Sunday 19 May 2013
Like many, I recognise the potential of a lower rate of corporation tax to provide a step-change in the economic transformation of Northern Ireland and share the frustrations at the continued delays by the UK Government in making a decision on devolving the related power.
When Savita Halappanavar and her husband, Praveen, walked through the doors of Galway's University Hospital they strayed into a territory where the borders are unknown and there are no written rules – a territory defined by Ireland's non-existent abortion laws.
This woman's army: dress rehearsal for Baroness Thatcher's funeral tomorrow John Stillwell/PA
Fourth months on from the most horrific mass-killing in modern US history and efforts to stiffen America's gun laws have been dramatically run down.
Theresa Villiers's suggestion that financial assistance could be withheld if 'real' progress on a 'shared future' does not begin to produce tangible results has ruffled a few political feathers.
In 1985, during the Anglo-Irish Agreement crisis that led to closer inter-governmental relationships, unionist ire was expressed in word, mobilisation and violent reaction.
May 22, 1998 was one of the most difficult days of my life. It was the date of the referendum on the Belfast Agreement and, up until I voted 'Yes' just after 4pm, I wasn't entirely sure how I would vote.
On the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, US Senator George Mitchell famously said that that was the easy bit. The hard part was going to be implementing it. And he was right.
In the mid-1980s, when Margaret Thatcher's policies were in full swing, one woman marched tirelessly in solidarity with the miners' strikes. She was staunchly working class, passionate and politically active.
The soundtrack to the signing of the Good Friday Agreement talked about record unemployment, lower pay and asked what ever happened to unity?
Was this our first real hint of the imminence of the Third World War? A sign tacked to a tree in a quiet street in the residential London suburb of Ealing? The sign said simply 'Loading' and warned residents not to park outside a house.
Celebration is normally reserved for a period following a successful agreement. So I am amused at the backslapping and cooing over the thrice-suspended and ultimately collapsed and replaced Belfast Agreement.
But, amid all the political contention and disagreement, a number of key points are clear enough. The first is that the accord has not delivered complete peace: there is a peace process, but there is not perfect peace. And certainly not tranquillity.
On that momentous day –April 10, 1998 – when the Belfast Agreement was finally signed, there was a sense of relief on the faces of the different politicians and government officials who had been part of the talks.
This House, a play that explores how the 1974-1979 Labour government survived without a majority, has been a huge hit for the National Theatre in London.
In the early evening of Holy Thursday, the SDLP was at a bilateral meeting with Tony Blair. He said he understood our concern that a lot of the specifics in Strand Two (dealing with north-south issues) had been watered down.
Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Vernon Coaker welcomed the Belfast Giants to his patch on Sunday as they took on Nottingham Panthers in the Elite League play-off final. Our team lost.
We live at a time when all institutions are called into question. And all institutions can be brought down by the flawed characters, or wrong judgments, of those directing them.
Are you a cup half full or a cup half empty person? The answer to this question might fashion your mindset as we pass the 15th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement reached in the late afternoon of April 10, 1998.
I remember the morning of April 10, 1998 very well. It was Good Friday, and most people were looking forward to the upcoming Easter holidays. For those of us in the Ulster Unionist Party, a very different path lay ahead of us that weekend.
Allowing voting for a local Dail candidate without affecting overall party strengths is among electoral changes being considered by the Constitutional Convention, it was revealed.
Two men are critical in hospital after a car crash claimed the lives of two teenage girls.
The constituency office of SDLP East Derry MLA John Dallat has been attacked.
Les Kiss has confirmed that he will be a permanent member of Joe Schmidt's Ireland coaching team upon completion of the summer tour to the United States and Canada.
Nick Kennedy described winning the Heineken Cup as the pinnacle of his career and a vindication of his decision to move to Toulon last summer.
Rory Best will lead Ireland's 28-man squad for their tour to the United States and Canada after being overlooked by the British and Irish Lions.
Anna Friel says being surrounded by naked females on the set of her new movie wasn't a "big deal".
Ke$ha is happy for people to see her "flaws".
Miley Cyrus is said to be partying through the pain of the "betrayal" she feels from Liam Hemsworth's family.
Hi °C | Lo °C