I recently received a message from a Slugger regular on holiday in Torrevieja on Spain’s western Costa Blanca asking about ‘Spanish’ fiestas. The first thing to say is that fiesta culture is Iberian ...

Two data points landed this week that I think deserve more attention than they’re getting. First, Northern Ireland’s average monthly wage is up 8% on last year — outpacing inflation and signalling ...

I’m going to return this month to the theme of my last blog on Northern Ireland’s continued existence in a new or united Ireland, as outlined by SDLP leader Clare Hanna in her essay in the recent ...

To be honest, space travel has never interested me that much. I can appreciate the technical achievement of sending a rocket into space and the bravery of the astronauts, but I prefer to concentrate ...

Few will be surprised by what the public told us in the survey for Deloitte’s latest State of the State report. The NHS, social care, the cost of living and affordable housing remain at the top of ...

The Financial Times reports on discreet but “advanced” discussions between the UK government and Dublin over a potential transfer of selected Northern Ireland public assets to the Ireland Strategic ...

For years, I’ve argued that appointments to public boards in Northern Ireland are perceived to be a closed shop. No less than two weeks ago, I found myself in another meeting with another group of ...

It’s fair to say our general expectations of Stormont are on the low side. The best we can hope for at this stage is they do no harm, but every now and again they manage to surpass themselves with ...

In addition to our normal open Sunday, we have a politics-free post to give you all a break. So discuss what you like here, but no politics.

There’s nothing especially new about making money from other people’s suffering. What’s new is the mechanism. The betting scandal suggests a shift from blunt profiteering to something closer to ...

I was in Magherafelt today (well, a week last Saturday), for the first time in quite a while. What struck me was how unlike ...

Irish President Catherine Connolly this week made her appointments to the Irish Council of State. According to its page on ...