While skills shortages in areas like IT (which has its own bizarre story) make good news, Northern Ireland is experiencing another skills shortage at the minute. Apparently Newtownabbey and Belfast are suffering from a chronic shortage of tradesmen: plu… more »

Santa will boycott Northern Ireland this year leaving hundreds of thousands of children without presents and all because greedy football fans want a new stadium built in Belfast and not the Maze. There have also been warnings that the sky 'may' fall and… more »

I have heard a rumour today which I'm hoping to God is true (and I've no reason to disbelieve it). If what I've heard is true I know at least one other Northern Irish blogger who will be celebrating for apparently Deez (née Hunters) bar 600 cap… more »

The BBC will switch over their contact numbers from often expensive 0870 numbers to new 0370 numbers during this summer according to a response published in their list of "recent questions". 0370 calls cost no more than 01and [sic] 02 geographic land… more »

They're coming from all sides today. O'Neill's ever-watchful eye has picked up that Wales's GVA per head is only 77% of the UK average, (down from 79% when the Assembly was set up in 1999 and 84% back in 1991) despite receiving more than £1bn of EU ai… more »

A few successes at the US:NI investment conference yesterday, despite the worrying economic outlook in the United States. US company CyberSource have announced they will be creating 20 new jobs (rising to 60 in three years) in a new research centre to… more »

University of Ulster offers cash incentives for studying at Magee I got really pissed off with Queen's University in my last year or two, specifically with the School of Computer Science (as was), despite the university being short-listed for Sunda… more »

It wouldn't be the first time I've been accused of taking a short term or simplistic view of a situation, but I can't help but think there might be a silver lining to today's reports that the co-ownership scheme, which helps first-time buyers get on the… more »

Everyone likes some good news once in a while so here it is. On the day when the Grosvenor road junction on the Westlink opened, regional development minister Conor Murphy said the Westlink upgrade might be completed up six months ahead of schedule, whic… more »

Some time ago I gave a few examples of practical, everyday benefits of being a part of the United Kingdom as distinct from the Republic of Ireland. I've stumbled across further examples on a semi-regular basis since then, but I couldn't believe that the… more »