A Failed Border Poll Is Worse Than Futile
British prime minister Andy Burnham caused a flap when he said holding a poll on Irish unity was “off the table”. To some, his words seemed categorical, dismissive and at variance with the Belfast Agreement, which provides for a poll on Irish unity to ascertain the wishes of a majority of the people of Northern Ireland. It obliges the […]
Making predictions about the world a year from now is a risky game, so here are mine
One of the less endearing characteristics of professional political commentators is their caution against being proven wrong in the future. The result, frequently, is bet-hedging, vagueness in editorial style, a blend of the lofty, vacuous and the ambiguous. As a counterpoint, I pose the question as to where we will be in one year’s time. […]
Loyalists who burn people out of their homes are firebombing their own political futures
Reflecting on the odious communal violence in Northern Ireland over the last fortnight, the first thing that comes to mind is that burning innocent people out of their homes is not new. Nor is the sight of a family’s possessions being destroyed in a sea of flames as they are bundled into the back of police vans […]
Britain’s asylum shake-up poses big problems for Ireland
The British home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, is Labour MP for Birmingham Ladywood of 15 years, a barrister, a former secretary of state for justice and former lord chancellor. Her family background is Kashmiri Muslim, and her parents were migrants to the UK. She is regarded as being on the more conservative wing of the current Labour Party. She is […]