Government

Alliance Party Conference – a heartfelt appeal for hope to prevail over fear amid tight margins in two elections next year #APNI2026

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on March 14, 2026, 5:53 pm

| Readers 1538

Party president David Alderdice opened proceedings with a call for members look forward with “hope not fear”. That’s the strapline that the party is using to externally frame their policies and values, speaking into local and global conflict and social divisions. But it also speaks loudly to the internal challenge of the upcoming local government and Assembly elections. Maybe electioneering has totally changed, but the conference felt like a missed opportunity to spur unelected members on to get out and …

Claire Hanna Breaks With Nationalist Consensus in her Push for Stormont Reform…

Mick Fealty on March 13, 2026, 10:14 am

| Readers 2378

Mick looks at Claire Hanna’s direct if deliberately modest assault on the St Andrews settlement with three targeted institutional reforms — and she has done so at precisely the moment Sinn Féin can least afford the scrutiny.

The Long Game: Why the Border Poll Debate Needs a Reality Check

Mick Fealty on March 10, 2026, 11:59 am

| Readers 3789

a couple of penguins standing on top of a sandy beach

After thirty years of post-Agreement politics, support for a united Ireland hasn’t moved. The border poll debate needs a reality check — and only one party has worked out what a credible long-term strategy actually looks like.

Navigating fraught legacies with trauma-informed archival practice

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on February 27, 2026, 11:46 am

| Readers 544

The Quill Project recently hosted a comprehensive event focusing on the examination of archival practice, care, and ethical responsibility in a post-conflict context. Hosted by the Quill Project — a digital humanities research enterprise based at Pembroke College, Oxford, which is currently focused on building an inclusive digital archive of the Northern Ireland peace process — the gathering at Holywell Trust in Derry/Londonderry was chaired by Barry Houlihan, an archivist at the University of Galway. The event featured a series …

Government Decision Confirms : The ‘Powerful Democratic Safeguards’ Deceit

Soapbox on February 25, 2026, 11:30 am

| Readers 2997

Cargo ship loaded with colorful containers at a port

Jim Allister MP argues that the “Stormont Brake” and “Applicability Motions” have failed to protect Northern Ireland’s democratic integrity. He calls for full re-enfranchisement, rejecting these “demeaning mechanisms” in favour of a solution that restores true citizenship and parliamentary accountability.

Slugger Event: Two Years Down, One To Go

David McCann on February 23, 2026, 10:46 am

| Readers 665

The NI Executive has been back up and running for two years. The next Assembly election is just over a year away. The campaigning is already underway. Given their track record of delivery, we ask whether the Stormont institutions are living up to expectations, and what’s stopping them delivering on the ambitions, hopes and dreams upon which MLAs are elected? Join Ann Watt (director of Pivotal thinktank), Professor Jodie Carson (Professor of Strategic Policy in Practice at Ulster University) and …

Why we need a ban on social media for teenagers

Soapbox on February 19, 2026, 9:05 am

| Readers 795

Tim Cairns is a Senior Policy Officer for CARE (Christian Action, Research, and Education) We all know that social media is harmful. Many of us have encountered trolls or content we did not want to read or see online. Even for adults, social media takes its toll on our mental and physical well-being. In 2024, 15,000 adults (over the age of 16) were studied to see what effects social media had on their health. The study concluded that the more …

After McSweeney: A Fresh Start for Starmer or the Beginning of the End?

Slugger Team on February 10, 2026, 10:22 am

| Readers 2812

A brief examination of the structural and strategic challenges facing Keir Starmer’s premiership following the departure of his chief strategist, Morgan McSweeney.

From NATO to Tehran: Why Modern Anti-Imperialism is little more than a “Chocolate Fireguard”

Gary Kent on February 3, 2026, 2:35 pm

| Readers 1474

a fighter jet flying through a cloudy sky

Gary Kent argue that American intervention remains a vital lifeline for those facing tyranny. From the survival of Kurdistan to the burgeoning revolution in Iran, the “armchair anti-imperialists” ignore a harsh reality: for many oppressed peoples, Western agency is the difference between a future of freedom and a descent into chaos.

DFI punched in the face over its active travel strategy…

Stephen McNally on January 31, 2026, 8:36 am

| Readers 1694

2 boxers sparring in ring, black and white.

For two decades, the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) published unchallenged plans regarding its Active Travel strategies. Like Tyrell Biggs’ pre-fight plan to defeat Mike Tyson, their plans eventually met reality on September 29, 2025. In 1987 Tyrell Biggs said he had a plan to beat Mike Tyson. Tyson famously responded, “everyone has a plan until they get a punch in the face” and then proceeded to punch Biggs repeatedly in the face until his plan fell apart. The Department for …

Why Northern Tribalism is Slowly Burning Ireland’s Republican Dream

Mick Fealty on January 30, 2026, 7:00 am

| Readers 6122

The sun is shining through the trees in the field

While Northern Republicanism remains preoccupied with the “semiotics” of defiance and historical score-settling, the dream of a 32-county state is stalling and the divergences between North and South are widening. If the Good Friday Agreement was meant to be a bridge, why has it been turned into a trench? Mick argues it’s time to trade 19th-century tactics for 21st-century statecraft.

Why Unionist Unity is the Wrong Answer to the Wrong Question…

Terry Wright on January 27, 2026, 3:15 pm

| Readers 4139

Abstract neon lights in red and blue hues

As calls for Unionist unity and electoral pacts resurface ahead of the 2026 elections, Terry argues that political unionism is trapped in a “mental bloc.” The movement is failing to engage a new generation of pro-union voters who value cultural hybridity over old denominational structures. Is unionist re-alignment a path to renewal, or merely the final throes of a tired ritual?

Three modest reforms to make Stormont work again

Soapbox on January 16, 2026, 3:31 pm

| Readers 4293

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 …

Why Europe (And Ireland) Needs a Reality Check on Russia

Gary Kent on January 15, 2026, 7:00 am

| Readers 1822

men in green and brown camouflage uniform

In the high-stakes world of geopolitics, the belief that “chai and chat” can disarm a dictator is a dangerous delusion. From the “bad actor” tactics of Putin to the military vulnerabilities of neutral Ireland, Gary Kent argues Europe must transition from reliance on American to becoming a military superpower in its own right.

The Low Priority of Governing: The Consequences Of A Decade of Stormont Instability

Mick Fealty on January 9, 2026, 7:10 am

| Readers 1481

person holding red round medication pill

My previous post has helped spark an interesting debate elsewhere. What seems to have piqued that interest was my view that since 2016 (the last time there was an actual three year budget) there’s been a loss of seriousness within the two senior parties about doing government particularly in comparison to administrations led by those same parties prior to 2016. The fiscal black hole both now face didn’t come from nowhere. Although there is a case to argue that austerity …

John O’Dowd’s “ghost budget” is waiting for a fiscal rescue that isn’t coming…

Mick Fealty on January 7, 2026, 7:54 am

| Readers 3043

When is a budget not a budget? Answer when it’s a ghost budget. That’s the term the SDLP opposition leader Matthew O’Toole used yesterday to describe a few pages of rushed homework the Finance Minister John O’Dowd is choosing to call a budget. This downright weird exercise in PR comes before any of his Executive colleagues had a chance to look at how he proposes to deal with their collective bids. So, in effect O’Dowd is breaking collective responsibility in …

An unavoidable truth : Irish Unity will be a brexit-style process

Brendan Heading on December 24, 2025, 4:29 pm

| Readers 5822

On a recent speaking engagement, Fintan O’Toole made the observation of how important it is to avoid an Irish unity process that ends up like the brexit process. This is a wish that other analysts and political reps have also highlighted. Brexit shows, they argue, the need for adequate preparation. Northern nationalism has upped its rhetoric on this in recent months – SF has been running a time to prepare campaign, and its representatives issue a request for the …

Diane Dodds on Scrutiny, System Shortfalls, and the Struggle for Clarity through Stormont’s Institutions

Mick Fealty on December 18, 2025, 4:00 pm

| Readers 818

In the final episode of the first series of the Slugger Cato Project, we sat down with DUP MLA and former Minister Diane Dodds. For those new to the series, this project is a shared inquiry into the mechanics of government—specifically those corners of the Northern Ireland Assembly that often remain hidden from public view. Before diving into Diane’s insights, it is worth reflecting on the feedback from last week’s conversation with Sinn Féin’s Pat Sheehan. The response from our …

Slugger Cato Project: Pat Sheehan on doggedly sticking to the question over time…

Mick Fealty on December 11, 2025, 4:12 pm

| Readers 1699

The Slugger Cato Project is an inquiry hosted by Mick Fealty, and is dedicated to exploring the less-visible aspects of governance and political action in Northern Ireland. It aims to investigate the inner workings of the Stormont government, analysing how politicians navigate bureaucratic systems and fulfil their representative roles. This series is an active investigation, shedding light on the mechanics of modern governance that often remain obscured. Our readers’ contributions have already given us much food for thought. “Finaghy” introduced the …

Constitutional visions from the grassroots

Soapbox on December 8, 2025, 7:30 am

| Readers 4389

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 …