Is nationalism giving up on Stormont?

28 Aug

Newton Emerson, Irish News, August 28th, 2025

SINN Féin is wrestling with entwined conundrums over its environmental policy.

It wants to clean up Lough Neagh but not blame farmers, industry or households for pollution.

It wants to build the A5 but not repeal the climate change targets it voted for, letting farmers take the blame for holding up the road instead.

It supports alternative energy and the all-Ireland electricity market, yet opposes building any of the infrastructure required, especially cross-border power lines.

It opposes mining, while issuing licences for prospecting.

Fortunately, the party’s Commission on the Future of Ireland has found a way to square all these circles. “One island. One environment,” it declared in a social media post last weekend.

“The constitutional future should not be debated in isolation from the environmental issues affecting our future. Irish reunification presents opportunities for the environment.”

In other words, we shall have our reward in paradise.

Posting this as Lough Neagh dies was particularly tone deaf, indicating in its own small way how nationalism seems to be psychologically checking out of Northern Ireland politics.

Debate on the health service is another straw in this wind. An all-Ireland health system is increasingly spoken of instead of reforming the northern system, even as an interim measure.

This may partly explain why Sinn Féin has resumed predicting a border poll by the end of the decade, having downplayed the claim in recent years. Paradise cannot be postponed for too long or there may be trouble in purgatory.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with promising ‘constitutional futures’ – unionism offers one of its own – but when this becomes an alternative to solutions in the present, an explanation is required.

Is nationalism giving up on Stormont? If so, is this a conscious or an unconscious decoupling?

Is it driven by frustration with power-sharing? That would be understandable and could be addressed.

“Using unionism and a united Ireland as excuses to do nothing manages to insult us all

Is it more a case of nationalism’s patience running out as it feels its ultimate goal is in sight? Or is this cynicism from Sinn Féin, using a united Ireland to distract from the difficult choices and raised expectations it faces as Stormont’s largest party?

The Scottish Precedent

While Scotland is only a rough parallel with our politics, it shows that constitutional futuring has its limits without practical delivery in the here and now.

The SNP promised good governance on the road to independence, then let health and education decline. It got away with this for 17 years, until its drubbing in last year’s general election.

That is a long time and Sinn Féin might benefit from even longer voter loyalty, but Northern Ireland should last longer still.

Support for independence in Scotland remains as high as ever, which perversely shows how much damage one apparently all-conquering party can do to a national movement. Scottish nationalists did not have to lose their convictions to lose hope. The SNP discredited itself and its cause by underperforming in the routine business of office, then using the union as an excuse.

Unionists who hope some version of this might play out in Northern Ireland should ask how long they are prepared to wait while government grinds to a halt and how certain they are the union would survive it.

It is in the interests of nationalists and unionists alike to question promises of unity to ensure they are not being used as an excuse. This does not have to be dismissive or disrespectful – on the contrary, it is taking those promises seriously.

What could be done in a united Ireland than cannot be done today? How much of it could be done with more cross-border cooperation?

If delivery today is obstructed by the vetoes and complexities of power-sharing, could they be reformed?

These should be detailed questions. On health, for example, it is too vague say an all-Ireland service would be more efficient.

Achieving that efficiency means patients travelling further to fewer hospitals – the same question about health reform Stormont has been ducking forever. Talking about a united Ireland should not be another way of avoiding it.

On the environment, if the DUP is the problem in tackling farmers, Sinn Féin should say so – not to cause a crisis in the executive, but to clarify everyone’s positions.

Otherwise, Sinn Féin should admit it shares the DUP’s view, or be compelled to admit it.

Using unionism and a united Ireland as excuses to do nothing manages to insult us all.

Fresh search for IRA Disappeared victim Columba McVeigh at bog

Gráinne Ní Aodha, Belfast Telegraph, Belfast Telegraph, August 29th, 2025

A new dig is taking place at Bragan Bog in Co Monaghan to search for the remains of Tyrone teenager Columba McVeigh.

The 19-year-old from Donaghmore was abducted by the Provisional IRA, killed and secretly buried in 1975.

He is one of the “Disappeared” victims of the Troubles whose bodies have still to be found.

The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains (ICLVR) has previously conducted six unsuccessful searches at Bragan Bog since 1999, covering more than 26 acres.

After the last search ended without a breakthrough in November 2023, a review was carried out by the ICLVR into parts of the bog that had and had not been searched.

They identified “a small piece of ground” that had not been searched previously, lead ICLVR investigator Eamonn Henry said.

“It's a continuation of previous investigation, we decided to review the whole thing,” he told the PA news agency.

“After the ground was last searched in 2023, we looked at the grid plans.”

He said the new dig began on August 18 and it will be five weeks in total before the identified area is searched.

He added the operation was due to take place six month ago but there was an “ecological issue” as protected hen harriers were nesting in the area.

“We worked with the National Parks and Wildlife Service in relation to the optimum time to come in, and because the nearest nest failed, we were able to come in,” he said.

The ICLVR was set up by the UK and Irish governments during the peace process to investigate the whereabouts of some 17 people murdered and secretly buried by republican paramilitaries during the Troubles.

While 13 have been formally found, Mr McVeigh, former monk Joe Lynskey, Army Captain Robert Nairac and Seamus Maguire, who was in his mid-20s and from near Lurgan, Co Armagh, remain missing.

‘Optimistically hopeful’

Columba's brother Oliver McVeigh said he was “optimistically hopeful” at the latest dig as he appealed for those with information to come forward.

“I've been on this road six times before, so we have to have caution as well,” he told PA.

“Every time they're digging and searching for him in that particular area is an opportunity to find him.

“It's finding the right place and people that are involved, people who know are still free to come forward and give whatever tuppence worth they need to give to possibly locate him.”

He added: “I don't have any doubt that they (the ICLVR) want to find him but there's some people there that aren't coming forward that could come forward.

“It's not easy work in the bog, there's a lot of work to do before they actually start physically digging because it can be damp and they have to move stuff about.

“It is coming up to 50 years, but they have found so many people before so it shows it can be done.”

Co Down hairdresser Lisa Dorrian, who vanished in the post-Troubles era from a caravan park in Ballyhalbert, Co Down, in 2005, is now considered one of the remaining five Disappeared victims whose bodies are yet to be found.

Republican paramilitaries were not suspected in her case.

Service marks anniversary of massacre of 18 soldiers at Narrow Water in 1979

Adrian Rutherford, Belfast Telegraph, August 28th, 2025

A memorial service has taken place to remember the massacre of 18 soldiers in an IRA bombing 46 years ago.

The event commemorated the attack at Narrow Water, Co Down, which resulted in the highest death toll suffered by the Army on a single day in Northern Ireland.

Two bombs exploded just outside Warrenpoint on August 27, 1979.

The first was planted under hay on a lorry at the side of the road. Six soldiers who were travelling past in a four-tonne lorry were killed.

As the injured were airlifted from the scene, a second device detonated, killing 12 more soldiers.

The dead included Lieutenant Colonel David Blair, commanding officer of the Queen's own regiment and the highest-ranking officer to be killed during the Troubles.

There was a 19th victim: William Michael Hudson (29), a civilian visiting the Republic of Ireland from London, was hit by a bullet fired by soldiers across the Newry River to where he was standing with his cousin Barry Hudson, who was injured.

The explosions happened just hours after the Queen's cousin Lord Mountbatten was killed in an IRA bomb attack on his boat in Co Sligo.

Three others also died after the explosion off the coast of Mullaghmore.

At yesterday's service, Gavin Robinson laid a wreath on behalf of the DUP.

Local MLAs William Irwin and Diane Forsythe were also present.

TUV MLA Timothy Gaston, who also attended, said: “I was privileged today to stand with a TUV delegation at the roadside memorial at Narrow Water, 46 years to the very day when 18 young soldiers were brutally murdered by the IRA.

“Twelve of them died in a second explosion, cynically designed to kill those who rushed to the aid of their comrades caught in the first blast.

“We also remembered the innocent civilian who lost his life that dreadful day at Narrow Water, as well as Lord Mountbatten, his grandson Nicholas Knatchbull, Nicholas's grandmother Lady Doreen Knatchbull, and 15-year-old local boy Paul Maxwell — all murdered by the IRA on that same day of infamy.

“The calculated manner of the 22 murders carried out on August 27, 1979, marks it out as a day of particular Provo viciousness, even by the bloody standards of that organisation.”

TUV councillor Keith Ratcliffe said the act of remembrance “was both solemn and moving”, adding: “It was a privilege to stand alongside the families and comrades of those who were murdered.

“As we reflected on the horror of Narrow Water, we also renewed our resolve to ensure that the truth of what happened is never whitewashed or forgotten.

“The sacrifice of those murdered by the IRA must be remembered with dignity, and their memory honoured for generations to come.”

Killer bids to get race hate case linked to pamphlet thrown out

Alan Erwin, Belfast Telegraph, August 28th, 2025

A loyalist killer accused of having a religious pamphlet aimed at stirring up racial hatred is set to mount a legal bid to have the case halted.

Lawyers for Glen Kane indicated his challenge was based on a potential decision not to prosecute the author of the publication.

An application has been lodged to stay the criminal proceedings as an abuse of process.

Kane, of Riga Street in the Shankill area of Belfast, is contesting a charge of possessing threatening, abusive or insulting written material likely to stir up hatred or fear.

The 59-year-old, who was jailed for nine years for being part of a mob which beat and kicked to death Catholic man Kieran Abram during a sectarian riot in 1992, was arrested last August as part of an investigation into racially-motivated disorder in the city.

A previous court heard boxes containing up to 100 copies of the religious pamphlet had been discovered at his home.

The unnamed material was said to have referred to the UK's “immigration crisis”.

At the time police claimed some of its commentary could be abusive or insulting, and apparently aimed at arousing fear towards members of a particular faith.

During interviews Kane said he had not fully read the contents of the boxes left on his doorstep by an unknown individual.

His lawyer stressed the booklet was published by a legitimate Northern Ireland-based religious organisation with a registered charity number and easily available online for downloading.

He also contended that commentary others may not approve of is insufficient for a charge of stirring up hatred.

At Belfast Magistrates Court a judge was told the person who wrote the pamphlet has been interviewed, but no further updates were provided on whether they will face any charges.

Counsel for Kane said: “That is a very central issue because if that document is said to be the inciting document, it is very hard to see how the author is not prosecuted.”

District Judge Anne Marshall said: “Abuse applications are rarely successful on the basis 'you can't prosecute me if you haven't prosecuted everybody else who has done this or the person who wrote this'.”

The barrister replied: “I appreciate that, but this is a particular case.”

With Kane on continuing bail, Judge Marshall listed the case against him for a full hearing in December.

Nolan Show caller was grossly offensive... but even a racist bigot has right to be heard

John Laverty, Belfast Telegraph, August 28th, 2025

It's the Stephen Nolan radio show, hosting a debate about Northern Ireland hotels being used for asylum seekers. First caller of the day was 'Paul'. His contribution: “They should be put into the Maze.

“They're seeing freebies in this country and that's why they're all coming.

“Tell me one of them who's being honest... none of them. They've been telling lies since they arrived and will continue to tell lies.

“There are kids being touched, being photographed. Say 1,000 young black males are put into a white country, right, where are we going to tend to their sexual needs?”

To be fair to Nolan, he challenged Paul at every full stop and comma, before fading him out — for his own good — at the “sexual needs” bit.

It was uncomfortable listening, but there's no point in sticking fingers in your ears and going “la-la-la” when racists like Paul come on.

Like it or not, he articulated what a lot of people are feeling, and there's little point in talk show presenters like Nolan concentrating on just one side of a contentious issue.

You got the impression, however, that, somewhere out there, Paul is still ranting, still angry, still woefully ill-informed about 'them' — and, most importantly, still a free man walking the streets of Northern Ireland.

But, theoretically at least, he was only a couple of ill-chosen words away from facing a prison sentence.

Lucy Connolly

The large number of people listening to Paul's invective last week isn't far off the total who read Lucy Connolly's now notorious expletive-ridden X post prior to it being deleted.

Connolly, as you know, called for asylum seekers to be set on fire, was fast-tracked through the UK justice system and banged up for 10 months prior to her release last week.

In the meantime, the 42-year-old childminder became a right-wing cause célèbre.

There are clearly a lot of people who believe she should never have been jailed for so long in the first place — and I'm one of them.

Not because she didn't deserve it, but because we all know that this was a politically-inspired, expedited act which, rather than paint a fledgling Labour government in a powerful light, instead exposed how weak they are.

Ironically, it will have the effect Sir Keir Starmer sought — fewer people going to prison for committing similar crimes — but not for the reasons he wanted.

Like Lucy Connolly, you could be jailed here for daubing K.A.T ('Kill All Taigs) or K.A.P ('Kill All Prods') on a gable wall or bonfire.

And, like Lucy Connolly, your crime would fall under incitement to hatred legislation introduced nearly 90 years ago.

Yet how many local bigots with cans of spray paint have ended up behind bars for such contemptible acts? You already know the answer.

Connolly, an archetypal online crazy, pleaded guilty last October to inciting racial hatred via “threatening or abusive” written material shortly after teenager Axel Rudakubana murdered three young girls at a dance class in Southport.

And, as far as such inflammatory tweets were concerned, it wasn't Connolly's first rodeo.

Because she didn't challenge the charge — unlike Labour councillor Ricky Jones who, post-Southport, had called for the throats of far-right protesters to be cut but was later acquitted by a jury — a custodial punishment was inevitable.

The length of the sentence — later upheld by the Court of Appeal — was, however, a shock at two years and seven months; Connolly believed she'd be home in time for Christmas 2024.

Instead, she became a martyr of supposed 'two-tier justice', after being made an example of what will happen if you misbehave under the present government.

So, with this robust Starmeresque approach in mind, can we expect even more pensioners to be arrested and jailed for protesting about the indiscriminate mass murder in Gaza?

As I mentioned in a recent column, publicly supporting Palestine Action ostensibly carries similar punishment to backing the IRA or UVF, but the forces of law and order on this side of the Irish Sea believe — quite rightly — that it's more bother than it's worth.

Sticks and stones

Like many others of my generation who lived through every day of the Troubles, I'm a sticks-and-stones kinda guy.

You don't fret too much about what's written or spoken when everyday life back then meant there could be a lethal bomb or murderous paramilitary lurking just around the corner.

I have a platform for my opinions and have no issues with others using social media to spout theirs, however offensive and unsavoury some might find them.

The oft-quoted words of Evelyn Beatrice Hall from her biography The Friends of Voltaire: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it” still ring true, nearly 120 years later.

But there's also a line of tolerance and, in the eyes of the law, Lucy Connolly crossed it.

My only qualm is that others have done the same, or much worse, without similar results.

For instance, if you want a disgusting citation that, in my view, is multiple times worse than Connolly's, look up the racist, anti-immigration bile spat out by 'guitar legend' Eric Clapton at a concert in Birmingham half a century ago.

Even Paul from that Nolan Show might be horrified by a public tirade of bigoted abuse so nauseatingly odious that it led to the formation of the Rock Against Racism movement.

Clapton's hypocrisy was breathtaking; a few months earlier, his cover of Jamaican reggae star Bob Marley's I Shot the Sheriff had brought him the biggest hit single of a career already heavily influenced by black music.

But he went unpunished — and would ultimately be honoured with an OBE from Queen Elizabeth II for his “contribution to British life”.

Go figure.

‘I waited for 49 hours to be admitted to hospital’

Allan Preston, Irish News, August 28th, 2025,

THE former senator and councillor Máiría Cahill has spoken of a gruelling 49-hour wait in the Royal Victoria Hospital’s emergency department before being admitted.

The campaigner said “big improvements” are needed and noted that it was only August, months ahead of the normal winter rush.

Reacting, BMA’s Northern Ireland Council chair Dr Alan Stout said he was “watching with incredulity.”

Writing in The Irish News earlier this month, Derry GP Dr Tom Black said “The NHS on offer in Northern Ireland is so bad we wouldn’t accept it for our pets.”

And he added: “It is clear that the NHS in Northern Ireland has failed.”

Lengthy accident and emergency ward waits and years-long waiting lists are now the norm in Northern Ireland.

Ms Cahill said she had endured four months of abdominal pain and other issues– with multiple trips to hospital proving inconclusive.

She said gallstones were finally discovered in recent weeks after she decided to pay for a private ultrasound scan out of “sheer desperation.”

This led to a GP referral and a new hospital appointment, but Ms Cahill said she travelled to the Royal’s emergency room on Sunday after becoming unwell.

Posting updates about her wait on social media, she was eventually admitted to a ward on Tuesday and is now waiting for clarity on her treatment – including whether she is eligible for gallbladder surgery.

Reacting to her ordeal, the BMA’s Northern Ireland Council chair Dr Alan Stout commented: “Watching with incredulity even though I know the problems (and it’s only August).

“Just for reassurance you are doing the right thing. If someone decides you need admission do not leave. It creates a nightmare for patient and GP.”

Speaking to The Irish News, Ms Cahill said: “The majority of staff in healthcare roles are rushed off their feet, and are doing their very best. There are people far sicker than me here and I understand Sunday night was a particularly difficult night for intake.

“However, big improvements are needed – in particular communication between departments and with patients. If 49 hours wait in an emergency department is the norm in August, what is it going to be like in the winter?”

On her concerns about the pace of her treatment, she added: “ I think four months in pain so bad that you collapse should be enough without having to repeatedly visit an emergency department.

“If we are sending people home instead of just doing the op then how much more resources are we wasting on repeat A&E admissions?”

‘Intolerable pressure’

Current waiting times for patients to be seen at the Royal’s emergency department on Wednesday was 190 minutes, with the longest wait of 510 minutes listed at Altnagelvin Hospital.

When contacted about the case, Belfast trust initially stated that patients who need a bed are admitted according to the severity of their condition.

In a later statement, it said: “Belfast trust is very sorry that Ms Cahill had a long wait for a bed. She has been admitted as an inpatient and is currently having further medical investigations which will help determine an appropriate care pathway for her.”

In April, Dr Stout had spoken of the “intolerable pressure” facing staff and harm to patients being caused by emergency department waiting times.

Stating there was no doubt that patients would be coming to harm when treated in such an “over-burdened service” and that it would re-sult in moral injury for doctors who were not in a position to provide the level of care that patients need.

Since then, the health minister Mike Nesbitt has earmarked £215m in funding to tackle waiting lists as well as appointing senior surgeon Professor Mark Taylor in a new dedicated role to address the problem.

Thousands miss out on cancer treatment as machine costing £170k sits largely idle

Garrett Hargan, Belfast Telegraph, August 28th, 2025

MLA: IT'S A WASTE OF OPPORTUNITY TO SAVE AND IMPROVE LIVES

Hundreds of people are missing out on skin cancer treatment each year because a machine is sitting largely idle, health officials have admitted.

The machine at the North West Cancer Centre is capable of treating 400 patients annually if fully funded and operational, it has been revealed — but only seven patients have been treated since it was installed in 2016.

It means that up to 4,000 patients who potentially could have received treatment over the past decade have been unable to avail of it.

One MLA branded the situation “simply indefensible”. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in Northern Ireland, according to Cancer Focus NI.

Approximately 4,000 people develop the disease each year, both melanoma and non-melanoma — accounting for over 30% of all cancers diagnosed here.

The £170,000 XStrahl 150 is said to deliver “impressive results” for superficial skin cancers.

According to the company website: “Accurate application ensures that healthy skin isn't affected, the treatment is pain-free, and speed of treatment means less impact on the patient's day-to-day life. And with no surgical scarring, the cosmetic results are excellent.”

The machine was installed in 2016 when the North West Cancer Centre building was being completed.

The facility provides cross-border care, treating more than 1,000 cancer patients annually, about 300 of whom are from the Republic of Ireland.

When installed, the XStrahl 150 was the first machine of its kind in Northern Ireland for early two decades.

Idle for seven years

However, it lay idle for seven years, with the Western Trust giving assurances several times that the machine would be operational in 2020, 2021 and again in 2022. It was used to treat a patient for the first time in December 2023, and that patient safely completed their course by the end of that year.

The Trust has previously indicated that the recruitment of specialist staff was an issue, alongside the need for recurrent funding.

Now, the Western Trust has said the machine has the “capacity to treat approximately up to 400 patients per annum if there was a fully funded service”.

A spokesperson added: “The superficial skin machine was funded as part of the original business case for the development of the North West Cancer Centre.

“The service continues to work collaboratively with commissioning colleagues to secure recurrent funding to support the required staff needed to implement full service delivery.

“In the interim period, the service is currently available to a small cohort of patients from within the (Western Trust) and ROI catchment areas where the patient meets a defined clinical criteria.

“Six patients have received treatment since March 2024. Funding to support development of this service is highlighted as a key priority within the cancer strategy and NWCC remain optimistic for the future of this service.”

SDLP MLA Colin McGrath said it is “shocking” that a machine bought at significant public expense has been left sitting largely idle since 2016.

Wasted

“This is not only a waste of money, it's a waste of opportunity to improve and save lives,” he added. “At a time when waiting lists are soaring, and patients are anxious about delays in care, this is simply indefensible. We need urgent action from the Department of Health to get this machine funded, staffed and treating patients as quickly as possible.”

The Department of Health said that to have “a fully operational, fully staffed service” would require recurrent funding of approximately £700,000 per year.

“This service is part of a package of radiotherapy services prioritised for implementation in the next phase of the cancer strategy, subject to the availability of funding,” a spokesperson added.

“The Cancer Strategy, published in 2022, provides the strategic direction for a reform of cancer services to improve outcomes for patients.

“Since publication of the Cancer Strategy, approximately £10.6m per year recurrently has been invested into a wide range of project workstreams that have been developed in partnership with stakeholders from across the community and voluntary sectors, people with lived experience and with healthcare professionals.”

Good Friday Agreement ‘is not for Nigel Farage to tear up’

Hanna criticism prompts clarification of remarks from Reform UK leader

Jonathan McCambridge and Sophie Wingate, Irish News, August 28th, 2025

NORTHERN Ireland will “not be at the forefront” of actions by a Reform UK government to deal with immigration, Nigel Farage has said.

Mr Farage responded to criticism of earlier remarks that he would “renegotiate” the Good Friday Agreement so it removes reference to the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) by stating that anything to do with Northern Ireland “takes years and years to solve”.

SDLP leader Claire Hanna had criticised his comments as “empty slogans” while DUP MP Sammy Wilson said his plans were “essential” for the UK.

Mr Farage has long supported leaving the ECHR, and he said on Tuesday the Good Friday Agreement could be “renegotiated” to remove references to the convention.

The 1998 agreement largely ended decades of violence in Northern Ireland and led to the establishment of the Stormont powersharing assembly.

It was backed by referendums on both sides of the Irish border.

Speaking in Broxburn, West Lothian yesterday, the Reform leader conceded that the Northern Ireland situation is “deeply complex”.

He said: “And I made great reference to that yesterday when I gave that speech and answered questions at Oxford Airport.

“And we understand that, you know, what Blair did was to write the ECHR into absolutely everything.

“It was sort of his way of making sure we were embedded into the European Union for eternity.

“So yes, there is tidying up to be done.”

He added: “And I did say yesterday very, very clearly, we would not be starting with Northern Ireland.

‘Anything to do with Ireland takes years’

“That is something, as history shows us, anything to do with Northern Irish or Irish politics often takes years and years to solve, so that will not be at the forefront of what we do.”

Mr Farage’s plans include leaving the ECHR and replacing the Human Rights Act with a British bill of rights, which would only apply to British citizens and those who have a legal right to live in the UK.

But Ms Hanna said the ECHR underpins the Good Friday Agreement.

She said: “Every few years, right-wing politicians in Britain roll out some supposed ‘big fix’ to complex issues, usually immigration, and every time it collapses under scrutiny.

“We saw it with Michael Gove and Suella Braverman, and now Nigel Farage is pushing another baseless plan that delivers nothing.

“Worse still, DUP politicians here are rushing to line up behind Farage in their latest attempt to undermine the Good Friday Agreement.

“The agreement belongs to the people of this island.

“It is not Nigel Farage’s to tear up, nor any other British politician’s.

“Farage has never had any interest in Northern Ireland and when things get difficult, he will drop Northern Ireland in a heartbeat rather than spend years painstakingly negotiating with Dublin.”

Ms Hanna added: “When there is a real prospect that someone like Nigel Farage could potentially be a future prime minister it is perfectly rational that greater urgency is placed on our constitutional future and makes the case clearer than ever for preparing for a new Ireland.”

Mr Wilson said what the Reform UK leader is suggesting over the ECHR is “essential” for the UK.

He also claimed the previous Conservative government had already “tossed aside” elements of the Good Friday Agreement in agreeing to post-Brexit trading arrangements with the EU.

Mr Wilson told the BBC: “He [Mr Farage] has indicated one of the problems, in so much of domestic law, not just the Belfast [Good Friday] Agreement, the ECHR is embedded and he is going to have to untangle that.

“But if the government has a sufficient majority it can do whatever it wants.

“I think he overestimates the problems with the Belfast agreement because it was torn up by a government which did have a majority and the key principles of the Belfast agreement, namely the consent principle when it comes to controversial legislation in the assembly, was simply tossed aside and the assurance that there would be no constitutional change for Northern Ireland without cross-community agreement was tossed aside as well.”

Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn has said any plans to change the Good Friday Agreement are “dangerously irresponsible”.

Reform UK describes its “operation restoring justice” as a five-year emergency programme to detain and deport illegal migrants and deter future arrivals that the party would enact if elected to government.

As well as leaving the ECHR, the party also pledged to scale up detention capacity for asylum seekers to 24,000 and secure migrant returns deals with countries like Afghanistan, Eritrea and Iran.

The party said it would seek to deport 600,000 asylum seekers in its first parliament.

Tickets for Kneecap homecoming gig selling for up to £144

Allan Preston, Irish News, August 28th, 2025

KNEECAP fans are forking out up to £144 for tickets ahead of their homecoming show in Belfast tomorrow.

The sold-out gig supporting Dublin’s Fontaines D.C. in Boucher Playing Fields takes place a day before the west Belfast trio’s performance at Electric Picnic on Saturday.

With a tickets originally selling for between £54 to £65, all 40,000 places sold out within 35 minutes when they were released in April.

The price on resale sites has since increased to a minimum of £99 and more than doubling at the higher end to £144.

While demand for the outspoken group remains high, a string of US dates planned for October was cancelled this week as Mo Chara (Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh) faces further court dates over terror charges.

Mo Chara and Moglai Bap of Kneecap performing on the West Holts Stage during the Glastonbury Festival last month. The group will support Fontaines D.C. in Belfast tomorrow and play Electric Picnic on Saturday

Resale tickets for Kneecap’s Belfast show on Friday are selling for as much as £144

He is next due at Westminster Magistrates Court on September 26, with his legal team arguing the charges should be thrown out because of a technical error in the way the charge was brought against him.

Following the last court date, he told supporters that the case was a “distraction from the real story” and urged everyone to “continue to speak about Palestine”.

Fans travelling to tomorrow’s gig in Belfast have been urged to use public transport, with a shuttle bus service from Translink operating between Grand Central Station on Kennedy Way.

Tickets are only available to buy online and must be purchased before noon on the day of the event.

Outbound journeys will run from Belfast Grand Central Station every 20 minutes from 4pm to 8pm, with return journeys leaving from Kennedy Way every 20 minutes from 10pm to 11.30pm.

Last month, Kneecap had initially faced a police investigation over critical comments against Israel made during their set at the Glastonbury festival, with the BBC also choosing not to livestream their set.

This week, Electric Picnic’s promoter Melvin Benn said Kneecap’s appearance was “really important” for the Irish festival, and there would be no question of cutting their mics.

Stating they “did nothing wrong” during their Glastonbury performance, he said: “It was a really important statement and musically [they are] fantastic but in terms of what is going on in the world, it’s really important that they are here adding their voice.”

Sinn Fein must weigh up pros and cons of Mary Lou presidential bid

Suzanne Breen, Belfast Telegraph, August 28th, 2025

Will they or won't they? Sinn Fein has kept us guessing all summer on whether it will contest the Irish presidential election.

The party has been undergoing an extensive internal consultation process, the outcome of which will be announced in September. Sources say opinion is divided on what to do.

A wide range of names in the party have been mentioned as potential candidates including Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill, Fermanagh and South Tyrone MP Pat Cullen, and North Belfast MP John Finucane.

However, the bookies odds suggest there are only two Sinn Fein candidates in contention: party president Mary Lou McDonald and Mayo TD Rose Conway-Walsh.

McDonald is 12-1 and Conway-Walsh 16-1 with Paddy Power. The former said on Saturday that her party still has to decide between running its own candidate or throwing its weight behind another.

Conway-Walsh told RTE last week that the next president should be “really up for the job” of reunifying Ireland and she was “absolutely” that kind of person.

She said she had been approached by some in her party about running and it was “an honour” to be considered, but she declined to be drawn further on her own intentions.

If Sinn Fein doesn't run, it would surely back Independent TD Catherine Connolly who is visiting Belfast today.

Nationalist commentator and historian, Dr Brian Feeney, thinks Sinn Fein won't contest the election, and that would be the “wise decision”.

He says: “The only credible candidate would be Mary Lou McDonald, and so many problems would be created by her running. She just can't win.

“She'd have to resign as leader of the Opposition in Leinster House before the election just as Martin McGuinness had to step down as Deputy First Minister in Stormont to fight the 2011 presidential election. If she lost, I don't think she could return to her former position.”

Feeney rates McDonald highly, but he argues that a presidential contest is much more personally bruising and brutal than a Dail election.

“The idea of the president of Sinn Fein becoming President of Ireland is anathema to the Fianna Fail and Fine Gael establishment,” he says. “They would throw the kitchen sink at stopping that.

“The media would be equally determined to keep Sinn Fein out of the Áras. They would trash Mary Lou. All the stuff that the IRA did would be thrown up at her. No stone would be left unturned.”

Feeney asserts that McDonald can't beat the likely Fine Gael candidate, former cabinet minister Heather Humphreys.

“Humphreys may not have been formally nominated yet but that's only a matter of time,” he says. “MEP Séan Kelly's bid is going nowhere. Humphreys is a stronger candidate than Mairead McGuinness who was meant to run for Fine Gael.

“Mary Lou McDonald is much better known than Humphreys and a far better campaigner. Humphreys is a dull, charisma-free figure but, as a retired politician, she fits the bill for who usually becomes Irish president.

Groundswell for Humphreys

“As far as I'm aware there is no precedent for a sitting party leader fighting this election. As a Presbyterian from a border county, the media already love Humphreys. They'll present her as motherhood and apple pie during the campaign.”

Unless Fianna Fail “pulls someone out of the hat”, Feeney can't see anyone beating Humphreys. “Former Dublin GAA manager Jim Gavin who won a historic five in a row is the favourite for the Fianna Fail nomination, but sporting popularity in Dublin doesn't mean you'll go down well in Cork and other parts of the country,” he adds.

Neither can Feeney see Catherine Connolly winning. “She's a radical, an independent, a free-thinker,” he says. “She's had a lot of controversial opinions in the past and held too many curious positions.”

Professor Jon Tonge of the University of Liverpool believes Mary Lou McDonald should run for the Irish presidency.

“She'd be a very strong candidate. I can't see Catherine Connolly sufficiently uniting left and republican voters to beat Heather Humpreys,” he says. “Mary Lou would be Sinn Fein's best presidential hopeful in modern times. Ducking out of running by lining up behind Connolly just doesn't cut it.

“Sinn Fein is demanding voting rights for northern citizens in the election, but if northerners were granted the vote in such a contest and there wasn't even a Sinn Fein candidate to vote for, that's not a great position for a party to be in.

“Running for the presidency also gives Sinn Fein a perfect opportunity to push its Irish unity agenda.”

Tonge believes McDonald has little to lose by running.

“The worst scenario is that she performs well but doesn't win. Nobody is predicting that she'd flop abysmally,” he says.

“Being runner-up would still put her in a strong position to lead her party into the next Dail election.

“And Mary Lou is a very strong campaigner. I think the presidential election would suit her. There is a chance she could win. Sinn Fein shouldn't be afraid to run.”

Tonge has Fine Gael favourite for the election. “While the party hasn't been a factor in recent presidential contests, I think Mairead McGuinness would have won had she not stepped back, and Heather Humphreys is a solid replacement,” he says.

The University of Liverpool academic sees the Taoiseach's refusal to enter the race as puzzling. “It's a big mystery why Micheál Martin doesn't fancy a crack at it. He has been Fianna Fail leader for almost 15 years — that's a long time in politics,” he says.

“Becoming Irish president would be the crowning glory in Martin's career. He exudes statesmanlike qualities. He gets on well with people. His life story attracts sympathy and admiration in equal measure.

“If he ran, I believe he'd win. Standing someone like Bertie Ahern is much more high risk. It would be an attempt to cash in the chips on the Good Friday Agreement. But would that resonate with the younger generation?

“And, not considering Bertie's considerable charm, I suspect the words 'Mahon Tribunal' will be heard endlessly during the presidential campaign if he stands.”

Paddy Power has Heather Humphreys as the 7/4 favourite for the election with Catherine Connolly 11/4, and Bertie Ahern and Jim Gavin both 15/2.

Apolitical nature of Oul Lammas Fair tarnished by flags and slogans

By Philip Bradfield, Belfast News Letter, August 27th, 2025

Complaints have been registered that the apolitical nature of the Oul Lammas Fair had been tarnished this year with political flags and slogans.

Visitors to the Ballycastle fair also complained that tricolour balaclavas – made famous by Irish republican band Kneecap - were on sale from stalls, according to a local councillor.

Ireland’s oldest traditional fair ran in Ballycastle from Saturday until Tuesday.

The 400-year-old fair – which originally formed around horse and livestock trading – is famed for its festive spirit, transforming the picturesque seaside town with hundreds of stalls lining the streets, live music, buskers and entertainment.

Irish and Palestinian flags were flying in Ballycastle during the Oul Lammas Fair, which attacts thousands of people from across the island.

Councillor Allister Kyle, 36, has attended the fair every year since he was a child. However this is the first time he has ever seen it politicised.

"It was disappointing that on some of the stalls they were selling tricolor balaclavas, and that flags had been put up in support of Palestinians and graffiti in the town showing support for Palestinians and against Israel," said the TUV councillor

"The Oul Lammas Fair is usually apolitical and certainly all faiths and creeds come and have a great time.

"But I have had a number of complaints about the Palestinian flags, particularly around the harbour, and graffiti that has been put on council hoardings outside where the amusements used to be.

"I've put a complaint into the council about the graffiti and although some of it not linked to the situation in the Middle East was removed, the references to the Middle East conflict were left alone."

"So the council are currently looking into that, because the hoardings are certainly on council property.

"We're currently also looking into whether there's been breaches of license there with these tricolor balaclavas being sold by traders."

He said some graffiti that was attacking individual council officers had been removed but other graffitti in the same style - about Gaza - had been left untouched.

Mr Kyle asked the council if it had removed graffiti about officials but left the comments about the Middle East.

However he said the official he spoke with did not know and was to come back to him with a response.

The councillor said the graffiti linked the UK government and Israel to genocide and cited figures of the numbers of civilians and children reportedly killed in Gaza.

The council declined to make any comment about his claims.

"I find it to be disappointing that on the biggest weekend of the year in Ballycastle and with graffiti on their property they have no comment to make," the councillor told the News Letter.

TUV leader and North Antrim MP Jim Allister also expressed concern.

"The Auld Lammas Fair is supposed to be for everyone. So sad to have Ballycastle disfigured by Palestinian and Irish tricolours,” he said on social media.

Thousands of people attended the fair on Bank Holiday Monday, as temperatures soared.

Brian McLister, a shop owner who has been involved with the area's Chamber of Commerce for 45 years, and its president for the last two, said the crowds this year were as large as ever.

“I'm standing at the seafront now looking at the Quay Road and it is bunged,” he said. “There are tens of thousands of people here.”