Joe Kennedy III could surprise everybody in special envoy role Reaction across unionism is curiosity at what such a high-profile envoy might achieve for Northern Ireland, economically and politicallyThu Dec 22 2022 - 00:00
Newton Emerson: Britain has been helping to house key workers for two decades. What about Ireland?It is time to look at subsidising homes for teachers, nurses, doctorsThu Dec 15 2022 - 00:01
Newton Emerson: The awkward truth about London’s intervention on NI’s abortion issue Order to Stormont’s Department of Health most assertive override of devolution since St Andrews AgreementThu Dec 08 2022 - 05:00
Northern Ireland now ruled by a civil service that appears to be completely dysfunctionalCivil service mechanism that governed North for 33 of last 50 years is back. With all its flawsThu Dec 01 2022 - 00:05
Newton Emerson: What Varadkar didn’t say about the North in his ardfheis speech was revealing Taoiseach-in-waiting did not mention Irish unity, Brexit or the protocolThu Nov 24 2022 - 05:00
Rise in DUP support over protocol is where bad news begins for DonaldsonDoubts are growing over whether Jeffrey Donaldson will support a EU-UK deal that is likely to fall far short of unionist expectationsThu Nov 17 2022 - 05:00
Newton Emerson: Why doesn’t Sinn Féin want Stormont reform?Alliance’s proposal for opt-out coalition, where largest parties guaranteed place, gets around obstaclesThu Nov 10 2022 - 05:00
NI parties unnerved by realisation Heaton-Harris is not in command of his briefIt is painfully apparent he was left in post for party management reasons as former chair of ERG of BrexiteersThu Nov 03 2022 - 05:00
Newton Emerson: The wrong threat is being used against the DUP over its Stormont boycottThe rise of the unaligned centre in Northern Ireland politics has made reform of Belfast Agreement structures imperativeThu Oct 27 2022 - 05:00
Newton Emerson: Fianna Fáil eyeing republican synthesis with Sinn Féin that could see southern peace processCross-Border differences has allowed Sinn Féin to ride the wave of ‘cultural republicanism’ to popularity in SouthThu Oct 20 2022 - 05:10
If Britain pushes Troubles amnesty Bill through, quiet relief may be most common reactionSupport for Troubles amnesty is more widespread than it appearsThu Oct 13 2022 - 05:00
Newton Emerson: United Ireland is still in the realm of fantasy as serious questions are avoidedEmerging three-communities model of unionist, nationalist and other introduces one more complexityThu Oct 06 2022 - 05:00
Liz Truss implosion throws DUP plans into disarray The DUP’s calculations on returning to Stormont have been thrown into disarray by Liz Truss's early implosionThu Sept 29 2022 - 05:05
Newton Emerson: Truss brings down curtain on UK-US trade deal pantomimeAdmission gives UK prime minster scope in the short-term to adopt a tougher stance on changes to NI protocolThu Sept 22 2022 - 05:00
Newton Emerson: King Charles sends Jeffrey Donaldson a blunt messageHumiliation of DUP leader sends a signal that the new monarch has no difficulty with Sinn Féin as the North’s largest partyThu Sept 15 2022 - 05:00
Newton Emerson: People will not be left to freeze for the sake of DUP prideParty won’t want to be blamed for delaying introduction of €5.7bn support package which will require a fully-functioning executive to sign off on key decisionsThu Sept 08 2022 - 05:00
Newton Emerson: Many reasons to hope Belfast’s new campus will be its salvationBut being the North, plans became chaotic free-for-all, with city’s usual mix of official ineptitude and pathetic gratitude for anyone building anythingThu Sept 01 2022 - 05:00
Newton Emerson: Crude ‘cash for everyone’ schemes are another symbol of Stormont dysfunctionDeveloping a braver policy is not just a question of getting through this winter or of restoring devolutionThu Aug 25 2022 - 05:00
Showdown with Truss beckons if the DUP does not start inching towards officeForeign secretary expected a rapid restoration of executive and assembly as Bill to disapply NI protocol passed through Commons stagesThu Aug 18 2022 - 05:00
Tension and troublemaking inevitable between North and Republic in face of energy shortagesEven if the UK sticks to its pledge to supply the Irish gas market on the same basis as Britian, it will not be uncontentiousThu Aug 11 2022 - 05:00
The UK can save the union through one change in policyElectoral reform at Westminster is best way to save the union and switching to PR would make it far harder for the Tories to keep securing outright majoritiesThu Aug 04 2022 - 05:00
Newton Emerson: Bertie Ahern understands unionists better than mostBarely rehabilitated political figure in South has respect and ear of unionistsThu Jul 28 2022 - 05:00
Irish Government is obsessed with Brexit Britain despite the risks this bringsAntipathy towards Britain is colouring official policy in ways that might have negative long-term outcomesThu Jul 21 2022 - 05:00
Newton Emerson: Tory leadership contest may blow open argument on funding for Northern IrelandIncreasingly, unionists want to highlight the financial delusions of nationalists, even at their own expenseThu Jul 14 2022 - 00:00
No point in EU negotiations with lame duck JohnsonAll Brussels will see in the Autumn is an untested prime minister, an election in the offing and an unholy mess. It will wait and seeThu Jul 07 2022 - 01:00
Does the intellectual collapse of the exhausted SNP hint at Sinn Féin’s future?Northern Ireland unionists might hope so but it’s a distant hope at a time when the unionist cause itself is drained of enthusiasmThu Jun 30 2022 - 05:00
Newton Emerson: Brussels remains intoxicated by EU nationalism Brexit helped to crystalliseBrexit tapped into a deep well of dislike for Britain and means the future relationship between EU and UK will be based on rivalryThu Jun 23 2022 - 05:00
Newton Emerson: DUP has a way out and it should take itWhat the DUP is really being asked to jump into is a year of stalling by the House of Lords, during which UK-EU talks should produce a new agreement.Thu Jun 16 2022 - 05:00
Newton Emerson: Donaldson finds himself hoist on DUP petardHis membership’s support for changing or removing the protocol means he will find it far harder than planned to march unionism back down the hillThu Jun 09 2022 - 05:00
Dismissing DUP concerns as a political ruse is counterproductiveParty is desperate to revive Stormont and has a consistent and realistic protocol landing zoneThu Jun 02 2022 - 05:00
Everyone opposes the Troubles legacy Bill but the Conservatives may get away with itUK government's proposed legislation shows the difficulty of dealing with the legacy of violenceThu May 26 2022 - 05:00
Newton Emerson: Tetchy Tánaiste stirs the Stormont potJoint authority between two governments barely speaking is an absurdityThu May 19 2022 - 01:00
Newton Emerson: Alliance Party’s rise requires reform of Stormont powersharingThe challenge is not devising reforms but getting the two largest parties to agree to themThu May 12 2022 - 01:00
Newton Emerson: DUP’s next mistake is to take patience of the North for grantedHow long can the second largest party at Stormont put devolution on hold for what everyone knows is a face-saving exercise?Mon May 09 2022 - 00:41
Newton Emerson: Northern Ireland needs one person, one voteLegal challenge to Stormont’s ‘designation’ system could help debate on reformThu May 05 2022 - 01:00
Newton Emerson: Things look bad for the DUP – but not too badLack of options and deep dislike of Sinn Féin will probably keep party togetherThu Apr 28 2022 - 01:00
Newton Emerson: While Johnson chips away at rules, Labour chips away at himOver-reacting to PM’s unsuitability for office plays into his unapologetic handsThu Apr 21 2022 - 01:00
Newton Emerson: SF defence of DUP’s Stormont veto smacks of self-serving cynicismSinn Féin not only upholding DUP’s veto but pushing it to the fore in its own campaignThu Apr 14 2022 - 01:00
Newton Emerson: Sinn Féin is playing the long game amid election that is its to loseThe party will opt to ‘make Northern Ireland work’ . . . for nowThu Apr 07 2022 - 01:00
Newton Emerson: Loyalist attack on Coveney requires a serious responseGovernment’s policy means response could include carrot as well as stickThu Mar 31 2022 - 01:00
Newton Emerson: North should return to idea of paying for itselfWhen reform of Belfast bureaucracy fails, cutting it down is natural choiceThu Mar 24 2022 - 01:00
Newton Emerson: NI Protocol hasn’t gone away you knowUpcoming changes to EU legislation will have to incorporated into Northern Ireland lawThu Mar 17 2022 - 01:00
Northern Ireland’s future will be decided by rising tide of Alliance votersNewton Emerson: Party’s vision is the way Belfast Agreement was meant to evolveThu Mar 10 2022 - 01:00
Newton Emerson: Unionist variety beats unionist unityBest way for unionism to have a debate with itself is to have meaningful choiceThu Mar 03 2022 - 01:00
Newton Emerson: Ground is shifting on integrated education in the NorthIs it mere coincidence that President Higgins called for an end to this ‘shameful’ segregation?Thu Feb 24 2022 - 01:00
Newton Emerson: Stormont lurches into new mode of operation‘Caretaker devolution’ could last longer and have more profound effect than expectedThu Feb 17 2022 - 01:00
Newton Emerson: No, the UK will not pay a united Ireland’s pensionsPinning the Bill and the blame on the Brits stirs grievance in the NorthThu Feb 10 2022 - 01:00
Newton Emerson: Sinn Féin housing moves in the North contrast with strategy in RepublicSF and PBP have no problem turning Belfast into build-to-rent mini-ManhattanThu Feb 03 2022 - 01:00
Newton Emerson: When will the DUP level with the public?Party's convoluted positioning is about hiding from its mistakes, not appealing to its votersThu Jan 27 2022 - 01:00
Newton Emerson: Welcome to the North – the gateway to IrelandSea border inspection figures cast protocol in a gentler orange lightThu Jan 20 2022 - 01:00
