Keir Starmer should condemn Trump’s illegal action in Venezuela. Maduro is a brutal and illegitimate dictator, but unlawful attacks like this make us all less safe. Trump is giving a green light to the likes of Putin and Xi to attack other countries with impunity.

The Christmas decorations are not down yet. But the Easter egg promotion has already started. Much like our weather and seasons everything is slowly getting mixed up and out of place. 🤯😔

The revelation directly contradicts the Post Office's claims during criminal prosecutions - which led to hundreds of wrongful convictions and civil cases that destroyed livelihoods - that no bugs existed capable of causing accounting shortfalls.

I know from my time in DOJ that this will have taken a lot of work by @naomilong.bsky.social and the @justice-ni.bsky.social team. Well done.

Much needed upgrade of Enterprise rolling stock, but track extension and electrification is also needed on Dublin-Belfast and across the island, N and S.

Tales from Stormont, part 999. m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/norther...

What’s the point of Keir Starmer employing an economics advisor if he ignores her on the biggest economic issue of the day?

Lying in politics is wrong and should never be rewarded, says newspaper which pays Boris Johnson £1 million a year to be its star columnist

Ryan Bourne, a member of the Economists for Brexit* cabal that the Leave camp depended on to make their economic case for leaving, has written a long article in the Times admitting to the damage that Brexit has caused. (*Other familiar names include Patrick Minford.) archive.ph/2025.11.26-1...

Presumably temperate forests have a similar, if smaller, effect. Any data available, Eoghan @irishrainforest.bsky.social?

Naomi is absolutely right. Public servants deserve the support of everyone in society. x.com/naomi_long/s...

🇷🇺🇬🇧 🇷🇺🇬🇧 The petition: ‘Call a public inquiry into Russian influence on UK politics & democracy’ has now passed 70,000 signatures. Let’s get it to over 100,O00 by the weekend! Please sign and share widely. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...

This from a Republican Congressman who was a Naval Officer.

BBC removes description of Donald Trump as "the most openly corrupt president in American history" from the broadcast today of Rutger Bregman's Reith Lecture. I was among the several hundred people to hear the original at the lecture theatre

In simple terms: the SF-DUP duopoly will say all the right things but take no action to deal with the Lough Neagh crisis.

"Regrettably, some political leaders in Northern Ireland were not always able, in this time of extraordinary crisis, to set aside political and sectarian divisions and to govern jointly and effectively in the interests of the whole of Northern Ireland." (Hallett Covid Inquiry) Who knew?

A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) shows that estimates about the damage done by Brexit have underestimated its impact over the course of a decade. Data now suggests that Brexit has reduced UK GDP by 6%–8%, reduced investment 12%–18%, and reduced productivity by 3%–4%. 🇬🇧🇪🇺

Starmer and co know how much damage Brexit has caused. When will they actually do something to redress it?

@leonardconsultancy.bsky.social - thanks for your wise balanced words on Talkback today, Marcella.

The PPE Medpro saga continues. Can it really be true that the company failed to pay tax on its profits from supplying unfit PPE to the NHS?

@irishrainforest.bsky.social Are you listening to Today on @rteradio1.bsky.social from about 11.15?

One moment an ordinary citizen doing an ordinary, routine job. The next, a life-saving hero.

I'm a member of the UFU and a small farmer in the Lough Neagh catchment. It's hard to disagree with Newton. It also appears, yet again, that the UFU Executive is following, not leading.

What an unusual division. Most Tories voted with Farage, with DUP & TUV. @eddavey.libdems.org.uk made the speech against Farage, supported in the vote by Lib Dems, @sorchaeastwood.bsky.social, UUP, most of SNP, Plaid, Green, SDLP & Ind Left. And some Labour, but clearly not whipped.

I agree with @timfarron.bsky.social. It's hard to know which is worse: a Government which denied the problems caused by Brexit or one which acknowledges the mess but does nothing to deal with it.

Too late, my darlings. www.ft.com/content/d6c8...

Next task for the IfG: compare and contrast Prison Service in E&W with those in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Yet another reason why so many who were glad to see the Tories removed from Government at GE24 now despair of the current crowd.

Nothing on the BBC Radio news this morning. Nothing I could find on their website. This is an MP from the party whose lead in the opinion polls normally ensures them wall-to-wall coverage. She spouts racist nonsense for which even she feels obliged to apologise. What on earth are they playing at?

. @justice-ni.bsky.social v.uk & @healthdpt.bsky.social ministers have welcomed a landmark report on Drug-Related Intimidation (DRI) in NI. The report reveals the widespread & complex nature of DRI, which affects individuals, families, and entire communities. ➡️ justice-ni.gov.uk/news/ministe...

Unless I am mistaken, there's a former Councillor from the "moderate" UUP in the picture. Perhaps someone from the Ulster Unionist leadership could explain their position.

I thought I was asking a simple enough question! #FarageFantasies www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

Lisburn Chess Club: one of many partners of Prison Service, helping make Northern Ireland safer by rehabilitation of offenders.

What was it about people poking fun at the extremists being the thing that really annoys them?

I am disgusted at the level of abuse my colleague @naomilong.bsky.social has had to endure, but this is a new low. Solidarity 💛

In case you need this today or tomorrow (NI obviously)

Surely it can't be true that the husband of a Tory Peer was engaging in dubious practice to evade tax? <spolier> The High Court has determined that a significant sum must be repaid to DoH.

Interesting comment from Jo Maugham director of @goodlawproject.org following Court ruling against PPE Medpro.

In other news, Kemi Badenoch's party has taken at least £7 million in donations from funders and directors of climate change denial lobby groups bylinetimes.com/2025/03/18/k...

It's easy to forget the good work being done in NI prisons. @justice-ni.bsky.social BBC News - Changing prisoners' conversations on violence against women www.bbc.com/news/article...

The community note has it right.

I'm sure this will be widely welcomed <checks notes> in every part of the UK. BBC News - Starmer to announce plans for digital ID scheme www.bbc.com/news/article...

Paramilitaries are a poison on our society.  The Secretary of State’s appointment of a “go-between” to negotiate with them risks legitimising their coercion and criminality.  It’s time they were off the backs of our community and out of the murky shadows of our politics.

Claims that the UK could leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) without breaching the 1998 Good Friday Agreement (GFA) are “not credible”, a new report has concluded.

The BBC is reporting this "on security grounds". Security > embarrassment.

I’m old enough to remember when Conservative Party leaders believed in law and order.

What is it about the UUP? On Talkback (Radio Ulster) today, @williamcrawley.bsky.social interviewed @sianalliance.bsky.social about the need for politicians to provide leadership in stopping violence. Then the local UUP MLA came on to have a pop at @naomilong.bsky.social about a prison dog.

The racial violence we’ve witnessed across NI over the past year has been disgusting. No one should live in fear in their own community, says @sianalliance.bsky.social. That’s why Alliance is calling on politicians to show leadership and stand up against racism.