Writing about politics, the Union and Northern Ireland. Find many of my latest articles here: muckrack.com/owen-polley/…
Northern Ireland
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'Theresa May's intervention on the bill deserved nothing but contempt. Don't forget: it was her government which first agreed to cut NI off from the rest of the UK economically & politically.' telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/06…
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According to declassified files, the Labour government assured RoI officials that @CatharineHoey would not be given a job connected to NI. Dreadful.
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'Whether or not they win in the Supreme Court on the points of law, their legal challenge has exposed the truth about the protocol and the way it has undermined our United Kingdom.' newsletter.co.uk/news/opinio…
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'Most unionists have no problem with Irish being spoken, written or taught. They object to (it) being used to claim ownership of public spaces, demand ever greater quantities of taxpayers’ cash & demonise anyone who feels uncomfortable with its imposition' thecritic.co.uk/a-sign-of-do…
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'The problem with the protocol and the framework is not that Northern Ireland ‘seamless access’ to both Great Britain and the EU, but that we’re shackled to the wrong market and cut off, commercially and politically, from the bulk of our own country.' newsletter.co.uk/news/opinio…
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'The EU Commission has no intention of being reasonable about the Irish Sea border. If it had, it wouldn’t have launched such a provocative attack on British sovereignty in Northern Ireland in the first place.' This morning's @News_Letter column.' newsletter.co.uk/news/opinio…
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Many nationalists interpret the GFA to mean, if a policy advances the cause of an all-Ireland state it’s definitely, irrefutably required by the agreement, & if it strengthens the UK, it’s an ungodly affront to the peace process @TweetTheArticle thearticle.com/did-johnson-g…
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'By far the biggest problem at Stomont is that the system is designed to keep Sinn Fein – an organisation that is intrinsically chaotic, secretive, conspiratorial and rabidly aggressive – at the heart of power-sharing.' newsletter.co.uk/news/opinio…
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'The rehabilitation of the IRA has also been enabled by broadcasters, commentators and historians who normalised Sinn Fein and its message. Murderers and extremists were allowed to portray themselves as legitimate politicians and even victims.' At @CapX capx.co/why-do-northern-irel…
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'If the flag attracts some antipathy, let’s be honest, that’s because some people here will never accept anything that represents Northern Ireland, particularly if it also reflects our place in the United Kingdom.' newsletter.co.uk/news/opinio…
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For some republicans, hatred of Britain trumps the opportunity to save lives capx.co/eZ3L4 via @CapX
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'Perpetrators of terror are coddled and helped to distort history, whilst those who tried to stop them are pursued and demonised.' Why Varadkar's threat to take the UK to the ECHR over legacy is deeply hypocritical. @TheCriticMag thecritic.co.uk/leo-varadkar…
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'It is difficult to defend the idea that Finucane deserves such overwhelming scrutiny, when other Troubles’ murders – including those perpetrated by the IRA – have been given comparatively little attention.' My article on Finucane for @spectator spectator.co.uk/article/repu…
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After 14 years of listening to the sanctimonious ideologue, Michael D Higgins, you'd think the Republic would be eager for a change. But on Friday it looks set to choose an even more aggressive, anti-western, hard left candidate for president @TheCriticMag thecritic.co.uk/the-annexati…
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"People who insisted that NI couldn't leave.. on the same basis as the rest of the UK want to escape responsibility for the outcome they engineered. They imply it’s no big deal to tear Unionists away from the economy & political life of their nation state
telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/04…
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Coveney has some cheek accusing Britain of risking a 'breakdown in relations' with the EU. The Irish minister for Foreign Affairs has done massive damage to the London / Dublin friendship over the years. telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/10…
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Somehow it's become accepted in NI that republicans can wallow in the past, distort it, glorify their crimes, use it as a weapon to further their current tactics. But it is unionists and other critics who are supposed to 'move on'. It's an attitude not even confined to SF.
Spare a thought for Joe Brolly. He genuinely can’t understand why people might be upset about the IRA murdering our friends and relatives and blowing up our towns. Why would people still be upset?
The SF vote keeps wounds open. You want people to move on, stop normalising SF.
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Biden's address was like being stuck in a broken lift with an American tourist capx.co/ewbCg via @CapX
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'The backstop asks MPs to sacrifice the Northern Ireland part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, in order to secure a Brexit deal. ' @TweetTheArticle thearticle.com/the-real-choi…
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When discussing the Irish Sea border and associated disruption, do remember that those who said it was necessary and who wouldn't accept a single camera at the land border as an alternative bear no responsibility for their preferred outcome.
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Rather than protect the RoI economy, the Irish PM chose to court domestic approval for sticking it to the Brits + preen in the international spotlight. Varadkar deserves everything coming to him when a ‘no deal’ Brexit affects his country most of all. thearticle.com/varadkar-dese…
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"Despite the propaganda, the weight of research suggests that the Irish Sea border is overwhelmingly a bad thing for this province’s economy." My latest News Letter column. newsletter.co.uk/news/opinio…
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The idea that the GAA has a right to government funding for a massive stadium in west Belfast takes nationalist grievance mongering to a new level. @News_Letter app.newsletter.co.uk/story/5…
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'The only people who had to be persuaded to embrace peace were the terrorist thugs who perpetrated violence. Should we really need to point that out to a Conservative secretary of state?' My column in this morning's @News_Letter newsletter.co.uk/news/opinio…
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The apology from @SteveBakerHW will be interpreted as toadying by unionists and weakness by the EU. It will not be reciprocated by Dublin or Brussels and it won't help achieve an acceptable solution to the protocol's problems. From @CapX capx.co/theres-no-point-in-a…
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"What these parties share is a contemptuous attitude to unionists when we are guided by the equally ideological, but far less socially disruptive and economically damaging, goal of preserving our place in the Union." newsletter.co.uk/news/opinio… 5
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Imagine a loyalist rap band that jokingly wore UVF balaclavas as Kneecap do republican ones - it would not be tolerated for a moment. A searing and accurate column from @BenLowry2 app.newsletter.co.uk/story/5…
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It's no longer just staunch Unionists who believe that Brussels is treating Northern Ireland badly. My latest article at @Telegraph telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/03…
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Time is running out for Liz Truss to resolve the Northern Ireland Protocol. She's started by saying the right things, but she must act almost immediately to secure NI's place in the UK. My latest at @Telegraph telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/12…
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"During Brexit negotiations, the Dublin government, EU officials and sympathetic remainers all encouraged the idea that hardening the Irish land border would effectively invite terrorism by Irish republicans." telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/11…
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'The notion that a gardener buying a plant pot from another part of their own country, or a shopper choosing a Marks & Spencer ready meal, or an Amazon delivery of alcohol to a private home pose any risk to the single market is beyond ridiculous.' thearticle.com/who-will-pull…
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In Northern Ireland, the political settlement that brought stability to the province is threatening to unravel, thanks to the Northern Ireland Protocol. For @CapX capx.co/has-the-protocol-kil…
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'There was never likely to be an outbreak of reasonableness from Brussels, because the protocol was always intended to cause problems. Part of the point was to show the UK that Brexit was going to hurt.' My latest article for the Daily Telegraph telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/02…
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In 2023 we went backwards on the protocol. Will 2024 be any better? The signs suggest it is unlikely. 'Everywhere you look, there’s dishonesty about the issues that Northern Ireland faces, the causes of its malaise and the constitutional implications.' newsletter.co.uk/news/opinio…
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The MLAs who cheered on our estrangement from the mainland will tomorrow vote for more pain for Northern Ireland, driven by all-Ireland fantasies or fanatical allegiance to the EU. newsletter.co.uk/news/opinio…
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There is nothing wrong with allowing the southern Irish government to face the consequences of the 'no deal' outcome that it has helped to create.
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Why are people surprised that Peter Taylor is an IRA sympathiser? He wrote a history of the organisation, Provos, that scarcely mentioned the Enniskillen bombing other than as a blow for the movement. It was always hanging out of him.
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The violence in Ballymena is disgraceful, but it's also something of a 'cry of despair from a community that has been changed radically by immigration and feels like its opinions have been ignored.' spectator.co.uk/article/what…
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Some good points from @DanBJohnson. Leo Varadkar portrays himself as Ireland’s lionhearted saviour — but is he? 'In other words: those citizens of Northern Ireland who identify as British cannot be given a say in the destiny of their homeland.' thearticle.com/leo-varadkar-…
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'The kind of 'up the Ra' culture that was considered extreme, repulsive and plain primitive in the 80s and the 90s is now mainstream; it’s cool and it is scarcely bothering to disguise itself with a veneer of irony.' newsletter.co.uk/news/opinio…
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'This principle (of consent) has no meaning if important parts of the Union can be dismantled, placing Northern Ireland on a different economic or political footing to the rest of the UK, & handing the EU authority over significant aspects of life.' telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/10…
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The court's ruling on the NI Protocol has made black and white the dire constitutional ramifications of the current Brexit deal. My piece at @Telegraph telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/06…
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Once again the 'united Ireland' fantasy falls apart in the face of hard data. capx.co/once-again-the-unite…
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This has happened for years. It happened long before the public had heard of Brexit. Some self-important dick-head is on the bus and it becomes news.
belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/…
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Theresa May has no right to lecture anyone on Northern Ireland. From @Telegraph telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/06…
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If Ireland can maintain an open border in the event of no deal, what is the point of the backstop? capx.co/Da4Ro via @CapX
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Higgins reminded us that, for all the rhetoric about a ‘new Ireland’, the Republic is still steeped in anti-British, anti-unionist prejudices and he provided a one-man rebuttal to naive arguments that those attitudes have changed. newsletter.co.uk/news/opinio…
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'I fear he has made people who are genuinely appalled by the sea border feel that he is belittling their anger or accusing them of fomenting violence. That they are the problem rather than the Protocol.' newsletter.co.uk/news/opinio…
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Unconvincing poll twisted by pundits to back Protocol. My column in this weekend's News Letter. "Increasingly... academia and activism are hard to tell apart." newsletter.co.uk/news/opinio…
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"If the Protocol is allowed to stand, the Belfast Agreement & the other safeguards that ensure that Northern Ireland remains British until a majority wants a change in its status will effectively mean nothing." @TweetTheArticle thearticle.com/has-the-north…
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The Windsor Framework destablised Northern Ireland and disrupts trade, but a rigged vote means the Assembly will endorse it for four more years. My latest article @CapX capx.co/the-windsor-framewor…
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'The idea that the UK govt is legally prevented from campaigning against the break-up of its own territory is bogus. The argument that it is morally prohibited in light of the “spirit” or “context” of the peace process, is even more silly.' @TheCriticMag thecritic.co.uk/nationalists…
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'The Twelfth' remembers events that laid the foundations for Britain’s subsequent greatness and even the ascendency of ‘the West.’ It's unfashionable to say so, but that's something worth celebrating. 'newsletter.co.uk/news/opinio…
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Remember, 'compromise' means how much of Sinn Fein's demands you're prepared to satisfy as a bribe to persuade them back to the Executive.
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'The Republic of Ireland's politics, far from projecting an image of stability and success... betrays a divided, confused country.' New president stands as a warning to gullible Brits not to trust nationalist Ireland's self-image. @TheCriticMag thecritic.co.uk/ireland-turn…
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David Trimble felt personally betrayed by the imposition of an internal border in the Irish Sea capx.co/YbS87 via @CapX
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In a country where you can't turn round politically for meeting an actual terrorist, this is supposed to be damning.
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'A green channel that involved companies adhering to single market regulations and completing customs paperwork would be little more than a glorified trusted trader scheme... U solve none of the constitutional difficulties created by the Irish Sea border.' newsletter.co.uk/news/opinio…
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'The endless ‘peace-process’ in NI equipped the province with a vast industry of quangos, ombudspeople, lobbyists and third sector organisations – all sucking greedily at the teat of public finance.' My piece on NIHRC's De Souza report. @TheCriticMag thecritic.co.uk/irish-nation…
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Sinn Fein breaks the lockdown rules. 'In Northern Ireland, a terrorist movement that murdered thousands feels it can do what it likes, without any consequences. Sadly, it may well be right.' thearticle.com/sinn-fein-bre…
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The United Kingdom has rarely felt more together. This feeling will surely be more resilient than the cynics suggest. My latest piece from @Telegraph telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/09…
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Ireland has rejected Sinn Fein – the Union is stronger for it: Despite an incorrect exit poll, Sinn Fein was the obvious loser at the Irish election. capx.co/ireland-has-rejected… via @CapX
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'Unionists want to hear that "the lady's not for turning" on the NI Protocol.' With the PM's rocky start & a new set of negotiations imminent, I argue unionists have to be on alert for the govt reneging on its commitments. @News_Letter newsletter.co.uk/news/opinio…
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'In Ireland, an increase in pro-IRA sentiments undermines the image of a modern, forward-thinking society that the Republic’s leaders like to project. The kind of behaviour that, even in the 90s, was considered extreme and primitive has become mainstream' spectator.co.uk/article/why-…
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President Higgins' time in office showed that the 'new Ireland' is as anti-British as the old one. app.newsletter.co.uk/story/5…
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“Sefcovic, Coveney & Biden are urging Britain to empty Northern Ireland's supermarket shelves, punish its pet owners & deprive it's cancer patients of life-saving drugs, supposedly to protect the 'peace process'.” @CapX capx.co/whatever-the-two-sid…
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In fewer than 100 days, the Windsor Framework will be in place, but the public debate over these arrangements has gone quiet and detail from govt is scarce. I look at the latest developments, including DEFRA advice that indicates more fudge on labelling. newsletter.co.uk/news/opinio…
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Varadkar deserves everything coming to him if there’s a no deal Brexit. thearticle.com/varadkar-dese…
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Graham Gudgin breaks down the recent deluge of pro-protocol propaganda. newsletter.co.uk/news/opinio…
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The MP for North Down trading on nationalist mopery again. The voters of that constituency should be thoroughly ashamed to have given this ridiculous character currency.
Rather ignorant and insensitive post. @DKShrewsbury as an English MP you would do well to read up on the Great Famine before talking of Ireland and plunder in the same sentence
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'It was these innocent victims (of the IRA) who showed grace and forbearance last weekend, by tolerating an apologist for terrorism like Michelle O’Neill in their midst.' thecritic.co.uk/sinn-fein-su…
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'Since 2016 the Conservatives have repeatedly claimed to care deeply about Northern Ireland’s role in its ‘precious Union’, while steadily removing or diluting important aspects of the province’s place in the UK.' capx.co/once-more-warring-to…
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If unionists don't immediately endorse Sunak's deal they will be abused as intransigent and unreasonable, but if it's not right then they need to stand firm. On the latest developments, in today's @News_Letter newsletter.co.uk/news/opinio…
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I just supported this case! crowdjustice.com/case/defend… via @CrowdJustice
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'That a recent Taoiseach is prepared to campaign publicly for Northern Ireland’s annexation is divisive at best and could properly be regarded as a reckless provocation.' Varadkar, humiliated in the ROI, is still stirring in NI. @TheCriticMag thecritic.co.uk/leo-varadkar…
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'Anti-sectarian heritage helps Alliance avoid a spotlight on the nasty, identitarian turn that its politics have taken.' The party's descent into woke cult, at @TheCriticMag thecritic.co.uk/any-colour-y…
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'Michael D Higgins is entitled to his perspective. He's not entitled to patronise British journalists and historians just because they don't echo the clichés and canards of Irish nationalism.' My piece at @Telegraph
telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/02…
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If I've understood this correctly, EU is invoking Article 16 of NIP to prevent vaccines from entering NI via single market. It cites 'societal difficulties' likely to be caused by lack of EU vaccine supply. Sets a precedent for UK citing same re. food / military equip. etc.
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'The “Shinners” have come to believe they can get away with almost anything.' thecritic.co.uk/the-blame-ag…
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Most oppressed people ever:
Irish neutrality denialism is just the latest way to claim victimhood. @TheCriticMag thecritic.co.uk/most-oppress…
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Anger and despair at the Northern Ireland Protocol extends far beyond paramilitary thugs capx.co/czzif via @CapX
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Rishi Sunak promised that the Windsor Framework would remove 'any sense' of a border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. At @CapX I look at what's actually being implemented by the government. capx.co/the-truth-about-the-…
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'Labour’s failure to stand up for Britain has become a recurring theme under Keir Starmer’s leadership.' @TheCriticMag thecritic.co.uk/northern-ire…
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'Within hours (of snubbing Trump & claiming the moral high ground), Sinn Fein’s leaders were issuing gushing tributes to Brendan ‘Bik’ McFarlane, the latest IRA murderer to die with Northern Ireland still under the King’s Crown & Union Flag.' capx.co/donald-trump-is-givi… via @CapX
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Don’t believe the hype,the Republic’s not in a happy place. It just elected its 2nd hard left president in a row, while, in its parliament, moderates can barely keep control. The left is extreme & anti-western, the right has no voice & resorts to violence newsletter.co.uk/news/opinio…
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The Upper Tribunal emphatically rejected this interpretation of the agreement. Alliance is supporting one of nationalism's imaginative claims of that document, which is intended to distance NI from the citizenship regime in the rest of the UK.
The UK Government are refusing to reflect in domestic law the citizenship and identity commitments of the Good Friday Agreement. We are using the Nationality and Borders Bill to press for action.
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Political parties may be renowned for hypocrisy, but none is as brazen or shameless as Sinn Fein. thecritic.co.uk/sinn-feins-s…
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Owen Polley: Unionists should beware of engaging with the ‘New Ireland’ nonsense newsletter.co.uk/news/opinio…
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'Links to organised crime; unaccountable, shadowy leaders; dubious practices when it comes to money and data; the glorification of gunmen and bombers; flagrant hypocrisy on Covid regulations.' The only party that can get away with such a charge sheet?
telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/04…
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Owen Polley: Here is to the next 100 years of Northern Ireland newsletter.co.uk/news/opinio…
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The Ulster Covenant affirmed our "cherished position of equal citizenship in the United Kingdom". The NI Protocol undermines that position. It's appropriate for unionists to acknowledge that together on #UlsterDay, irrespective of their differences on other issues.
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The army of online Irish republicans, or Shinner-bots, had a collective meltdown after Irish rugby fans belted out an anti-IRA anthem at their world cup match in Paris. capx.co/?p=223266 via @CapX
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Dublin would be horrified if faced with an all-Ireland state. By me, in this weekend's @News_Letter newsletter.co.uk/news/opinio…
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'There is no executive at Stormont because of the extraordinary impact of the protocol; not because of designation or the DUP’s attitudes to Sinn Fein.' My latest column in the @News_Letter on the real problem with the Belfast Agreement. newsletter.co.uk/news/opinio…
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