Hi °C | Lo °C Why I would vote No this time around
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.
Governments fail to honour obligations on crucial issues
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.
Working-class women's views on Maggie not ironclad
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.
Now is the time to grasp the nettle
The soundtrack to the signing of the Good Friday Agreement talked about record unemployment, lower pay and asked what ever happened to unity?
Belligerence of North Korea no longer a laughing matter
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.
St Andrews gave us the real deal and hope for our future
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.
Deal a lifesaver despite its flaws
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.
We've moved forward, but shared future still awaits
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.
Actor's portrayal Fitt for purpose
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.
Ambiguity undermined the Agreement from the outset
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.
Vernon's got the hex factor
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.
Family scandals drive King Carlos towards brink
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.
How unionists still haven't found what they're looking for
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.
Phone call that convinced UUP it was being bugged
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.
Having foresight to box clever with children's futures
On Saturday night, Washington hosted the Sixth Annual Belfast-Beltway Boxing Classic (BBBC), an event that's inspired youths and adults in both cities, but also one borne from one of the many heartbreaking episodes of the Troubles.
Margaret Thatcher: Her iron will for change remodelled our political and economic landscape... whether we really liked it or not
Andy McSmith, Ben Chu, Richard Garner and Jeremy Laurance take a closer look at Margaret Thatcher's strengths and weaknesses and her effects on everyday life in her 11 years in Downing Street
It's time parade disputes were marched into court
Irish Times cartoonist Martyn Turner once penned a cartoon on the 'marching season', showing a calendar with successive pages: 'January, February, March, March, March ... '
Hall of mirrors, the chamber that is a reflection of us all
The grandeur of Belfast City Hall belies the pettiness and venom of many of the debates that have echoed round its chambers.
It's time to start planning how to weather the storms
Problems caused by one of the most snowbound springs on record are still fresh in our memories; now is the time to look at a number of questions.
There are no winners in these attacks on Di Canio
Because sport is now such an important part of national life, both in itself and as a metaphor for this or that, the appointment of a controversial Italian as manager of a Premiership football club has become something of a news story.
Facebook too old, say teens
Twitter booming as social media destination
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In Pictures: North West 200
In Pictures: Balmoral Show
Nice-but-dull Kate's annoying baby bump pose
FHM's sexiest women - Kunis knocks Tulisa off her perch
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