Americanizing the NHS

I was on a boat in the middle of the Gulf of Finland when I found out my uncle had passed away. We all knew it was coming, but the speed with which it arrived sent my head and heart spinning, because once again I would miss the funeral of a family member. That part of the story is more about being an immigrant; another story for another time. The part of being an immigrant that is relevant here, is …

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Future Ireland / Does motherhood unite or divide us?

Most mothers have more pressing things to think about than constitutional arrangements. While there are some differences in the lived experiences of mothers in the UK and Ireland, they are small. In fact, our struggles are pretty much the same across national borders. Beyond the obvious, that all mothers want the best for their children (and often disagree on what that is and how to achieve it), we are united in our systematic disadvantage by the states in which we …

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‘Your Belfast’ and the structural blindness of whiteness

A few weeks ago, a partnership of Visit Belfast and Belfast City Council launched a video for a new campaign, Your Belfast, aimed at supporting businesses in the city centre that were being adversely impacted by the cordon around the Bank Buildings, nearly destroyed in the Primark fire a few weeks ago. Many businesses that fall within the cordon are closed until further notice, but there are those close to the cordon that are also feeling the pinch of reduced …

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The Paradox of the Positive: Re-Examining American Independence Day

Ever since I moved to Belfast I’ve made a point of celebrating the Fourth of July, Independence Day. While I quickly learned that the parades from my childhood don’t have the same meaning here, I clung to and adapted other traditions that were a bit more portable and less sectarianized; namely, beer and barbecued meat. Also, the wearing of red, white and blue, but done discreetly, and without obvious American flag emblems masquerading as clothing (I’m looking at you, bizarre, …

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Abortion Alliances Transcending Orange and Green

One of the first things I became involved in through the Belfast Feminist Network was a short play about abortion. It attempted to tell the stories of women’s experiences accessing abortions from Northern Ireland. At the time, around 2011, it was novel. We weren’t even telling real stories, per se, but writing them based on conversations with real women. We performed it a couple of times, and then the artistic conversations moved on to telling real women’s actual stories – …

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‘Booby Trap’ Bomb Under Soldier’s Car Found This Morning

An “undercar booby trap bomb” has been discovered under the car of a soldier in Bangor, County Down this morning. The bomb fell out from underneath the car this morning and was discovered. 20 – 30 homes in the area were subsequently evacuated. This follows the bomb at the Strand Road Police Station in Derry yesterday, blamed on republican splinter group Óglaigh na hÉireann. In May, the IMC said that the threat from dissident republican militants remained high, and the …

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Community Relations Rally at Stormont Today

Youth workers, community workers and activists will gather at the Newtownards gate of Stormont today at 12pm and walk up to the parliament building in support of community relations work and in protest at the cut in vital funding. In a perhaps unwitting testament to how important this work is, the BBC this morning ran a story about the rising tensions at the interface on the lower Oldpark road. There is also believed to be a sectarian motive for a …

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Of Bombs and Diplomas

At a press conference in Kabul this morning, David Cameron stated that Afghanistan was his “number one priority” and pledged an additional £67m to fight improvised explosive devices, or  IEDs (roadside bombs, effectively). Mr. Cameron denied that any additional troops would be sent. £67m on bombs. What else could that £67m have bought you in Afghanistan? Schools, hospitals, roads, infrastructure, a better police force? All that things that, arguably, might reduce support for the insurgents that plant IEDs, which is …

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Your outrage must endure another 37 days…

Outraged at Israel’s violent attack on the humanitarian aid flotilla? Outraged at those who are outraged? Either way, you may have to wait 37 days the next time you want to join your international peers in demonstrating your anger. Something that should’ve been obvious from yesterday’s City Centre vigil for the flotilla, but was rarely mentioned: If the Public Assemblies Bill passes, yesterday’s demonstration would have been illegal. The organizers and everyone there could have been subject to six months in …

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“Shoot to Kill” Files Ordered Released

The High Court today has ordered that files relating to the government’s alleged ‘shoot to kill’ policy should be released. Mr. Justice John Gillen said: “If inquests are to maintain public confidence, put minds at rest and answer the questions of the families who are bereaved, it is vital to ensure that the interested parties/next of kin can participate in an informed, open and transparent fashion on an equal footing with all other parties throughout the various stages of the …

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South Africa and the World Cup Frenzy – A Success Story?

No local teams will be participating, but all eyes are already on South Africa in the lead-up to the World Cup next month – and the rest will be glued to the T.V. But amid all the glitz and glamour surrounding the World Cup, very little is being said about South Africa beneath the World Cup gloss. We presume that such prestigious events as the World Cup can bring countless benefits to struggling societies, particularly those coming out of transition. In …

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