Sinn Féin and the DUP are happier arguing over a parade than agreeing a budget
The normalisation of ultra-short-termism has entrenched financial irresponsibility
Drumcree standoff puts a significant achievement of the peace process at risk
Political leadership on all sides means supporting talks that are open to the possibility of a walk
As controversy grows over Leaving Cert reform, Northern Ireland is going the other way
It should be possible to learn fascinating lessons by comparing outcomes either side of the Border
Sinn Féin’s immigration policy will need to be tougher than everyone else’s to stand out
Nationalists may be more liberal by conviction but they have less immediate experience of immigration, which tends to be concentrated in unionist areas
What now for the Israel flags flying across the North?
Some of the complaints heard from Israel this week have been of British colonial arrogance. This tired cliche misses the point
Sinn Féin should forget its absurd timescale for a Border poll and focus on the now
Dissident republicans have seized on Burnham’s statement as proof Sinn Féin has been naive
Progress that appears solid can be all too easily undone
If parading regulation unravels, Drumcree would not be the only reawakened flashpoint
A strict approach to citizenship would be a policy of inclusion
Citizenship is mocked by near-identical forms of non-citizenship for non-citizens
Government must stop enabling Sinn Féin’s threats to Stormont
Annoying the party when it threatens devolution would be a far more helpful contribution
Why unionists went to the Belfast Fleadh and liked it
Some on social media ask why the July 12th celebrations cannot generate atmosphere more like the Fleadh
Striking lawyers don’t tend to evoke much public sympathy
Reform should not be treated as the alternative to controlling costs. We should have both
Andy Burnham likes to be liked. There could hardly be a worse qualification for the job
Is the new Labour Party government just as doomed as Keir Starmer’s?
Common Travel Area can’t become an excuse for hard borders on land or sea
Mainstream parties of government should be able to sell the CTA as a way to regulate immigration while minimising internal borders
DUP may be destroyed by Jeffrey Donaldson scandal
Unhappy voters stay at home, so unionism could cease to be Stormont’s largest designation next May
One takeaway from the Jeffrey Donaldson scandal is the value of a scurrilous press
Some of the people now demanding to know why the press did not expose Donaldson earlier can be the sniffiest about the tabloid tactics that would have entailed