Northern Ireland
Dark, dank and mysterious: the haunting strangeness of boglands
The ecologist Merritt Turetsky tells many arresting stories – of fugitives seeking sanctuary, of rare treasures surfacing and murder victims vanishing
‘I shall always want to say thank you to this country’: the gratitude of a former kindertransport refugee
Having escaped to Britain from Nazi-occupied Prague, aged six, Alf Dubs has long campaigned on behalf of other fugitives seeking sanctuary
Terrorism nearly always fails – so where does that leave the ‘freedom fighter’?
If his aim is in practice unachievable, this must surely torpedo any attempted justification for murder
The Northern Ireland Troubles Bill only serves the IRA
More British military personnel were killed during the Troubles than in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. As well as soldiers, innocent…
How Ireland succumbed to ‘radical chic’
When a law student from Co. Kildare was stopped this summer on suspicion of transporting a bomb across the Irish…
Starmer must drop this terrible Troubles bill
As we mark another anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, we should be less inclined to celebrate and more disposed…
The guilty men: the ideologues who undermine Britain
When Britain handed Hong Kong over to China in 1997, Tony Blair was in melancholic mood. The newly elected prime…
Justice in war is messy
At the end of last month, a judge in Belfast issued a verdict that was both right and wrong. The…
When, why and how came the fall – the success and sorry decline of the British Army
An impressively detailed chronicle by an analyst well up to the task. Read it and weep
The frustrations of the Tory mindset
‘The facts of life are Conservative.’ This sentence is often attributed to Margaret Thatcher, whose centenary falls next week. The…
Violent extremists won’t spoil Joe Biden’s visit to Northern Ireland
What can violent extremists do to wreck Joe Biden’s first visit to Northern Ireland? The answer is precious little. The…
The DUP has a right to be difficult over the Northern Ireland Protocol
It’s easy to take an unsympathetic view of the Democratic Unionist Party. For many, its politicians are caricatures of the…
The David Trimble I know (1998)
David Trimble, Northern Ireland’s first minister from 1998 to 2002 and leader of the Ulster Unionist party from 1995 to…
The EU never understood Northern Ireland
At the heart of the crisis over the Protocol is its failure to deliver on its own stated aims. To…
Letters
Don’t ban Russia’s culture Sir: It is uncouth, illiterate and actually beneficial to Putin when theatres, opera houses and other…
Portrait of the week
Home The annual rate of inflation, impelled by energy costs, rose to 9 per cent, its highest since 1982. Unemployment…
Letters
Disarming by default Sir: Underpinning Rod Liddle’s amusing article on use of nuclear weapons last week is the reassurance provided…
Portrait of the week
Home The Prince of Wales delivered the Queen’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament sitting on a throne next…
EU: normal disservice resumes
In the past few months, relations between the UK and the EU have been the best they have been since…
Brexit’s first success
The purpose of Brexit was to strengthen Britain’s ties with both the world beyond Europe and with Europe itself, but…
Miss Brexit? Another bust-up is looming
In the past few months, relations between the UK and the EU have been the best they have been since…
The Northern Ireland elections could break the Union
Belfast, Northern Ireland Phillip Brett was just nine years old the night a neighbour called to say his brother, Gavin,…
Don’t prosecute Soldier F
Sometimes old grievances are best laid to rest. That was certainly the view of Tony Blair when his government issued…
Will Westminster ever fix the Northern Ireland protocol?
Last night’s spat between the Foreign Office and the Treasury was hardly reassuring for Unionists. If you missed it, a…
Watching the detective
Producers are getting jittery again. Large-scale shows look risky when a single infection can postpone an entire show. Hence Poirot…
