Ah this ever-so-democratic Labour government, which has gone to war in the interests (in part at least) of "spreading democracy" to the middle-east. While I've never been particularly pro-war or anti-war, I do find the way the government have been acting… more »

I've already discussed the rip-off charges imposed on Northern Irish customers trying to order PC components over the internet, but today seems an opportune momoent to highlight an even more reprehensible Northern Ireland consumer extortion - Phoenix Gas… 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 »

It seems to have gone by largely unnoticed (at least to this blogger) but it certainly appears that the DUP, brave custodians of the union, are more interested in blackmailing the average pro-union voter into voting DUP than they are in safeguarding Nort… 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 »

Seems like the BBC sports department were having a rather empty day and needed a page filler. Not sure why Dermot Ahern had nothing better to do in Foreign Affairs in Dublin. Needless to say they just don't get it. Having recognised Northern Ireland's… more »

The following post was sent in all the way from Budapest by Paul, the Northern Irish Magyar. I have a confession to make: I believe in the "secular society." Secularism has become a bit of a dirty word recently in certain circles, so what exactly… more »

The bullshit 50-50 recruitment discrimination legislation is making it more difficult for migrant workers to get jobs in the PSNI, which can't possibly help the service when it's trying to deal with members of the ever-growing ethnic minority group in No… more »

I came across a report on Protestant Alienation in Northern Ireland yesterday and, although it was originally published 12 years ago, much of it still resonates today. One factor in particular identified as a source of alienation is entitled "The High… more »

Could a healthy dose of violence be good for Belfast? It's obvious really. Too much time and energy in this country is wasted on politics, on sectarianism and on mindless thuggery and petty crime. The solution? I think Belfast needs a healthy dose… more »