Happy New Year all you beautiful people and I hope 2026 is a more peaceful year than the last 12 months ✊

A masterpiece- well ahead of its time.

That time you were interviewing and the candidate kept spouting on about themselves and clearly hadn’t thought one jot about how they would add value to your department!

Those sweat glands be tested

Top project with a top scholar -what’s not to like? A 3 yr post doc will set up an academic career -so don’t be shy, do apply 👍💪

It’s here! It’s magic (realism)! Thanks everyone who already snagged a copy of my debut novel, set in wintry, Celtic Tiger era Belfast. Link in bio or below. Want to review it? Get in touch for an ARC.

Generational change is polite way of saying deaths v new voters -& from these figs supporting #Brexit was def bad for your health as 56% more Leavers have died than Remainers. 3.2M leave voters have died since 2016 v 1.8m remainers. 🤔 I expect Reform to blame migrants for the disparity!

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Quite an intervention from JB over the last few days -not just about Stakeknife and NCND but also the implications for current and future credibility of UK gov & its legacy reforms/planned Legacy Commission. (Hope CAJ makes a transcript/recording available for the non locally based.)

While perhaps a second level issue the clear exasperation of the PSNI Chief Constable at the continuing role of MI5 in NI surely renders the publicly funded project focused on writing Britain's 'Official' History of the Troubles untenable now? They've been promised full access to gov archives! LOL 🤣

PSNI chief Jon Boutcher has said MI5’s “relationship with Northern Ireland is a challenge” after a landmark report into the activities of IRA double agent Stakeknife exposed significant failures across the intelligence agencies during the Troubles.

Congrats and looks great @allimcculloch.bsky.social & @drsiobhanbyrne.bsky.social just in time for my Christmas list 🎅 👍

Ludicrous situation that UK government refuses to allow Kenova to release the identity of Stakeknife -despite everyone knowing his identity, while clinging on to secrecy norms such as NCND is undermining government credibility over new Troubles legacy legislation.

Must be serious questions for UK government to answer now over current NI Troubles Bill (to establish new Legacy Commission) over secrecy and lack of accountability highlighted by Kenova. If the PSNI Chief Constable thinks there is a lack of accountability how does gov expect to convince others?

Most interesting aspect of this is the clear tension between PSNI chief constable & UK government. The lack of accountability & secrecy that remains will undermine efforts to address legacy. It is not just about the past, it is about the future & the lack of UK government credibility on legacy.

Interesting figures -NI trailing behind on most of the key economic and social benchmarks -not least life expectancy! Starting to give off some East Germany vibes!

Me when I cite myself:

I think she is now at a level that is more to be pitied than mocked…. This has become a mental health issue I think?

Once you see it -you can’t unsee it 😂 outstanding work 👏👏👏

Amazing performance of Nessan Dorma by Andrea Bocelli at start of #FIFAWorldcup draw. But cut aways to Trump were a reminder that he is going to have his little piggy fingers all over it. Almost enough to make me hope that England puts the USA out if they reach the knockout stages —Almost enough!

Used to be called Diplock courts where I was from -only introduced in extremis, when juries were being intimidated by paramilitaries in the 1970s. Now it’s being advocated as a state of the art justice system! What a world we live in 🙃

@inclusivepeaceora.bsky.social colleagues were among those who gave evidence to the NI Affairs Committee on the gov’s approach to Legacy reform. committees.parliament.uk/publications... @feargalc.bsky.social @neophytosloizides.bsky.social @aimeejaysmith.bsky.social @warwickpais.bsky.social

Labour came to power promising to ‘repeal and replace’ the egregious 2023 legislation. As many of the submissions to this report suggest, the current Bill seems less like root and branch reform & more a case of some delicate pruning around the edges. @inclusivepeaceora.bsky.social

In light of findings that young women are being hounded out of public life by social media threats, deepfakes & trolling. Do we need to think further about rights to personal/private life in the digital age. www.theguardian.com/society/ng-i...

The new Legacy Commission will have an uphill battle in gaining public credibility- but the formal co -operation bet the UK and Irish governments would seem to be a move in the right direction.

Meanwhile she is being ‘interviewed’ by BBC Nick Robinson about how she ‘cut through’ in her response to the budget by referencing Cheerios and waving her hands around! The show is called ‘Political Thinking with Nick Robinson’ Fully expect Wayne Rooney to be doing the news by the weekend! 🙄

Brilliant @vicderbyshire.bsky.social interview with James Murray on tonight’s @bbcnewsnight.bsky.social Precise, sharp but polite questioning & great follow ups when the answers veered towards the formulaic talking points. 👏

Truly a case of life imitating art -in fact he should be entered as an installation for the Turner Prize 🙄

We've just launched a new policy brief series, evaluating the Dayton Agreement at 30. A partnership between @inclusivepeaceora.bsky.social and the Forum of Federations, our first brief examines public opinions on constitutional reform options in BiH. Read it here: www.forumfed.org/collection/f...

Wow! Hadn’t seen this version before. Brilliant stuff. Was thinking for the first half- ‘Prince is a bit quiet’ -then…. 🤩

Back to the Trump default setting -support Russia and bully Ukraine into de facto surrender. Last time Europeans intervened he backed off -bit it is clearly his go to ‘solution’ appeasement of the aggressor.

Ex-leader of Reform UK in Wales Nathan Gill is sentenced to 10 & a half years in jail for taking bribes as part of a pro-Russia influence campaign Gill was paid thousands of pounds to give TV interviews in favour of a key Putin ally and to make speeches in European Parliament, where he was an MEP

Bosch!

At the very least the phrase ‘peace plan’ needs to be in quotation marks to indicate some healthy cynicism over its usage here. It’s basically the US demanding Ukraine surrender to Russian aggression. Difficult to see any Europeans accepting this if reports are accurate.

Seems like a good day to remind everyone that Jared Kushner advised Saudi Crown Prince MBS on how to “weather the storm” after his hit squad slaughtered American journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Reminded me of John Motson shouting ‘Marco Tardelli’ after the Italian scored in 1982 WC -this celebration has the edge though! 🤩

The planes on this route are small and old. last week when I was on it the left propeller (yes propeller) didn’t start rotating till we’d reached the runway! Perfectly normal I’m sure. But if you can’t make money on a Manchester-Belfast route there is def something wrong somewhere

This is very sad news for Downpatrick. While the print media is under huge financial pressure, this has been a great local paper and an important part of cultural capital for the town and wider area.

It’s their version of flooding the zone!

Amazing! This is top level film trivia 👏👏👏

"Most immigrants are already net fiscal contributors; decreasing their numbers will only decrease their contributions." ✍️ @lgilbert.co argues that migrants to the UK are net fiscal contributors, adding much more to the economy than they take out, ukandeu.ac.uk/lower-migrat...

‘Reliable official statistics’ …are so easy to misinterpret 😂

TINA died a while ago! Amazingly given the stonking majority a year ago -it’s when, not if, now. (Arguably a more spectacular political failure than the Lettuce).

A newish (and chilling) feature of British politics has been Starmer/Reeves increasingly pitching themselves as a quasi technocratic govt, saying bond markets will accept no other. If that’s the strategy, my impression is that Labour MPs do not want to hear it.

Barely mentioned but that now notorious Trump Panorama *wasn’t made by the BBC* It was an indie production (as so much is) Even if was BBC, head of news or DG would wouldn’t have been involved in edits

President Catherine Connolly has called for action on war, genocide and climate change, saying the normalisation of war “has never been and will never be acceptable” to Ireland, a nation with a long tradition of neutrality and peacekeeping. #VMNews

The problem is a lack of any ideological purpose and thus no strategic direction. There is no political compass to guide policy so result is callous incoherence. Piss off the old the young the vulnerable the farmers then reverse policies after damage is done and do more damage with the reversal. 🤦‍♂️

What a lovely post -captures the moment perfectly 👏

He’s watched South Park -he knows what’s coming.