Editorial Pieces | Belfast Media

WE SAY: UUP leader faces many challenges

AS FORMER senior PSNI officer Jon Burrows prepares to take over the leadership of the UUP uncontested, he will be fully aware of the huge challenges that face him. Or at least we think he will be, because Mr Burrows is so fond of an arresting soundbite and accompanying picture that it is sometimes hard to tell what lies beneath the bluster and blow.

WE SAY: Flag row – time to call in the optometrists

THE vacuous debate involving the Communities Minister over the flag to be used to represent these benighted six counties in the Commonwealth Games speaks to a wider problem: the nationalist community of the North is simply still not seen by our former masters.

WE SAY: Here's our New Year's Resolution — reclaim Broadway Towers

The Squamish Nation of western Canada have a phrase for their approach to community development — their aim is "to manage wealth not manage poverty".

EDITORIAL: A familiar hunger strike story

THE failure of the Irish and UK media to acknowledge the continuing hunger strike by remand prisoners in England is an eye-opening example of the propaganda that passes for journalism when it comes to the issue of Gaza and Israel.

WE SAY: BBC's blind spot began in North but has spread to their home turf

THERE is something awry with the world when it's impossible to find anywhere on the BBC mention of the fact that UK citizens are on a hunger strike in British prisons in solidarity with the beleaguered people of Palestine.

WE SAY: Now fly the Tricolour at City Hall

"The arc of the moral universe is long," reflected black civil rights leader Martin Luther King, "but it Bends towards justice."

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IN a world where opinions are free but facts are sacred, there is real value to reliable news.

WE SAY: Halloween horror story is bad for business

HOW appropriate that the Justice Department at Stormont should choose Halloween as the backdrop for their latest billboard campaign warning of the alleged threat from criminal gangs marauding through West Belfast.

WE SAY: The wrong choice for unionism – yet again

UNIONISM has two choices as the conversation about a new Ireland gathers pace and as the head of the Alliance Party demands clarity on the conditions for a border poll.It can get serious about making this place work for all its people, as it constantly claims it wants to. Or it can continue to engage in divisive culture wars sensationalism aimed at ensuring the loyalty of its staunchest voters.

WE SAY: Make your voice heard on Gaza – it means more than you think

IN a week’s time, a Falls Road white line picket will mark two years since the beginning of the Israeli Gaza onslaught.

WE SAY: Time to demand benefits for all from Artificial Intelligence revolution

Our political leaders were blindsided by the most seismic change of the last two decades — the advent of social media powered by internet giants — and in the process bequeathed us arterial routes bereft of small businesses, the normalisation of racist and inflammatory hate speech, and, thank you Instagram, young people of increasingly parlous mental health driven to self-harm and suicide by cyber-bullying and trolling.

WE SAY: Mary Lou should throw her hat in the ring in race for the Áras

The political pooh-bahs in Leinster House are sweating profusely this week, and not because a heatwave is on the way but rather because a certain Mary Lou McDonald is pondering a run at the Áras.

WE SAY: By 2050, could managing wealth replace managing poverty?

The official opening of the new West Belfast Partnership Board managed offices on the Falls last week — home to both the umbrella community group and local businesses (including the Andytown News) — seems like an appropriate time to take stock of the economic wellbeing of the West.

Starmer will pay for multi-billion pound defence splurge out of our pockets

IF you want to judge the values of any society, you could do worse than ask how well it funds its libraries.

WE SAY: Racism needs a robust response

THERE have always been links between unionist politicians and the far right. The axis of sub-fascist loyalist ideology, Old Testament fundamentalism and political unionism was central to the chaos and unrest of the mid- and late-60s that exploded into a 30-year conflict.

Fruithill hosts successful speed chess tournament

Soccer: Cliftonville boss believes the Reds 'owe it' to their support to bounce back from derby defeat

Gaelic Games: Cushendall round off the year in style with Ulster Championship glory

Soccer: Crusaders claim Christmas derby bragging rights over Reds

PLATING UP: Sirloin steak with baby boiled potatoes and mange tout

ROBIN LIVINGSTONE: The 2025 Top Moments Awards (PART II)

SQUINTER: Review of the year

HEALTHWISE: Beware of pseudoscience at this time of year

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