Soapbox

Seán Patrick Donlan is a Professor of Law at Thompson Rivers University (Canada). He formerly taught Irish law at the University of Limerick and has published on comparative legal history, as well as Irish history, politics, and film. For many, the Republic’s presidential campaign has been disappointing. Neither the rioting right nor social conservatives fielded a candidate. Fianna Fáil’s man withdrew, though, electorally at least, he hasn’t gone away you know. For Fine Gael, a Northern protestant promised constructive acknowledgement of the …

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Ryan O’Neill Is Chair of the SDLP in Mid-Ulster The race for the Áras has been unusually muted—more a slow burn than a blaze—punctuated by brief spikes of interest for political obsessives. Beyond the set-piece nomination rituals and a handful of town-hall hustings, the storylines have felt thin: an eleventh-hour, ultimately unsuccessful push to draft conservative barrister and “family values” advocate Maria Steen; Jim Gavin’s abrupt exit, which rattled Fianna Fáil and reignited questions about Micheál Martin’s grip on the …

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Conor McKinney is the founder of Wild Belfast and a local wildlife activist / conservationist; What if? is a powerful question. In a time of myriad health, climate, ecological and social crises it can provide hope, facilitate collaboration, provide the foundations of a new story that we can create for, and with, each other. “National Parks” are defined differently around the world, but typically they are special places where we have a better relationship with nature, culture and heritage and …

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In East Belfast, Catholic Maintained schools are losing their old identity even faster than Controlled schools – and the system isn’t ready for it. A follow-up analysis to “If the education system cannot see the majority, it cannot claim to serve it“ When Education Minister Paul Givan refused to grant Integrated status to Rathmore Primary School and Bangor Academy, it became clear that the 2022 Integrated Education Act disregards a majority category of ‘Other’ (secular families, non-Christians, mixed backgrounds, etc.). …

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Finley is a Slugger reader from Belfast Another PM has fallen in France – but the problems lie deeper “In France, as in much of the world, yields have risen this year on concerns that industrialised democracies will increasingly struggle to meet their obligations due to ageing populations and inadequate growth.” Politico reports the situation in France: “France’s benchmark borrowing costs rose above those of Italy on Monday after the shock resignation of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu forced financial markets …

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Duncan Dollimore is Head of Campaigns at Cycling UK The 2022 Climate Act promised to transform transport in Northern Ireland by mandating that 10% of the transport budget be spent on walking and cycling infrastructure. But the Department for Infrastructure’s creative accounting has quadrupled “spend” on paper while leaving real projects unfunded, risking congestion, road deaths, and stalled progress on sustainable travel. Northern Ireland isn’t usually first out of the gate on new laws — from anti-poverty strategies to organ …

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Tom Brady is a Journalist and independent Councillor on Ards and North Down Borough Council When I saw the horrific footage of conservative activist Charlie Kirk being assassinated, I was disgusted. But I was also filled with dread at what I suspected was coming next. And when I saw the papers and social media the following day, I was dumbstruck. Were they talking about the same person? Did they know who he was? Were we living in the same reality? …

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Hannah McVeigh from Tyrone and is studying International Relations and Global Development While researching a project on the Northern Ireland Legacy Act, I found myself confronted with a challenge: understanding it. I was struck less by its controversies and more by the complexities that are inherent in its implementation. Since its enactment in 2023 the legislation has been mired in controversy and confusion. Despite spending considerable time studying it, I struggled to grasp its nuances. I suspect I am not …

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Ben Collins is the author of The Irish Unity Dividend and Irish Unity: Time to Prepare both published by Luath Press. I grew up in a strongly Unionist and British household in East Belfast. Being Irish was always a strong part of my identity as well as being British. During the conflict I was determined that I was not going to be forced into a United Ireland by violence or threats of violence. But the Good Friday Agreement changed all …

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Finley is a Slugger reader from Belfast In the wake of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk’s assassination at a Utah university on September 10, former President Donald Trump delivered a speech from the Oval Office that was sombre in tone — but deeply charged in political meaning. While condemning Kirk’s murder as a “dark moment for America,” Trump’s language signalled something far more expansive: a warning shot against what he described as the “radical left,” and a possible preview of repressive …

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Slogger is a North Antrim retiree and latecomer to political discourse. I spent the first ten years of my life on a farm, well away from the temptations of the town. So, movies were just something on a black-and-white TV. Only two channels in those days so movies were kind of rare and rather antiquated. All posh Englishmen and Cockneys. Then, at ten years old, we moved into the town. When I say town, I mean the Irish notion of …

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Seán Óg is a Slugger regular… For a while now, I’ve come to the conclusion that somewhere in the late 90s/early 00s, we hit peak technology. We had phones and text messaging to keep in touch; businesspeople had their little blackberries and electronic planners. There were Internet chat rooms, but none of these totally overtook our lives. We met partners in pubs, clubs, at work. We had a communal aspect of watching TV, and if we got box sets, we …

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John McAlester is a Pragmatist from Mid Ulster, who often wonders how the world works and whether it actually works at all. I was walking around the car showrooms on Boucher Road recently with a view to changing my car and soon it became obvious that there were a lot of new players to the market since I last bought a new car seven years ago. A quick check on UsedCar NI brought up an array of car brands that I …

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Slogger is a North Antrim retiree and latecomer to political discourse. We are a tribal species. We gravitate into tribes. That is, groups who share something in common. A common worldview A common interest A common ethnicity A common nationality A common heritage A common leader A common loyalty A common religious outlook A common job or career So tribes include, for example, football team supporters, Catholics, Protestants, club members, police, Swifties, civil servants, British people, Irish people, the GAA, …

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