I wasn't sure whether to be amused or angry when I first learned of the government giving consideration to taxing rubbish collections as part of council tax reforms for England and Wales (and Scotland?). In principle, it would be a good incentive for peo… more »

I've been saying from I began blogging just over a year ago that I'd like to see the Conservatives perform better in Northern Ireland elections, so you'd naturally expect that I'd be happy at the prospect of UUP members defecting to the Tories. Well you… more »

This is one for the fans of loyalist paramilitaries out there. On Saturday, the Mount Vernon UVF sent an 8-man gang into Rathcoole to torture Robert McCord for information he didn't have - ie the location of his estranged cousin, Raymond. Paramilitari… more »

Yes folks, another prominent republican has been involved in an altercation with the police - and of course you know what that means. Yes, another whinge about police "heavy handedness". Now that they've accepted claims of 'brutality' were taking the pis… more »

Another twist in the shacking up of the UUP and PUP in Stormont has seen 25 year old Ulster Unionist party officer and Down councillor Peter Bowles is defecting to the Conservatives in protest over the party's new links to the UVF. As well as becoming th… more »

I'm not sure which of these amused me more - the verdict being returned that the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition are not the most oppressed people ever, or the fact that Sinn Fein's very own "No!" men are likely to appeal to Britain's highest court - t… more »

I didn't - and apparently I wasn't that far away from one of them. It can't be just a coincidence that the wastes of space who planned the bomb alerts carried out their hoaxes on a day when they knew Belfast's roads would be hectic anyway, with thousands… more »

The PSNI have confirmed that they do not intend to pursue and arrest Dessie O'Hare, AKA the Border Fox, claiming any investigation would fall under the jurisdiction of the Historical Enquiries Team, which was formed to investigate unsolved murders that t… more »

The failures of Norhtern Ireland's public transport service have been highlighted by a recent survey by the Engergy Saving Trust which found over a third of drivers would like to use their cars less but believe there is no alternative. It also found 56%… more »

That's apparently what thousands of students examinations are worth. A month ago lecturers rejected 12.6% over 2 years in pay increases and today accepted a 13.1% over 3 years deal. Thanks for that. more »