Tag Archives: Northern Ireland

Obama hits the right notes in Northern Ireland

By Ed Jacobs | Published: June 18, 2013

It may have been his first visit to Belfast since he entered the White House, but Barack Obama’s speech yesterday to an assembled audience at the Waterfront Hall hit all the right notes.

Posted in A Britain We All Call Home | Also tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Ireland ‘stealing’ UK taxes, says Northern Ireland finance minister

By Ed Jacobs | Published: June 17, 2013

As G8 leaders prepare to meet in County Fermanagh with the issue of tax evasion high on the agenda, Northern Ireland’s finance minister Sammy Wilson has accused the Irish government of ‘stealing’ tax revenue from the United Kingdom.

Posted in Good Society | Also tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Stormont calls for end to back door privatisation of health services

By Ed Jacobs | Published: May 30, 2013

Amidst revelations in the Daily Mirror that over 100 services across the NHS are being run by Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin group, members of the Northern Ireland Assembly have called on Ministers at Stormont to bring forward legislation to prevent the privatisation of health services by stealth.

Posted in Public Services for All | Also tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Northern Ireland needs a plan for jobs and growth – not dithering from government about whether to devolve corporation tax

By James Bloodworth | Published: April 23, 2013

This month marked the 15th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. It is one of the proudest achievements of the last Labour government. And we stand ready today to help secure its legacy and help build peace, progress and prosperity in every community in Northern Ireland.

Posted in A Britain We All Call Home | Also tagged , | 1 Response

Thatcher’s legacy in Northern Ireland

By Ed Jacobs | Published: April 9, 2013

For Margaret Thatcher, Northern Ireland wasn’t just a political minefield but a personal tragedy.

Just months before she took office in 1979, her close friend and ally, the shadow Northern Ireland secretary Airey Neave, who led her campaign for the Conservative Party Leadership, was killed when a bomb, planted by republican terrorists, went off from under his car as he drove out of the Palace of Westminster.

Posted in A Britain We All Call Home | Also tagged , , | 3 Responses

A bleak budget for the nations

By Ed Jacobs | Published: March 21, 2013

George Osborne’s 2013 budget has received a tepid response in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Posted in Sustainable Economy | Also tagged , , , | 2 Responses

Unionist unity raises its head again

By Ed Jacobs | Published: March 13, 2013

Internal unionist navel gazing following last weeks’ Mid Ulster by election has been exacerbated by allegations that the DUP and UUP last year held serious negotiations over a possible full merger.

Posted in Left Foot Forward | Also tagged , | 2 Responses

Sinn Fein to oppose vote to restrict abortions

By Ed Jacobs | Published: March 12, 2013

Sinn Fein have pledged to oppose a vote at Stormont that seeks to restrict access to abortions. The amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill, tabled by the DUP and SDLP, would make illegal abortions that are carried out outside of NHS institutions.

Posted in Good Society | Also tagged , | Leave a comment

Unionists losing confidence in police, claims DUP leader

By Ed Jacobs | Published: March 5, 2013

Amidst a highly charged by-election campaign in Mid Ulster, the first minister has warned that Unionists in Northern Ireland are losing confidence in the police force.

Posted in Public Services for All | Also tagged , , | 1 Response

Northern Ireland: Are the unionists running scared in Mid-Ulster?

By Ed Jacobs | Published: March 1, 2013

As the political circus continues to analyse to death the results of the Eastleigh by-election, in Northern Ireland the unionist unity candidate for next week’s Mid-Ulster by-election is being accused of running scared.

Posted in A Britain We All Call Home | Also tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment