A ‘new Ireland’ is exactly that: a new state, with a new constitution, an enlarged and partly different population, as well as a lot of political and social change from the existing republic. It is not perhaps a revolution, but it is a lot more than a slight evolution. The populations of both the South […]
City of Derry Airport is regarded by many in the city, including its civic leaders, as vital infrastructure. That view has been supported by the Northern Ireland Executive and the UK and Irish governments. It has, though, received strong criticisms, not least within the Belfast Telegraph – with some commentators arguing that the costs outweigh
Lough Neagh Fishermen’s Co-operative has been forced to suspend eel fishing this year. It hopes to resume next year, but severe pollution of Europe’s largest freshwater lake is putting its future at risk. The pollution is causing a range of problems, of which the health of eels is just one. Degraded water standards in Lough
The cross-border north-west region is the weakest both within Northern Ireland and across the island of Ireland. Statistics for unemployment, low wages and deprivation are similar in Donegal to those in the Derry and Strabane council area. The two areas also have too few school leavers going into higher and further education for the health
Cross-border inward investment would be a positive development Read More »
Relationships with bloc to remain uncertain as future government likely to be more antagonistic to Brussels and could pull out of agreement. The combination of Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump as globally powerful leaders has had a seismic impact on European politics. Suddenly security is a major concern across the continent — including for the
The bulk of public money is spent in greater Belfast area, leading to serious variations in economical and social outcomes. Surely the purpose of government is to improve the wellbeing of the population as a whole, not just a part. Investment is needed to produce returns that can be measured in economic, social or environmental
Shake-up of UK investment strategy should prompt Stormont to end ongoing regional bias Read More »
Beware schemes that offer apparently too good to be true savings. And beware, too, schemes that so lack transparency that the consumer may even feel unaware of having joined them. A relative of mine recently contacted me to advise that she was being charged £18 a month for no obvious reason. When she looked
Even when Stormont is ‘functioning’, it continues to be dysfunctional. There is barely a difficult political decision that the Executive has the collective guts to take. This isn’t (just) about the people who make up the Executive, it is the structure which requires consensus – and that means deferral and avoidance of any decision that
Carefully checking bank and credit card statements is essential – but easily overlooked. Doing so has saved me several hundred pounds over recent months. In February of this year I received my monthly statement from American Express. The total was a lot higher than usual and I was shocked to see a charge of £510
When I speak with people in Dublin I’m shocked by the lack of knowledge of the scale of crisis in Northern Ireland’s health service. ‘But you have a free service in the North, so much better than the HSE.’ But a free service with inadequate capacity can be no service at all. Long waits –
What is to be done about Stormont? At present we have a crisis about the health service and a related crisis about social care. We have another about the lack of sewerage and water supply infrastructure. And then we have the failures and weaknesses in parts of our education and skills systems. Far too many
‘A New Ireland – A Five Year Review’ is a newly published book, authored by Paul Gosling, that considers what progress has been made in preparation for a potential referendum on the constitutional future of Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is governed by Stormont – except Stormont has been down for 40% of its history since