Fact! Leo Varadkar invented the border backstop after and not before or during the U.K. vote on the E.U. referendum. If not removed by the E.U. it will be seen as a deliberate provocative ploy to disrespect the British. It can only be a short time before a backlash of retaliation reverberates across the…

    Given the range of preferences within the electorate and the House of Commons, the numerical weakness of the government and the priorities in Brussels, agreeing a deal between the EU and the UK following the outcome of the referendum was always going to be difficult. The situation did not need the constitutional clutter…

    On this Stormont map we have lost the place of working politics. Yes Parliament Buildings still stands at the top of the Stormont hill – but in name only; and, in a week, when Martin McGuinness and David Ervine were remembered, there is no sense that the brokenness can be mended; certainly not…

  Thank goodness for the Christmas break. On top of the usual benefits and distractions away from the daily treadmill, some amongst us were lucky enough to enjoy almost a fortnight without mention of the B-word, but this week it is back with a vengeance, so I’m getting my dig in early. Even whilst trying…

    The premise for this piece arises from the question. Brexit or the Belfast Agreement which is preferential as if one is allowed but not the other. Both when implemented beneficially was my positive response. Success comes from investing in the opportunities which are fundamental to the Belfast Agreement and obviously implicit within Brexit.…

    In April 2018 we celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. This, despite our ongoing challenges, gave us all time to stop and reflect on what has been achieved, how over the past two decades the entire island of Ireland has been transformed as a result of the Irish peace process,…

  In this place we’ve heard it all before – the familiar word plays that follow the negotiation. Clarification, explanation, interpretation, side letters, best endeavours and target dates. The process here has stretched and exhausted the dictionary when it comes to all of this. So, what are we watching? The bolloxology phase of Brexit –…

  Left with no other viable choice the best choice is ‘no deal’ after two and a half years of the Prime Minister’s indefensible prevarication proving her to be a lamentable negotiator. The Nation and Parliament must bite the bullet and get out now of the E.U. quagmire. Three historical humiliating defeats in the Commons…

  Stop the sharp practice of pundits and propagandists who show no shame in pedalling alarmist boot licking over Brexit’s impact on the local economy. Unlike the Irish economy our economy is not overheating and causing serious concerns in the E.U. banking fraternity . All trade and business in Northern Ireland is crucially precious to…

  We witnessed a different Peter Robinson on Thursday at the Methodist Centre at Knock in Belfast – the weight of political office lifted from his shoulders. Robinson – the former First Minister and DUP leader – was the latest guest speaker in a series of talks – ‘The World Around Us’. The question posed…

    It’s a picture that speaks a thousand words. Those barriers on the Stormont steps a striking image in a place where obstacles, obstructions, blocks and impediments stand stubbornly in the path of progress. With the focus on Brexit, Stormont has been relegated to something of a political afterthought. There is no suggestion of…

    Many people reading will know of my distant past – that of the boy who grew up on the West Belfast interface during our recent conflict or that of the young soldier who served the notions of Nationhood for the UK in various theatres of operations. Few know me as a business man…

  The draft agreement for the withdrawal of the UK from the European Union that was published last week sparked a maelstrom in London that has kept most people enthralled, if not with the contents of this long and hugely legalistic technical document, then at least with the political fallout that has subsequently  arisen. The…

  My knowledge of nationalist involvement in World War One was never as extensive as that of soldiers mainly from the unionist community who served in the 36th Ulster Division. After discovering in my late mother’s family home, war medals and a card bordered in black with a black ribbon and containing a photograph of…

  As one who actively campaigned for the Belfast Agreement and supported the experimental concept of power sharing and parried some punches to boot, it is with genuine sadness that their demise is being written into our history. Such is the reality. After 10 laboured unproductive years unionists have learnt the salutary lesson that Sinn…