Jude Collins

David Trimble has died and has been hailed as a great leader, a political giant who led unionists to a better place. Did he really?  Was he an impressive figure? And speaking of political leaders, Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, has sacked shadow minister Sam Tarry for appearing on a picket line […]

  There has been a great deal of tosh talked in recent days about courage. David Trimble has been the focus of much of it, with emphasis on  the boldness of his having come to an agreement with nationalists and republicans to share power. And the price his party paid for this. He has been […]

The dominant narrative on what is euphemistically called ‘the troubles’ is that it was largely a sectarian conflict. Whilst this viewpoint conveniently diminishes the British involvement in our problems, it manages to thrive because it is based on partial truths. There is undoubtedly a sectarian element to our struggles, and it is within this context […]

  An unsung hero of American poetry, Josh Billings, gave us one of the wisest lines in the history of creative writing, “But the wheel that squeaks the loudest, is the one that gets the grease”. A true statement when it comes to our local history. Since 1969, many people have given their perspectives on […]

It was one of those contests where you wonder “Is there no way they can both lose?” In the excitement of people identifying as belonging to the Rishi or the Liz camp, it’s easy to forget these are two right-wing Tories, both intent on slashing tax. The only thing that differentiates them on policy is […]

  De mortuis nil nisi bonum – We should speak no evil of the dead. So let me start by noting that David Trimble, who died yesterday, spared us the UUP under the leadership of John Taylor, aka Lord Kilclooney. At the time, Taylor was expected to grab the glittering prize. Trimble ended up triumphant. […]

Colum Eastwood has announced that the SDLP will form the official opposition in Stormont. Apart from the fact that Stormont is still down, giving Matthew O’Toole the role of leader of the opposition makes sense – articulate guy, has worked in Downing Street, good brain.  But does he suffer from the same drawback as Mark […]

  He was luckier than my Uncle, Leo Burke, who was a Staff Sergeant Major in the Royal Army Service Corps and evacuated from Singapore on one of 42 ships to make its way to Java. The Japanese sank 40 of the ships, and a survivor from his ship saw him swimming. Leo was 38years […]

OK – let me put my cards on the table: I think a moneyless society is inevitable – and, if it were properly run, even desirable. The desirable bit first . Money, when you think about it, is ugly and messy. You may experience  orgasmic pleasure in looking at a bunch of tenners, but don’t […]

The British Government’s NI Protocol Bill passing through Westminster is a controversial piece of legislation that seeks to tear out parts of the NI protocol and override them by using British domestic law and legislation.  While that may all be well and good and if you were British and a Brexiteer that maybe what you […]