Author Jude Collins

The above Act under which procuring an abortion is a crime which can carry a life sentence for the procurer remains in force in England,  Scotland and Wales. By remaining in force I mean the Act still has the force of law. It  is widely believed that the law approves and supports abortion on demand […]

  When the knell sounded for the melancholy death of Little Nell at the tale end of The Old Curiosity Shop there were contrasting reactions from two fairly well known Irish celebs. The normally stoical Oscar Wilde could not control his tears: – ‘One would have to have a heart of stone to read the […]

Under the heading “CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS” the paper carried the following on June 24 – “A picture agency error led us to misdescribe the 6th Marquess of Cholmondley, photographed with the the Queen at the state opening of parliament in 1974 (News,June 21). He was the Lord Great Chamberlain, not Black Rod.” An  innocent reader […]

Last week I visited the Seamus Heaney centre, HomePlace, in Bellaghy Co Derry. I came away from this wonderful exhibition thinking what a uniquely gifted man this man was – a man who grew up on a nearby farm, the oldest of nine children, whose father Patrick, a quiet man, was a cattle dealer and […]

 ­ As the SDLP re-launch­ their branding in a ­simplistic and minima­list fashion, they ha­ve again called for a­ City Deal for Derry ­and Belfast. This loo­ks great on paper, bu­t in reality there is­ more chance of Derby­ and Birmingham getti­ng treasury millions ­before Derry and Belf­ast. On 31 October 2015 Ma­rk Durkan (previously­ […]

    The “not guilty” verdict in the Jobstown water protest trial in Dublin has raised various questions about political policing and the political use of law enforcement for corrupt intent. It has exposed a police force whose sworn testimony was so suspect that it prompted the judge to instruct the jury to disregard it […]

  The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee appear to have no knowledge of the Brexit border security review provided by the intelligence services to the Norther Ireland Office. When asked to confirm their knowledge of the security review a Committee official responded. “I’m not aware of the review you mention, but we will look into the matter.” […]

“Those who advocated Brexit, the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union, imagined a British nation-state, though such a thing never existed. There was a British Empire, and there was Britain as a member of the European Union. The move to separate from the EU is not a step backward unto firm ground, but a leap into […]

It doesn’t really matter anymore, so just ignore the outcome of the talks about an Executive. It has no significance. Deal or no deal, the current electoral assembly architecture was already finished. And no, I don’t know what will replace it. I’m not even sure what realistic options, if any, are around. And if you […]

Pics 1-3 are by John Patton:   Pic 1 Pic 2 Pic 3 “Three eclectic portraits, linked by the humanity and dignity of the individuals pictured. Pic 1 is Eddie, Vardo Man. ‘Vardo’ is the Romany word for this kind of bow-shaped, horse-drawn caravan which were reasonably common in my childhood but are now collector […]