I've been watching a couple of threads over at the Young Unionists blog with interest recently, following David Ervine's decision to join the UUP grouping in Stormont, allowing the Ulster Unionists to claim an extra seat in any potential executive. I… more »

That's what Gerry Adams thinks of discussing "education reform, water charges, health and rates increases" when the assembly reconvenes on Monday. He has said that his party, Sinn Fein, will not take part in any discussion on these matters, and has criti… more »

It's one thing to suggest that the 11+ needs to be replaced, but it's quite another to say that, despite evidence to the contrary, getting shot of academic selection completely will lead to anything other than a second-rate, comprehensive, education syst… more »

Reports claim Ulster companies are dumping tonnes of Republic's waste here No, I'm not talking about god-awful boybands. Is this what they mean when they talk about cross-border co-operation? Lisburn Council has written to the DoE demanding an investiga… more »

Conservative MP David Liddington has called on the government to put a freeze on controversial reforms in the areas of education and local government until it becomes clear whether or not power sharing will be restored by the November 24th deadline impos… more »

I saw this a couple of days ago and have been meaning to post on the fact that the Assembly has already cost the tax payer £100m in the time since its been suspended (which I touched on in January), but now it's expected to cost up to a further &po… more »

Newtownabbey Borough - AKA The Den of Inequity I've seen so much ballocks eminating from Sinn Fein lately I don't have time to go through it all but I thought this was funny. On the same day Sinn Fein lambasted the DUP for wasting time lobbying for s… more »

Determined to leave their mark on the landscape of Northern Ireland before the reorganisation of local government which will almost certainly see them swallowed up into a super-council, councillors in Londonderry are to go to the High Court to get a ruli… more »

A convicted IRA bomber could be Belfast's next Lord Mayor According to yesterday's Sunday Life, it's believed that Sinn Fein are to seek to make convicted IRA bomber and current Old Park councillor Caral ni Chuilin the next Lord Mayor of Belfast. The… more »

Saint Patrick drives a snake up Belfast's Donegall Square Regular readers may recall I was optimistic when I heard, way back when, that Belfast city council would help fund this year's St Patrick's day parade in an effort to reduce the traditional sec… more »