Government research on the mainland is indicating that providing public services in foreign languages for non-English speakers is not only costing upwards of £100m a year (including £55m in the NHS), but isolating communities from each other.… more »

An admittedly rather simplistic (and/or misleading, depending on your viewpoint) University of Ulster study that denounced Northern Ireland as the "bigotry capital of the world" (reported at Slugger on Friday) and reminded me of some of the other rather… more »

This year's mid-winter travels took me to relatively new EU member state, Hungary. My posting has been so erratic this year that most people probably wouldn't have noticed but, following on from a trend begun last year for visiting cold places in the… more »

I realise posts have been few and far between here recently. That's partly because I haven't read anything that interested me lately, except for a book on the story of eBay (The Perfect Store: Inside EBay), but mostly because I've been back at uni and fa… more »

Now that Northern Ireland's football team have just finished playing a couple of international matches, it seems it's time for the obligatory whinge to the local press about the perceived need for an all-Ireland football team. As ever, this argument will… more »

Thanks to Belfast Gonzo for pointing out the bigoted decision of the IRFU not to play the national anthem or fly the Union Flag when they face Italy in Belfast next year. Instead, Ireland will be represented by the IRFU flag and the 'neutral' song Irelan… more »

Flights into and out of Belfast and Londonderry have been among those hit by delays and cancellations today due to a major security alert at Heathrow. In particular, flights to and from the London airports have been affected, and passengers are being mad… more »

In a stunning rejection of basic democratic principles, NIO Minister David Hanson persuaded the House of Commons to reject amendments to the Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill designed to make politics in Ulster more accountable (hat tip Pe… more »

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 »

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 »