Life in Northern Ireland has been transformed. Five years ago you were likely to face a British soldier pointing a rifle when you looked out of a car window into a roadside field. Now, thanks to rapprochement between the province’s Republican and Loyalist factions, it is rare to see the army at all. The speed …
Northern Ireland Market House prices in the Border town of Newry have risen by 371 per cent since 1996 – but are still lower than in the Republic, says Paul Gosling Newry has become a hot spot for homes. According to the just published house-price survey from mortgage lender Halifax, house prices in Newry have …
Northern Ireland’s public sector is going through a radical and rapid transformation. The 26 district councils are being abolished, replaced by seven “super councils” with more powers. Regional quangos administering health (it has four) and education (with five) are going, with the central administration taking on more oversight of public services. But the number of …
Industrial clusters have formed the local economies in Silicon Valley and Galway. Now Saudi Arabia is joining in. Paul Gosling reports.
The Bloody Sunday inquiry in Londonderry is expected to cost at least £100m as more than 1,000 witnesses use the best in IT to give evidence. Paul Gosling reports. (Subscription needed.)
The Baltic States are emerging as surprising property hot spots. Paul Gosling evaluates the ups and downs of property investment in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
THERE is myth and there is reality. One of the secrets of a happy life is not to confuse the two. It is a lesson that one trade union should have learnt before it committed itself to kick … (Subscription needed)
The Bloody Sunday inquiry in Londonderry is expected to cost at least £100m as more than 1,000 witnesses use the best in IT to give evidence. Paul Gosling reports. (Subscription needed.)
THE World Council of Credit Unions – headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin and Washington, DC – has just held its annual conference: in Dublin. The choice of Ireland is both highly symbolic… (Subscription needed)
After decades of municipal neglect and incompetence, many of England’s largest and oldest cities are witnessing a management overhaul that is rapidly improving services.
THE title was hardly inspiring: but the impact will be profound. A report that has just landed on the desk of Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt provides an indication of how the health… (Subscription needed)
When Northern Ireland’s Irvinestown (population 2,200) lost its major industry, unemployment hit 90 per cent. Now social enterprise is helping the town to prosper again. What do you do if you live in a small town and the major employers close down their factories? One answer – if you are a group of “social entrepreneurs” …