As I said previously, I will (unlike some journalists) try and reserve judgement on The Wind That Shakes The Barley until I get a chance to see it, however it seems that my initial initial doubts over the director's mental state (apparently he's on the… more »

The organisers of the inclusive West Belfast Festival and Sinn Fein have both criticised a government decision to award funding to the tune of £104,000 to the Orange Order over three years. Despite the fact that they were awarded by different b… more »

Senior figures in Sinn Fein are contemplating withdrawing the party from the assembly in September, some time before the 24th November deadline set by the governments. It's unclear at the moment whether this is a serious threat or just a publicity stunt… more »

MPs from the DUP and UUP have joined with the SDLP and Sinn Fein in urging the Minister for Social Development, David Hanson, not to repeal Northern Ireland's antiquated licensing laws by bringing the licensing procedures inline with those in England and… more »

It's stories like this one that make me wonder who would object to having CCTV cameras in their local area. Anything that drives the message home to thugs like the three lads in this story who will be taking an extended holiday at Her Majesty's pleasure.… more »

When Monsignor Denis Faul died last week I have to confess as to now knowing who he was or why he was important. In fact it wasn't until Mick Fealty pointed out this piece in the Times and I then googled a bit until I came across his obituary in the Guar… more »

Following the unscheduled outbreak of law and order mentioned at EU the other day, I'm pleased to see a fourth man has been charged following the arrests made in Armagh and Fermanagh. Paul McCaugherty, 39, from Lurgan, has been remanded in custody on… more »

As I've been trying to keep a (relatively) open mind on the link between the UUP and PUP in the non-assembly up to now, I found this piece from Alex Kane in the Belfast Telegraph quite interesting (hat-tip to Pete Baker). Kane is one of many members obvi… more »

Over the last couple of days we've seen the seizure of cocaine at Aldergrove with estimated value between £1-3 million, 8 men arrested (although 4 already released without charge) suspected of being involved with active republican groups, promises… more »

Andrew McCann has noted the publication of the 2005 Northern Ireland Life & Times survey this week and, much like last year, the results aren't great for those who want to leave the United Kingdom. This year's survey had a sample size of 1,200. I'… more »