Integrated Education
Integrated Education: What’s gone wrong? Almost half of all children are being taught in schools where 95% or more of the pupils are of the same religion and only 7% attend integrated schools in Northern…
Maghaberry crisis nothing new
For as long as I have been an elected representative Maghaberry Prison has been constantly in the news with one damning report following another. Back in 2009 a report found that Maghaberry is one of…
Pancreatic Cancer event at Stormont
Our friend Ann Allan has written a wonderful blog about this week's Pancreatic Cancer UK Awareness Event at Stormont. Click here to read: http://sluggerotoole.com/tag/pancreatic-cancer-uk/ The blog features a link to a very moving speech by NI21 Party…
Why the Arts Matter
There was a fantastic event at Stormont today organised by Arts Matter NI in protest against the swingeing cuts in Arts funding. Basil McCrea MLA was in attendance and during Question Time managed to persuade Arts…
Pancreatic Cancer Awareness
Basil McCrea MLA supports Pancreatic Cancer UK as pancreatic cancer awareness month begins in Northern Ireland On Monday 2nd November Basil attended a reception at Stormont, organised by Pancreatic Cancer UK, to help spread the word about the…
DUP Block Equal Marriage
An historic vote for Equal Marriage but democracy has been blocked by the 'Democratic' Unionist Party A majority of members vote in favour of the motion calling for the Executive to table legislation to allow…
Paramilitaries in Northern Ireland
The Secretary of State has just published a report on Paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland. Should the findings be a surprise to anyone? The assessment confirms that all the main paramilitary groups operating during the…
What are Stormont’s priorities?
Contrasting and shocking scenes at Stormont today. On the left a photo of the chamber during a debate on proposals to reduce the salaries and costs of Ministerial 'Special Advisers' who earn disproportionately more than…
World Mental Health Day
Today is World Mental Health Day 2015 It is estimated that one in five people in Northern Ireland has a mental health problem at any one time and we have higher levels of mental health…
Hospital Waiting Times
"Heads would roll" in England if hospital waiting list figures were on the same scale as those currently seen in Northern Ireland. Nigel Edwards, the chief executive of the Nuffield Trust health body, described the…