EU-UK deal is a gift to unionists. Shame they can’t all see it
Reaction among conservative politicians portrays NI as a victim. It is a short step from there to portraying Britain as a victim of Northern Ireland
Newton Emerson
Newton Emerson columns
Should people in Northern Ireland vote in Irish presidential elections?
Unionists are horrified and nationalists entranced by the prospect of polling stations north of the Border
Northern nationalists identify an unlikely source of hope: Nigel Farage
Many believe Reform leader’s isolationism will benefit the nationalist cause. Unionism has its equivalent fond delusions
It would be some irony if the two parts of Ireland taught the UK lessons in devolution
Westminster believes it has little to learn from devolved institutions. But the Shared Island initiative is showing how policy differences between close neighbours can offer useful insight
Downsizing is fine in theory. In reality, it’s rearranging property deckchairs on the Titanic
Today’s downsizers are closer to 70 and in no mood to rewire and replaster. They want a new build, which means they’ll be outbidding younger couples on a three-bed semi
Latest controversy to engulf Stormont is over the definition of ‘controversial’
Current row is over Irish language signs at Grand Central Station - but brace for more of the same
UK has to pick a side between the US and the EU - and Northern Ireland is stuck in the middle
Rather than seeing a US trade deal as entrenching the sea border, some unionists hope Trump’s new world order might sweep the Windsor Framework away
Underinvestment in water is harming the environment and economy, but no politician dares mention a solution
Domestic bills and privatisation are off the agenda, but politicking is thwarting proper debate on who pays
The big story from Northern Ireland no one is talking about
The latest bombshell population data heralds a shocking reversal of demographic fortunes
At home the DUP spurns Irishness, but when abroad it embraces it
The party’s code-switching in the US recently plays to negative stereotypes of unionism as a shallow identity. But could it be a response to a deeper shift?
Unionists are enjoying the pile-on over the Republic’s defence freeloading
Ireland is facing international criticism and it’s only natural that unionists want to join in. But incomprehension over support for neutrality is also a factor
It would be pathetic if the united Ireland cause was frustrated by bill for disability benefits
Equally, the cost would be bad reason for the union to persist, so nationalists and unionists should want this spending to fall
A British defence spending bonanza will present Sinn Féin with a dilemma
Keir Starmer has been advised to raise defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP, which could be paid for by slashing social welfare
Sinn Féin voters in the Republic and unionist voters in Northern Ireland agree on something
Both have the least positive views on immigration of any two groups of party voters on the island
Moral panic about build-to-rent apartments overlooks their obvious advantages
Extra supply at the top relieves pressure on the whole market. This is one form of trickle-down economics that works
Trump may just have put an end to peace process absurdities
Trump has transformed expectations of what can be done, even if his administration ultimately fails to deliver it
Architecture of the Belfast Agreement is dying of disinterest
There are worse fates for the agreement than fading into irrelevance, but it would be dangerous not to acknowledge this is happening
DUP’s first attempt to use the Stormont brake ends in humiliation
Compounding the unionist party’s agony, it requested the brake over a matter so apparently trivial - font sizes on labels for chemical products - that it sounds like a satirical joke
Starmer’s political image increasingly at odds with a public mood turning against liberal causes
He seems himself as less ideological than Blair, but he might benefit from adopting the New Labour master’s Machiavellian streak
Conor Murphy’s puzzling move to the Seanad crystallises sense of an unsettled Stormont
Sinn Féin says Murphy will use his new position to advance ‘Irish unity debate in the Oireachtas’, yet he has vastly more scope to do so as a Stormont Minister
Daft Brexit rules have brought havoc for the Alliance Party as well as Northern shoppers
Alliance doesn’t sit on the fence, it walks a tightrope - but it has fallen off over EU regulations
Stormont staggers on, mostly because no one can agree on an alternative
Preference for a united Ireland has risen from a quarter to a third. Support for direct rule is about 15%, while 10% want an independent Northern Ireland
Why has ramming police cars become a trend in Northern Ireland?
There were 40 ramming incidents in the 12 months up to the end of November, injuring 58 officers
Why are unionist politicians shy of challenging loyalism?
It is an absurdity that Winston Irvine missed his graduation from Maynooth with a masters in “international peacebuilding” because of a court appearance connected to the UVF bomb hoax on Simon Coveney
The real danger now is of Sinn Féin quiet quitting in Northern Ireland
Concerns that Sinn Féin’s electoral setback will destabilise Stormont miss the point. The party is at greater risk of endlessly shirking difficult decisions
For flax sake: why is the idea of a new flag for Northern Ireland so controversial?
The flax plant might be bland and its symbolism trite, but the same could be said of the Tricolour
Farmers have a point - if only they could make it more reasonably
New rules introduced by the UK government bring a quarter of farms back within inheritance tax, after three decades of being fully exempt. They’re right to be annoyed, but sympathy is waning
Politicians need to decide if Northern Ireland is desperately poor or so rich it requires no help
What passes for debate on a united Ireland is endlessly derailed by absurd claims from activists, academics and politicians. At least Fianna Fáil has now begun putting flesh on the bones of its plans
Gavin Robinson and the DUP need to reach out with style as well as substance
The DUP gives the impression of modernising at minimum speed, while being constantly tempted by conservative culture-war positions
It is dangerous to compare the slave trade and British rule in Ireland
Robert Jenrick’s suggestion that former colonies ‘owe a debt of gratitude’ to the British empire is one of the more robust responses to reparations debate
Stormont’s only ideology is to be a shadow of Britain
An almost total dearth of ideology, beyond unionism or nationalism, may be the deepest North-South political divide
Britain’s anti-obesity jab plan is the stuff of sci-fi
Drastic action is considered essential, but this is part of a wider strategy that represents a looming calamity for Stormont
Michael McMonagle scandal: Sinn Féin needs to get to grips with its troubled relationship with money
Not every organisation passes its employees around like a pilfered stapler until nobody is quite sure what is going on
How Northern Ireland’s supermarket aisles have become another Brexit battleground
Brexit and the sea border have dragged all aspects of trade with Northern Ireland into the zero-sum game of traditional politics
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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