Deirdre Heenan: DUP is digging itself deeper with challenge to protocol
A disingenuous and ill-advised legal wrangle will only highlight the fact that Northern Ireland is a place apart
Deirdre Heenan: DUP’s protocol-bashing is a sign of desperation
If the beleaguered party thinks Boris Johnson is going to ride to its rescue, it is mistaken
Deirdre Heenan: Has the British establishment already jettisoned the North?
Unusually frank statements by the former chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne reveal how many senior British public figures see the North as irrelevant and reunification as inevitable
DUP determined to double down on calamitous Brexit blunder
Rather than admit it made a monumental mistake which will cost the North dearly, the party shamelessly denies any culpability for the mess
Deirdre Heenan: Unionism’s reaction to Finucane decision speaks volumes
The continued smearing of murdered solicitor Pat Finucane’s reputation suggests that unionist politicians feel Britain can engage in terrorism without any erosion of moral authority
Empty words from North and South as pandemic pursues its own devastating all-island strategy
The coronavirus crisis should prompt us to deal with the chronic lack of cooperation between health services on this island. Instead, it has sparked a few Zoom calls
Failure to fill civil service’s top job highlights North’s political paralysis
Comment: With the North’s civil service in disarray and in need of reform, no one has been appointed to take the job in hand. But maybe the DUP and Sinn Féin like it that way
Foster would do well to listen to the internal rumblings among DUP stalwarts
Arlene Foster survived the ‘cash for ash’ scandal, but she is facing challenges from within the DUP, partly because of perceived arrogance and her unwillingness to listen to senior party members’ advice
Where is the next great visionary?
There is still work to be done, and we need a leader like Hume for the next phase of this island’s future
Covid-19 may force universities to revise their role and business model
Irish and British universities have discovered the fragility of their reliance on the huge fees paid by a seemingly limitless pool of international students, and will also have to ask themselves whether they are educational institutions focused on the public good, or primarily businesses focused on revenue raising
Deirdre Heenan: The ugly truth of ageism has been laid bare by Covid-19
The idea that the deaths of elderly people are to be expected is one of the most pernicious beliefs to have taken hold during this nightmare
Deirdre Heenan: Crisis lays bare Stormont’s abject failure of leadership
Instead of united action to deal with the pandemic, the dysfunctional executive has descended into playing green and orange politics
Call for return of 50:50 PSNI selection ignores the bigger picture
While it’s crucial that the PSNI reflects the communities it serves, the proposal to reinstate 50:50 Catholic and Protestant recruitment is a knee-jerk reaction
Unionists can no longer ignore calls for a border poll
Refusing to discuss Irish unity no longer makes any sense for the DUP –talking about a united Ireland is not the same as supporting it
Power-sharing needs to be fully recharged
Any proposals from the DUP or Sinn Féin for the re-establishment of Stormont must be accompanied by plans for reform that will learn from past mistakes
North’s prolonged political deadlock is costing lives
Spiralling waiting lists and a failure to tackle high rates of mental illness are glaring symptoms of the breakdown at Stormont
The DUP were sold out by Johnson, but they should have seen it coming
The Democratic Unionist Party got a taste of power, but they overplayed their hand and were outmanoeuvred by Brexiteers whose commitment to the union ultimately came second to their desire to get Brexit done
SDLP must find its backbone to win back Hume’s home patch
The SDLP was floored by the loss of its then leader Mark Durkan’s seat in the 2017 general election wipeout. Two years later, it has yet to get back on its feet
O’Dowd leadership challenge is a watershed for Sinn Féin
In a party whose leaders are anointed, rather than contested, the challenge to O’Neill may signal a move towards more democratic principles