healthy Citizens, …

Two coffees and a Highland wedding

Soapbox on May 29, 2017, 1:34 pm

| Readers 4564

To my nationalist and republican friends… I think you should reconsider your opposition to the Union, and here’s why… A friend of mine recently threw out a question which stopped me in my tracks. “Do you think there will ever be a united Ireland?” She asked. She knew I was a member of a unionist party and most who do see no point in asking me such a question, but ask she did. Her voice suggested she was asking the …

Could an all island special status (on the periphery of Europe) be adjudicated by the ECJ?

Soapbox on May 17, 2017, 9:37 am

| Readers 2545

A few decades ago a young Northern Ireland student arrived at Cambridge to start an undergraduate course. As is the case with such institutions, there were events to help the newcomers get to know each other. At one such encounter, a girl on hearing him talk exclaimed: “ Oh, you have an accent”. He replied smartly: “Yes, just like you”. She immediately reassured him in a cut glass English voice that while she had no problem with the way he …

From Good Friday to Lá Dearg – the journey towards rights for Irish speakers

Soapbox on May 15, 2017, 9:52 pm

| Readers 3043

Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin is an Irish Language Activist and is writing this in a personal capacity On the 20th of May thousands will make their way to Belfast to support the increasing calls for legislative protection for the Irish language, in the form of an Irish language act. Those attending, like the Irish language community itself, come from different backgrounds and have different views on many important issues, but on the issue of the role of the state regarding …