Stakeknife ‘not only British agent involved in IRA killings’
Claim by widow of man murdered as suspected informer challenges decision not to prosecute anyone
ALAN ERWIN, Irish News, November 27th, 2025
THE top army spy known as Stakeknife was not the only British agent allegedly involved in killing suspected informers while operating inside an IRA interrogation unit, the High Court has heard.
Counsel for the widow of murdered north Belfast republican Anthony Braniff claimed there were wider systemic failures to take action to protect the lives of those at risk.
Mary Braniff is challenging a decision not to prosecute anyone in connection with her husband’s death in September 1981.
Her lawyers also contend the authorities wrongly declined to bring corporate criminal liability charges against the security forces for alleged health and safety offences.
Mr Braniff (22) was shot dead by the Provisional IRA after being branded an RUC informer.
His death was examined as part of Operation Kenova, the £40m investigation into the activities of the IRA executioner and British military agent codenamed Stakeknife, widely accepted to have been west Belfast man Freddie Scappaticci.
Scappaticci, who died in March 2023, was linked to more than a dozen murders during his time as a member of the IRA’s internal security unit (ISU).
Known as the ‘nutting squad’, the ISU interrogated, tortured and killed suspected informers.
Mr Braniff, a father-of-three from the Ardoyne area of the city, was among those murdered by the unit.
In March last year, an interim Operation Kenova report found that Stakeknife probably cost more lives than he saved while working as a British spy within the IRA.
By that stage the investigation team, led by current PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher, had referred files on former IRA members and soldiers to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS).
However, the PPS concluded there was insufficient evidence for a reasonable prospect of securing convictions.
Mrs Braniff claims the decision not to prosecute anyone over her husband’s killing was legally flawed and failed to properly assess potential health and safety offences.
Based on newly discovered military records, it was alleged that an intelligence oversight body known as the Tasking and Co-Ordinating Group (TCG) received information the IRA was holding the victim in the Divis area of Belfast and had sentenced him to death.
To be executed that night
The documents indicate the TCG, – involving elements of RUC Special Branch, MI5 and the British Army’s Force Research Unit – was told he would be executed that night.
But the response of deploying military and police to the general Divis area did not prevent his murder.
According to Mrs Braniff’s legal team, Operation Kenova files passed to the PPS disclosed evidence of potential health and safety offences.
Prosecutors also allegedly failed to consider other possible forms of corporate liability for misconduct in public office in connection with the RUC, Military Intelligence or Security Services.
The court previously heard a decision had been taken not to prosecute two suspects identified as being potentially involved in Mr Braniff’s killing – a retired British soldier who worked within the Force Research Unit, and a then-IRA member.
At a further hearing, reports on up to seven others murdered by the ISU were introduced in support of the challenge.
They included the killing of Patrick Murray (30) in west Belfast in August 1986.
Conclusions reached about the murder of 20-year-old west Belfast republican Michael Kearney were also highlighted.
He was abducted in July 1979, interrogated, and shot before his body was dumped close to the border.
Counsel for Mrs Braniff, Hugh Southey KC, argued the reports demonstrated authorities at the time recognised the activities of agents put victims in danger.
“There was a danger to life and a need to act to provide protection to ensure people were safe,” he said.
“There was clear information that agents including Stakeknife, but not limited to Stakeknife, were involved in killings.”
Citing alleged failures to pass on intelligence, Mr Southey insisted the reports contained references to other spies.
“There was a systemic problem with the handling of agents,” he submitted.
Lawyers for the PPS have insisted its decision making was procedurally fair and involved no public law failures.
Voluminous files of evidence were carefully considered before well-reasoned determinations were reached that no person or corporate entity should face criminal charges, the court heard.
Based on the government’s proposed new Troubles legacy laws, which will involve a Commission investigating conflict-era killings, Tony McGleenan KC questioned the benefit of the legal challenge.
He told the court that if the legislation is enacted, police would be prohibited from probing any of the cases.
Instead, he argued, the Legacy Commission will be able to examine all issues raised in the case.
Reserving judgment in the case, Lady Chief Justice Dame Siobhan Keegan pledged to deliver a verdict as soon as possible.
Speaking outside court, Mrs Braniff’s solicitor, Kevin Winters, confirmed the suspected wrongdoing was not just confined to Stakeknife.
“This challenge includes an allegation about state agents beyond Freddie Scappaticci,” he said.
Republican group slammed for festive t-shirt with image of masked gunman
PAUL AINSWORTH, Irish News, November 27th, 2025
The Christmas t-shirt offered for sale by republican group Lasair Dhearg
A REPUBLICAN group has been criticised for producing and selling a Christmas t-shirt depicting a masked gunman wearing a Santa hat.
The clothing item is being offered for sale online by Lasair Dhearg, and shows a crouching paramilitary wearing a balaclava and red santa hat while clutching an assault rifle.
The t-shirt, described on the group’s website as the ‘volunteer Christmas t-shirt’ also bears the phrase ‘Nollaig shona duit’, Irish for ‘Happy Christmas to you’.
Lasair Dhearg says the t-shirt is made from “ethically sourced cotton”. It is one of several t-shirts sold by the socialist republican group, including one depicting three IRA gunmen, while another Christmas-themed one shows political theorist and Communist Manifesto author Karl Marx in a Santa hat, above the phrase ‘tis the seizin’.
It is not the first time paramilitary-themed festive items and displays have sparked anger. In 2023, two men were jailed over a mural of a beret-wearing snowman activating a bomb detonator, which was painted on the window of the Derry HQ of hardline republican group Saoradh during the previous festive season.
In 2017, at the same location, a window mural appeared depicting a snowman pointing an RPG-7 rocket launcher, beside the phrase ‘wishing you an explosive Christmas’.
In December 2022 in Derry’s Waterside area, a festive light display spelling out the letters ‘UVF’ was removed after it was branded a “disgusting insult” to terrorism victims.
DUP MLA and Policing Board member Trevor Clarke said: “We should not be surprised. This is yet another attempt by republicans to reignite their terrorist campaigns of the past. If ‘Lasair Dhearg’ genuinely believe that the way to achieve their so-called ‘socialist republic’ is by militarising Santa, they have another thing coming. I fail to understand how a terrorist wielding a gun could bring anyone a Happy Christmas.”
Portraitgate son of MLA now works with police
Man named over City Hall damage has a new job with an organisation encouraging crimes to be reported
CONOR COYLE c.coyle@irishnews.com, Irish News, November 27th, 2025
A FORMER Sinn Féin assembly staff member suspended from the party in connection with damage caused to a portrait of a DUP lord mayor is now employed by a community group in a role ‘supporting residents reporting crime’.
At a Stormont scrutiny committee yesterday, TUV MLA Timothy Gaston named Naoise Ó Cuilín, a former Irish language translator at the assembly and son of Sinn Féin MLA Carál Ní Chuilín, in relation to the City Hall incident.
The Public Prosecution Service announced on Monday it would not be bringing a prosecution, saying there was insufficient evidence.
First Minister Michelle O’Neill told the Assembly last October that the individual had made the party chief whip aware of “their involvement” in the damage of the portrait of Lord Wallace Browne.
However, the PPS added a later statement from the chief whip said the individual “made no admissions” to being at the event and denied any knowledge of the damage.
Mr Ó Cuilín is currently employed as a ‘Community Safety Worker’ at west Belfast community group, the Upper Springfield Development Trust.
The group’s website says its community safety workers “play a key role in improving safety and wellbeing in west Belfast”.
“By supporting residents in reporting crime and addressing safety concerns, they help strengthen trust and collaboration within the community,” it adds.
The group says it works closely with statutory bodies, including police, to resolve issues such as anti-social behaviour, illegal dumping, and drug misuse.
A statement last night from Mr Ó Cuilín’s solicitor, denied he was responsible for damage to the portrait.
“Any suggestion to the contrary is wholly unfounded,” Niall Murphy of KRW Law added.
Man at centre of allegations ‘appalled by false commentary’
Insufficient evidence
In its statement on Monday outlining why it had insufficient evidence to prosecute an individual, the PPS said when interviewed by police as a voluntary attender, “the reported individual exercised his right not to answer questions”.
A witness statement made in February 2025 by the Sinn Féin Chief Whip, who had spoken directly to their member on October 21, 2024, recorded that he had in fact made no admission to being at the event and had denied any knowledge of the damage to the portrait.
This came despite First Minister Michelle O’Neill telling the Stormont Assembly in October last year that the individual had made the party aware of their “involvement” in the incident, at which point they were suspended and the PSNI notified.
Sinn Féin’s handling of the incident has drawn criticism, primarily from unionist parties, as DUP MLA Philip Brett accused the party of “stonewalling” on the issue.
Sinn Féin Junior Minister Aisling Reilly did not answer questions on the incident during a Stormont committee meeting yesterday, saying it was outside the committee’s remit as she had attended the City Hall event as a West Belfast MLA.
The Executive Office committee agreed to write to the department of the First and Deputy First Ministers requesting recorded information about the invitation to the event at City Hall, which was organised by Irish language group Glór na Móna.
The PPS said it was “unsuccessful” in attempts to get an invite list from the event organisers.
“We will not be stonewalled by Sinn Féin on this issue. We will get to the truth and people will be held accountable,” Brett said.
Last night’s statement from KRW Law on behalf of Mr Ó Cuilín continued: “For absolute clarity, and on our client’s behalf, I state unequivocally that our client did not cause any damage whatsoever to the portrait of Lord Wallace Browne. Any suggestion to the contrary is wholly unfounded.
“Our client responded positively to a request by police to attend voluntarily for police interview and was prepared to give an account. However, the paucity of evidence against our client was such that I advised him that there was nothing requiring an account, and that he should therefore exercise his lawful right to silence. This statutory protection exists for all citizens.
“It is deeply improper that certain parties are now attempting to misrepresent the exercise of this legal right as implying guilt. Such insinuations are entirely rejected.”
“Our client is a university graduate, has been in continuous employment since graduation, has no criminal record, and has never previously been accused of any criminal offence. The attempts to malign our client’s character in the absence of any evidence are wholly unjustified.
“Our client has worked continuously in the youth and community sector, on multiple projects which focus on addressing division, hate and sectarianism.
“Our client is appalled by the false commentary directed at him, particularly given the clear position arising from the investigation.”
Sinn Féin MLA ‘nothing to declare’
CONOR COYLE c.coyle@irishnews.com, Irish News, November 27th, 2025
Carál Ní Chuilín was probed by a TUV MLA yesterday at Stormont over her son’s alleged role in damage to a lord mayor’s portrai
TUV MLA Timothy Gaston yesterday used a Stormont committee to name the son of a Sinn Féin MLA as the person alleged to have been involved in the damage of a portrait of a DUP lord mayor at Belfast City Hall last year.
The PPS announced on Monday it would not be bringing a prosecution against the man, who had been previously suspended from his role in the assembly and resigned from Sinn Féin. The PPS said there was insufficient evidence to sustain a prosecution.
First Minister Michelle O’Neill told the assembly last October that the individual had made the party chief whip aware of “their involvement” in the damage of the portrait of Lord Wallace Browne.
However, the PPS said a later statement from the chief whip said the individual “made no admissions” to being at the event and denied any knowledge of the damage.
At a meeting of The Executive Office Committee at Stormont yesterday, TUV MLA Timothy Gaston said the son of North Belfast MLA Carál Ní Chuilín, Naoise O Cuilín, had been “named on social media” and questioned whether Ms Ní Chuilín wished to declare an interest on the issue.
“What I want to ascertain is, if Ms Cullen (Ní Chuilín) wants to make a declaration of interest at this stage due to the interest that is around this issue regarding her son, who has been named on social media as being involved in the damage of that portrait,” Mr Gaston said.
“The second thing I would like to raise is that Junior Minister (Aisling) Reilly will be in attendance today and in light of Naoise’s employment with the junior minister at that time, as a translator I understand, does the junior minister also need to declare an interest when dealing with this issue?
“The third issue I would like to raise is relating to the meeting on the 23rd of October, if indeed what we read online is true and it is Ms Cullen’s (Ní Chuilín) son that is involved in that discussion in here where it was raised by Harry Harvey, and indeed Carál interjected in that discussion.
“So there needs to be clear parameters going forward that if there is family members involved, that the member declares an interest and either takes herself out of the room to make sure the integrity of this committee is maintained, and I have serious concerns of that meeting, that if what we read is true, then there should have been a declaration of interest declared on the 23rd of October and that didn’t happen.
“That was a failing that was allowed to happen.”
In response, the Sinn Féin MLA said she had “nothing to declare” and that the issue being raised had nothing to do with the issue to be discussed at the committee, an oral briefing for an inquiry into Mother and Baby Institutions, Magdalene Laundries and Workhouses.
“First of all Timothy, my name’s Ní Chuilín and you know it, so I’d just ask that you respectfully address me by my name
“I’ve nothing to declare, absolutely nothing to declare. I’m here to scrutinise in front of us today, draft legislation affecting victims and survivors.
“I have no interest to declare at all, on behalf of myself or anyone else.
“I actually don’t think it’s in the remit of this committee at all, so I just want to put that on the record. I think this committee’s business is on the agenda and others have chosen to add this issue on which has got absolutely nothing to do with victims and survivors of institutional abuse to the mother and baby scandal.”
Mixed feelings among residents over plans to remove ‘peace wall’
Area around interface structure at Alexandra Park in north Belfast has become plagued by anti-social behaviour
HANNAH PATTERSON h.patterson@irishnews.com, Irish News, November 27th, 2025
RESIDENTS living close to a north Belfast Park are divided in opinion over plans to remove a ‘peace wall’ that runs through it.
The removal of the interface at Alexandra Park would only happen with the consent of local people, something agreed upon at a meeting of a Belfast City Council committee last week.
An original proposal to remove the wall was tabled by Alliance representative Sam Nelson, who noted that Stormont’s Together: Building a United Community (T:BUC) strategy had aimed to remove all interface structures by 2023.
The wall has stood for more than 30 years, but one councillor has described the area around it, which last summer was the scene of rioting and anti-social behaviour, as a “battleground”.
So, would residents give their consent?
Speaking to The Irish News, local woman Roisin Davis said she has mixed feelings about the proposal, adding: “I would love to see it go; it is ugly. It’s a beautiful side of the park, that side. My kids love going into that side of the park.
Kids fighting is ‘scary’
“But also, when I walk through in the evening and when the kids are out fighting it is really scary. I have had stones thrown near my pram. To be fair, the kids always do say ‘oh there is a lady coming’, but it can be quite frightening when the kids are out.
“I do think there is still a need for it yes. I know the youth club and the youth centre are good with the kids, but I just don’t see how we can stop them from fighting.
‘‘It is a bit safer when the gates are closed, but I don’t know. It is just not pleasant walking through in the evening. It’s not good.”
Another resident, Jade Ireland, told The Irish News: “I don’t mind, but I suppose recently there has been some anti-social behaviour in the evenings, with people coming down and shouting things.
“It’s not fighting. They’re messing about and shouting bad language, but it could be anybody it’s not just the one side. I don’t mind what happens to be honest.”
‘Isn’t that much trouble’
Another resident said she does not think the interface is needed, adding: “I think the proposal sounds good; they should take it down. There isn’t that many problems at it, other than kids who throw stones at each other, that’s about it.
“It’s open all day, it doesn’t get closed until 5pm. So, it’s basically open the same time as the rest of the park anyways. And the anti-social behaviour isn’t that bad, it’s just when the children are off school in the summer months. It doesn’t bother me really.”
The park is managed by the council, while the wall belongs to the Department of Justice.
A Department of Justice (DoJ) spokesperson said officials were working with Belfast City Council and other partners on the redevelopment plans for Alexandra Park, including the potential changes to what was termed “the existing interface structure”.
“Community consent is a crucial consideration as part of any interface reduction or removal scheme,” the DoJ spokesperson said.
According to DoJ, large portions of the wall are “redundant”.
“I do think there is still a need for it yes. I know the youth club and the youth centre are good with the kids, but I just don’t see how we can stop them from fighting
Resident Roisin Davis
“I think the proposal sounds good; they should take it down. There isn’t that many problems at it, other than kids who throw stones at each other, that’s about it
Unnamed resident
Lack of investment puts drinking water supply ‘at risk’ in spells of dry weather
JONATHAN McCAMBRIDGE, Irish News, November 27th, 2025
Sara Venning, chief executive of NI Water, appeared before Stormont’s Infrastructure Committee yesterday
NORTHERN Ireland risks having insufficient drinking water during hot weather without a significant increase in infrastructure investment, the chief of NI Water has said.
Sara Venning also said there would be a continued stop on applications for wastewater connections for new housing and warned Belfast Lough risks becoming the “next Lough Neagh” because of sewage pollution.
Ms Venning, the chief executive of NI Water, appeared before Stormont’s Infrastructure Committee yesterday.
The company, which provides water and sewerage services in Northern Ireland, is funded through the block grant provided to Stormont by the Treasury.
Need to double capital investment
Ms Venning told MLAs that their business plan for 2028 to 2033 required almost double the level of its current capital investment.
She said: “Only with those kind of levels can we begin to reverse the years of underinvestment.
“This level of significantly increased funding is what our peers across the UK and the Republic of Ireland are already starting to invest.”
She added: “Without proper investment in the publicly owned water and wastewater infrastructure, Northern Ireland risks insufficient drinking water during hotter, drier periods and a continued stop on applications for wastewater connections for housing and for economic growth.
“The wastewater system in Northern Ireland will continue to pollute because when existing connections exceed the capacity of the network, pollution is inevitable because we can’t stop receiving their wastewater.”
An Audit Office report last year found that a lack of water infrastructure is delaying or halting proposed housing developments and called for a comprehensive review of the current funding arrangements for NI Water.
Ms Venning told the committee that the company had been underfunded by £470 million compared with a recommendation from the Utility Regulator in 2021.
She said: “The result of that is a quarter of the work that was deemed essential will not happen, around 100 towns and villages will remain constrained, unable to grow without risking further environmental damage.
“Through innovation and collaboration we have enabled some housing development, but there has been no real progress on the structural environmental deficit.
‘Going backwards’
“In fact it could be said we are going backwards.”
She said a £1.4 billion Living With Water plan for Belfast had “stalled”.
Ms Venning added: “Without it Belfast Lough risks becoming the next Lough Neagh, except in Belfast Lough sewage is the primary pollutant and that is a direct result of underinvestment.
“NI Water aspires to the day when we no longer need legal protection from prosecution for pollution incidents.
“But aspiration alone isn’t enough, only investment and collective action will fix this.”
The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) this week announced an investigation into the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera), as well as the the Utility Regulator over the regulation of sewage discharges into Belfast Lough.
Ms Venning said that the provision of water and wastewater services in Northern Ireland is currently on a “knife-edge”.
She added: “Last year was just about manageable for us because the weather was benign and because rainfall was low, particularly through the autumn and winter.
“If conditions turn against us this year we face some risk in relation to our operating costs.”
Budget 2025: Extra £370m for NI 'far short of what is needed', says O’Dowd
JAMES MCNANEY AND MARGARET CANNING, Belfast Telegraph, November 27th, 2025
MUTED RESPONSE FROM BUSINESS SECTOR AS EXPERTS PREDICT HOUSEHOLDS WILL CONTINUE TO FEEL THE SQUEEZE
An additional £370m allocated to Northern Ireland in the Budget “falls far short of what is needed”, Finance Minister John O'Dowd has said.
He said the allocation meant that the Executive will receive only £18.8m in additional funding from Westminster this year.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced £26bn in tax increases in the Budget, ranging from a 'stealth tax' from freezing income rate thresholds to a new 3p per mile road tax for drivers of electric vehicles.
She also abolished the two-child benefit cap and confirmed an increase in minimum wage rates.
The Chancellor also announced a £16.6m scheme to support trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain following Brexit.
An additional £1.7bn for public services in the devolved nations included £370m for NI with £240m for everyday spending in Stormont's departments over three years.
The remainder is for capital funding over four years.
John O'Dowd welcomed the removal of the two-child benefit cap, likely to benefit around 50,000 families here, and increase in minimum wages.
The national living wage for those aged 21 and over will go up by 4.1% to £12.71, with a rise of 8.5% in the minimum wage for 18 to-20-year olds to £10.85.
Mr O'Dowd said: “While additional funding for public services is welcome, the reality is stark: following today's announcements we will only receive £18.8m in additional funding this financial year.
“This falls far short of what is needed to support the delivery of front line public services.
“I am committed to working in partnership with my Executive colleagues to prioritise and agree allocations in the December monitoring round.”
Welcome for removal of two child benefit cap
Mr O'Dowd welcomed the removal of the two-child benefit cap, which he says “will help lift thousands of children out of poverty here”.
But he said the freeze in income tax thresholds will “hit working families who will have less disposable income to spend in our local businesses”.
“The Chancellor had an opportunity to ensure those with the broadest shoulders carried more of the burden — but she didn't go far enough.
“The Budget further strengthens the need for fiscal devolution. My department will now intensify work to progress this.
“But let me be very clear, my Executive colleagues, every one of them, knows that they have to find efficiencies in their departments and regurgitate that money back into public services.”
The Minister said the Executive already raises revenue from many areas, including £1.6bn in rates.
He added that he is in favour of raising the rates cap from its current level of £400,000 to £485,000, a proposal he has put to the Executive.
The Minister also confirmed that he will present a draft multi-year budget to the Executive before Christmas.
Business in Northern Ireland was muted in its response to the Budget.
Suzanne Wylie, chief executive, NI Chamber said: “The Budget introduces numerous small changes which will take time for businesses to digest.
“Individually, these may seem manageable, but collectively, they risk creating a cumulative burden on firms already grappling with rising costs and economic uncertainty.”
Andrew Webb, Grant Thornton Northern Ireland chief economist, said households would be continuing “to feel the squeeze”.
“Frozen tax thresholds — fiscal drag by another name — mean that as wages rise with inflation, more people slide into higher tax bands.
Pay rises don’t match inflation and tax rises for many
“This is the lived experience that sits behind the aggregate numbers: pay packets that look healthier in cash terms but don't go as far in real terms.”
But he praised the removal of the two-child benefit cap as a “genuinely important”.
“It is one of the few measures that will make a clear and immediate difference to people's lives, and represents a meaningful break with a policy that pushed many into hardship.”
Greg Boyd, Northern Ireland economist at PwC UK said the additional £370m was “a much-needed boost to Stormont's finances at a time of acute fiscal pressure”.
Professor Richard Ramsey of the Queen's University Business School said the tax burden for NI citizens was increasing thanks to the freezing of income tax thresholds.
“Over the past five years, the number of higher rate income taxpayers (40%) in Northern Ireland has doubled to 131,000.
“One in seven Northern Ireland income taxpayers are now paying the higher or additional rates and this will increase to close to one in five by 2030. It was one in 18 in 2000.”
Glyn Roberts, chief executive of Retail NI, said: “This Budget is a missed opportunity to stimulate growth in the economy and address the huge burden of the cost of doing business in Northern Ireland and throughout the UK.
“An inflation busting rise in the Living Wage so soon after last years huge increase and the national insurance hike will be a heavy blow to struggling independent retailers and small businesses.”
Paul Brady, Sylvia Hermon and worn-out dreams of yesterday
MÁIRÍA CAHILL, Irish News, November 27th, 2025
PAUL Brady played the Waterfront in Belfast last Friday. I have been a fan ever since I heard Arthur McBride and tried to work out the intricate guitar picking style – without success.
Brady’s playing is so unique that even the great Bob Dylan (who also played Belfast last week) had to take a lesson from him to play The Lakes of Pontchartrain.
The concert was brilliant. Brady belted out hit after hit, from Nothing But The Same Old Story, written about racism towards the Irish in England in the 1970s, to Crazy Dreams.
The song of the night, though, was when he put his guitar down, clasped his hands in front of him, and sang The Island. You could have heard a pin drop.
‘Now we’re still at it in our own place, still trying to reach the future through the past. Still trying to carve tomorrow from a tombstone.’
I looked around the auditorium. The respectful silence told its own tale.
It wasn’t always like that. Lots of Irish artists were under pressure to do their come-all-ye bit for “the cause” in the 1980s, and republicans castigated Brady for instead expressing the futility of violence and the escapist fantasy from it.
With that one song, he captured the hypocrisy in espousing the glory of dying for freedom. The reality? Grief and wasted youth.
The problematic line for many was: ‘Up here, we sacrifice our children to feed the worn-out dream of yesterday.’
That line should be inscribed on the steps of Stormont to remind our politicians of the price of fragile peace.
There is something incredibly poignant in singing this particular song to a northern audience, most of whom have lived through the worst days and have no desire to return to them. The sensible people, who know better than to partake in this retrospective glamorisation of violence that we have recently seen in other quarters.
Brady got to: ‘I guess these young boys dying in the ditches is what being free is all about’.
The man to the left of me was wiping his eyes. To my right, my daughter Saorlaith was sitting, rapt.
She was with me again on Monday evening to listen to journalist Stephen Walker speak to Daphne Trimble about his new book on her husband, and former First Minister, David.
Daphne was, as usual, gracious and asked Saorlaith how she was doing in school. When she heard she was due to study the Good Friday Agreement soon, we joked about feeling old.
Paul Brady’s song The Island captured the hypocrisy in espousing the glory of dying for freedom
There were lots of human anecdotes and laughs. We heard about David Trimble’s love for Elvis and his woeful school reports, and later about his gifted legal mind and his sometimes fractious political life.
When asked how she thought of her husband’s legacy, she thought for a moment, then said: “As someone who tried to leave this place a bit better than he found it.”
Then, the mic went to the audience. One man raised his hand and asked about the similarities between Edgar Graham and Trimble. He wanted to know if they had been alike.
Sylvia Hermon, who was also in the audience, was asked to address the point.
It was only a minute or two, but her quiet delivery was one of the most moving contributions I have heard.
Hermon was teaching students in European law at Queen’s University when she heard what sounded like several nails hammered into a tin roof.
‘A crumpled brown overcoat’
A trained St John’s Ambulance first aider, she told her students that she would be back as soon as she could. She rushed towards a crumpled brown overcoat and tried, with others, to save the life of 29-year-old Graham. It was futile.
She struggled to keep her composure as she recalled that day. She spoke of how she and Edgar had marked every student’s paper rather than just a sample, how he had spoken out about supergrass trials and threats to politicians just a few weeks before. How Graham had a brilliant mind, and the devastating impact his murder had on those who knew and loved him.
Still, after all this time, that day clearly haunts her. Beside me, my daughter had tears in her eyes, not quite fully able to comprehend how people could cause such hurt to the lovely lady sitting behind her, or to one another.
There was broad agreement among those in the room that, had he lived, he would have become the Ulster Unionist Party leader. The mood was one of remembrance and sadness, not of point-scoring, recrimination, or whataboutery.
Edgar Graham’s anniversary is next week. No-one was ever convicted of his murder.
I spoke about it with my child on the way home. I could have gone into detail and explained that Graham had also called for an inquiry into Kincora. I could have explained the supergrass system and how some of my relatives were jailed (and later released) when more than one of the supergrass trials collapsed. I could have explained the febrility of 1983 and the context of the time.
I decided against it and allowed Sylvia Hermon’s words to speak for themselves. Her friend and colleague was killed, and it still understandably upsets her.
Listening to human emotion and raw grief is a powerful deterrent for future generations. And so, rather than the come-all-yes, propaganda, and recent romanticism of terrible, terrible days, we should listen to people like Sylvia Hermon more.
Trying to explain individual acts of violence by setting them into context, rather than just simply listening, diminishes individual loss and filters the pain from a desensitised audience.
We’ve sung too much of that before.
Rise of far right in England has created ‘total contempt’ towards the north, says author
ALLAN PRESTON a.preston@irishnews.com, Irish News, November 27th, 2025
THE rise of the far right in England has created a “total contempt” towards Northern Ireland, a leading expert has said.
Daniel Trilling, a London-based journalist and author, spoke to The Irish News ahead of a talk in Ulster University on political extremism.
He explained how many of the factors behind “destructive flag-waving” and anti-immigration sentiment in England had also fuelled incidents like the racist rioting seen in Ballymena over the summer.
Once a marginal phenomenon, he said the success of right-wing populism has entered mainstream politics in tandem with violent street movements.
“The really important thing to say is that the respectable face of the far right and its violent and unpleasant side have a relationship to one another, even though its figureheads might distance themselves from that,” he said.
He said a collapse and radicalisation of the Conservative Party “ripped apart the social fabric of the UK” with austerity, while Brexit led to a huge rise in far-right populist rhetoric.
“The Conservatives brought that fully on to their platform,” he claimed.
Mr Trilling also accused the current Labour government of failing to challenge “the rush towards anti-immigrant racism.”
He said a rally of over 100,000 people in England led by the far-right influencer Tommy Robinson in September was “significant and disturbing,” but something that had been building for years.
He said the “accelerant” of social media has also made it far easier to organise “conspiracy driven resentment of political elites and outsiders.”
After a decade of economic turbulence leaving many feeling uncertain for their future prospects, he said the “earth shattering shock of the pandemic” could not be forgotten.
“That made a lot of people very susceptible to conspiracy theories,” he said.
A poisonous legacy online
“That’s left a legacy online, where there’s an architecture online to spread this sort of conspiracy thinking.”
In many ways, he said Northern Ireland was simply experiencing its own version of wider trends that have swept through Britain and Ireland.
“Speaking as an outsider, two things strike me. One is that it really shows that whether or not political leaders endorse anti-migrant sentiment is a choice,” he said.
“They can choose to do it or not and that makes a huge difference on the ground.
“What we’re seeing in England with the flags and anti-migrant protests, and I suspect it’s true in Northern Ireland, the people organising this violence and intimidation – what they’re really doing is defending their right to bully and intimidate their own communities.
“The real story is the failure of the political class, whether that’s in Westminster or Stormont, to foster healthy, thriving, flourishing communities.”
Last month, the Ulster Unionist leader and Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said that English nationalism now posed as great a threat to the union as Irish nationalism.
Mr Trilling said politicians pandering to the far-right had shown “a real contempt for other parts of the UK.”
Mr Trilling said it was now more important than ever to make it clear “we don’t accept a noisy, bullying minority shouting everybody else into silence.”
“We all have to do that where we can, but it’s really important that politicians and people of influence have the courage to do it.”
Court is told of Ballymena rioter's 'extremely low IQ' ahead of sentencing
CHRISTOPHER WOODHOUSE, Belfast Telegraph, November 27th, 2025
A rioter with an “extremely low IQ” who claimed he ended up throwing bottles at police after being encouraged by a gang of youths is facing the prospect of jail.
Robert McDowell said he got involved in the racially motivated violence in Ballymena earlier this year out of “nosiness”.
The 56-year-old, of Patrick Place in the town, was seen on CCTV attacking officers on the third day of public disorder in June this year.
During his sentencing hearing at Antrim Crown Court, a prosecution barrister said that on the day McDowell got involved, Larne Leisure Centre had been targeted for housing ethnic minorities displaced by the racist attacks.
He said police were dealing with “serious trouble” in Ballymena during which public and private property had been damaged. The lawyer said one group of rioters was captured on CCTV throwing bricks, masonry and road signs.
A man wearing a green camouflage jacket was seen with youths who were throwing bricks at police on Bridge Street in the town.
Throwing bottles at police
He said a man, later identified as McDowell, was seen throwing three bottles at police officers.
McDowell was arrested and admitted taking part in the violence.
He pleaded guilty to a single charge of riot earlier this year and has been on remand in prison since his arrest, having been refused bail.
The barrister said the offence was aggravated by the fact McDowell took part on the third day of the disturbances. He said the violence had been headline news and that McDowell would have known what was going on.
The barrister said that when McDowell was interviewed by police about his involvement, he told them he had “been seeing what's going on... I'm that nosey.”
He said McDowell had been masked at times in a bid to evade detection, and his actions resulted in an escalation of the violence and tensions in the community.
McDowell's barrister said that while his client had a significant record, there had a been a “considerable gap” in his offending.
He said McDowell was aware the courts would take a dim view of the case and that a “message of deterrence” would be sent out with the sentence.
The barrister said McDowell's involvement was in the “lower bracket” and “fairly momentary”.
He said a report on McDowell's intellectual capacity showed he had an “extremely low IQ”; he also claimed he'd been encouraged to put on a balaclava and throw bottles.
He said the report concluded that McDowell may find it “challenging to make independent judgements” and might be “vulnerable to social pressures”.
Judge Peter Irvine KC, wanting time to consider CCTV footage and what he had been told, said he will pass sentence tomorrow.
Senior SF MP and Labour Peer who found themselves in Hot Water
JOHN LAVERTY, Belfast Telegraph, November 27th, 2025
We've all been there, right? The end of a night out on the town, an increasingly straining bladder and... well, when you gotta go, you gotta go.
That inconvenient scenario once befell Sinn Fein bigwig John Finucane, who sought out a discreet part of Belfast city centre in which to unease his discomfort.
Not discreet enough, as it turned out.
Two PSNI officers spotted the then Lord Mayor relieving his discomfort and, consequently, the future North Belfast MP accepted a community resolution notice for 'indecent behaviour'.
I bring this up now because, last week, another prominent politician — former Northern Ireland Secretary of State Peter Mandelson — found himself in similar, erm, hot water.
Lord Mandelson, who has been in the headlines for more serious lapses of judgment recently, was photographed relieving himself against a wall in Notting Hill, west London.
Public urination in England and Wales constitutes 'disorderly' behaviour, as opposed to 'indecent' here, and the veteran Labour peer may yet face a fine of up to £300.
Both men have spoken of their subsequent embarrassment, apologised profusely and unreservedly — and are now unlikely bedfellows.
They also have my sympathy — as do band members, late-night revellers and, indeed, anyone with a small child who knows how difficult locating public toilets these days can be.
Over 40% of public urinals closed over past decade
Indeed, it's estimated that the UK has lost over 40% of these civic conveniences over the past decade alone, with most of them the victims of local authority cuts.
Meanwhile, many people remain shy of asking to use facilities in pubs, restaurants and shops if they're not a customer.
The dearth of public lavatory facilities in Belfast was first highlighted at council level in 1927, with members stating that it was “deplorable to see women and children having to perform acts of nature which, if the police saw them, would lead to prosecution.”
That led to a halcyon era for convenient WCs, lasting for over half a century.
As a daytime student/night-time reveller in Belfast in the early 1980s, I was grateful for the one at Shaftesbury Square, one of three such underground bogs in the city centre.
With their ornate tiles and fittings, brass handles and porcelain accoutrements, the facilities at Shaftesbury, Donegall Square North — situated rather inconveniently in the middle of a busy road — and Queen's Square resembled small churches and, sadly, have gone the same way as so many places of worship.
But the latter's demise is due to shrinking congregations, while the number of people 'needing to go' whilst visiting the city centre has, courtesy of our ever-burgeoning population, increased — as has the number of complaints made to parcel or food delivery companies about employees urinating on their property.
This has little to do with a lack of upbringing, and more likely the result of a lack of proper breaks and — yet again — access to available facilities.
Yet unless a police officer happens to be passing, the vast majority of public urination instances go reported.
John Finucane and Peter Mandelson were caught after being caught short but there, for the grace of God, go so many others.
Coummunity Toilet pilot
Earlier this month, Derry City and Strabane District Council introduced their 'Community Toilet Scheme' — the first of its kind here — in which local cafes, restaurants and other businesses are offered £300 to £800 per year to allow members of the public to use their facilities for free.
It's certainly worth a try elsewhere, although most of these places will be unavailable at night.
A recent survey also revealed that two out of five people who require frequent toilet use due to health issues don't leave the house as often as they'd want to, due to a lack of facilities.
It's a pity too that the demise of some of the most-used public toilets in the Belfast city centre area was hastened because of the 'cottaging' — men cruising for casual sex — that was prevalent in the 1980s and 1990s.
One of those was in Library Street — across from the old Belfast Telegraph building and whose entrance was in my line of vision from my desk on the third floor.
I stopped using that facility in the early 1990s after a bloke began masturbating — while smiling leeringly at me — from an adjacent urinal.
Every time I've related that incident, the inevitable response is: “And you just walked out of there? I'd have decked that creep on the spot”.
Yeah, you say that now but, at the time, the shock eclipsed any anger. Never has the phrase “I didn't know where to turn” been so apt.
Library Street public toilets was a notorious venue for the so-called 'shopping bag brigade'.
A participant would put the empty plastic bags over his feet and lower legs, thus giving the impression (in case a suspicious council worker decided to peek under the stall door) that there was only one person sitting in there, with a full shopping bag on the floor either side of him.
Nowadays in Belfast city centre, you're more likely to be a member of the 'cross your legs and think happy thoughts' brigade.
