challenges ni

May 20, 2020
4 min

Sometimes Opposition Is What We Really Need

The current pandemic has seen Northern Ireland’s political parties come together like never before. The five main parties have in recent weeks shown unity around the issues that have arisen because of this deadly virus. For many of us, that is what we will have wanted to see for a long time. It is perhaps sadly ironic that it has taken a lethal pandemic which threatens our way of life and literally our lives to genuinely bring our representatives together. It is more than any

Apr 18, 2020
8 min

Climate Change, the Coronavirus and the Columnist

I have tried to remain alert to the fact that the people, events, and forces described … carry in them the seeds of other, perhaps less terrible futures. C Clark, The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 There is a tendency in our planning to confuse the unfamiliar with the improbable. T Schelling, Pearl Harbour: Warning and Decision During the more normal of times, the world was always awash with commentators, newspaper columnists, bloggers et al providing their take

Apr 17, 2020
6 min

Zero Sum Hours

Three weeks into UK Lockdown and no exit strategy is in place. The economic and mental health effects are beginning to surface with an economic recession imminent; long term economic effects will be nearly impossible to mitigate; and people are struggling with the new reality that will inevitably have severe impacts on mental health. Whilst the media attention is focused on all the above effects, there has been little attention paid to the effects this has had on university s

Apr 14, 2020
6 min

A Message of Hope for Victims and Survivors

To the women and men longing for hope. A message for fighters and survivors. As the world is fighting to embrace and fight the global pandemic, we collectively come together by staying apart. Some use this time to improve on themselves, focus on self-healing, getting fit again, or maintaining their fitness. Some use this time to find a new love in a form of art. Some use this time to take a breather from their daily cycle of 9-5 hours of work or education just to survive, pro

Apr 13, 2020
4 min

My Postcode Doesn't Define Me

BT63 5XX, three numbers and four letters can’t really decide your future; or can they? That series of characters are a postcode and that postcode means that you live in a Protestant Council Estate in the heart of Portadown but that can’t decide your future can it? In Portadown we have a largely different schooling system to the rest of Northern Ireland known as the Dickson Plan. Due to this system our academic selection happens at age 14 instead of 11 so after primary school

Apr 10, 2020
4 min

Consensus, Not Coercion

We may well have a new Executive that is barely three months old yet already it has been proven once again why our system of government is simply not up to scratch. Whether it be over school closures, a list of essential and non-essential business or even whether we should follow London or Dublin for Covid-19 advice, it is abundantly clear that the Executive is already irreparably divided. Day after day, First Minister Arlene Foster and her colleague, Deputy First Minister Mi

Apr 9, 2020
4 min

Coronavirus Vindicates Austerity

Over the last few weeks, the government has announced spending commitments worth tens of billions of pounds in order to counteract the negative ramifications of the Coronavirus lockdown. In response, outgoing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said that this proves he was right to advocate higher levels of public spending in the 2019 general election. This follows a general line of argument on social media that neo-liberal ideology has been undermined by the crisis. This analysis is

Apr 8, 2020
4 min

Coronavirus Crushes Its First Constitutional Democracy

In political terms, Hungary was already immunocompromised. A decade under the leadership of the self-proclaimed ‘illiberal nationalist’ Victor Orbán and his right-wing Fedesz party has caused constitutional calamity on a scale rarely seen in peacetime. Budapest has seen the erosion of democratic checks and balances, a reconfiguration of the judiciary and the infantilisation of the free press to the point wherein free and democratic elections are skewed to the advantage of Orb

Apr 7, 2020
4 min

Art Under Attack

“I honestly feel let down by the University” A ﬁnal year Fine Art student's response to the news that her University is cancelling, as opposed to postponing, the end of year art show that students spend years preparing for. Understandably these are unforeseen circumstances that have been extremely difﬁcult to work around for all Universities. Ulster University Art students, however, feel like they've been deprived of an essential part of their degree whilst the University has

Apr 5, 2020
4 min

A Unionist Argument Against A United Unionism

I’m an unapologetic unionist, who if cut, may possibly bleed red, white and blue. However, I am fundamentally against an idea which has been floated around unionist circles since unionism became a formidable political movement in the late 19th century. The idea that there should be one, united, all-encompassing political party and the belief that it's the solution to the threat of Irish republicanism and the means of maximizing electoral success. I believe wholeheartedly that

Apr 5, 2020
4 min

Pandemic Pregnancies

The 1st of April 2020. A day that was expected to be historic, freeing and equal for the women of Northern Ireland. Instead it appears to be more of an April Fool’s. As of the 21st of October last year, abortion was decriminalised in this corner of the UK, aligning this country with the rest of the British Isles. Northern Ireland has been somewhat of a traditional country, but inside several months, dramatic political changes have been made. UUP MLA Robert Butler has said tha

Apr 4, 2020
4 min

A Letter To Those With Mental Illness In Quarantine

Dear anyone suffering with mental illness during this pandemic, this is for you. To the people suffering with depression, I see you. I am one of you. I know this is a scary time. Your well-being may have relied on social interaction, or your routine for how you manage your depression may have been taken from you. I’m sorry you’re going through this. But rest assured, these measures are temporary. You will have your routine back. For now, allow yourself to rest and trust yours

Apr 3, 2020
3 min

Stacking Shelves On The Front Line

A few weeks ago, the thought of supermarket workers being the holy grail of society would be madness. Now, these are the key workers on the front line every day, stocking the shelves and making sure we have everything we need. In three weeks, £1 Billion worth of extra food was bought by UK consumers amidst scenes of panic buying across the nation. This has put immense pressure on the retail industry, already struggling under record levels of staff sickness with self-isolation

Apr 2, 2020
4 min

Will the Coronavirus Change our Lives Forever?

Quick, time to grab a glass of wine and hop on FaceTime with my girl pals! This is something that has had to become a normality since the UK went into lockdown due to the never ending threat of Covid-19. Tears uncontrollably fill my eyes as I hear my friends say, “I miss you”. I don’t think I realised the overall impact of this virus until that very moment. We laugh, we cry, we chat and then we hang up and I am alone again. Following the catch up, I can’t seem to shake the th

Mar 31, 2020
5 min

The Toughest Challenge Yet

At the start of 2020, NI had the pleasure (some may disagree) to witness our Executive return to government, just three years after power-sharing collapsed. A lot has changed and under the quiet nature of a wintry January, a power-sharing deal was agreed, albeit by the British and Irish governments with NI political parties signing up to it whether willing or not. Some would argue they had little choice as both national governments seemed to want to resolve the issue once and

Mar 30, 2020
4 min

Tumble Outta Bed And I Stumble To The Zoom Call

As the Coronavirus pandemic continues to spread across the globe, many of us find ourselves having to work from home for the first time. While this may prove daunting for some and a delight for others, flexible working and working from home has become a growing trend in recent decades. Maya Middlemiss is a Flexible Working Consultant based in Spain and has been working from home for 20 years. She believes that while the definition of remote working has changed a great deal si

Mar 28, 2020
4 min

Fitness from a Distance

Coronavirus does not discriminate. Both in terms of who it infects and who it impacts. Aside from the public health risk, the virus has caused major disruption for countless workers. Many businesses have been left with no choice but to lay off staff. One area which will take a hit economically is the fitness industry. Many coaches and personal trainers are self-employed with no alternative income sources. Shayne Quigg, founder of Rebuild Fitness in Kilrea has had to close his

Mar 28, 2020
4 min

Listening In A Time Of White Noise

In times of global panic, it can almost seem that instead of news on the television and radio, all we hear is white noise. The uncertainty, the fear, the confusion. It all adds up and plays a role in causing anxiety. What makes it worse is that we have to listen, for the sake of ourselves, our families, and our communities. There is no tuning out of this crisis. Our senses are heightened, we are clutching to anything we can that will make us feel comfort- for some that could

Mar 27, 2020
4 min

Please Won't Someone Think Of The Landlords

In these trying times, social solidarity is what will hold the fabric of our communities intact. That’s why I’ll be thinking of our overworked, underpaid NHS staff and single parents with mouths to feed when supermarket shelves are empty and the cupboards of the better-off are full. I’ll be thinking of those living in overcrowded, damp social houses. I’ll be thinking about the kids who can’t afford the technology to do their homework online and how the Chancellor’s ever-chang

Mar 26, 2020
4 min

Childhood On Lockdown

I’m sure that many, if not all of you are aware that as of the 23rd of March, the UK is essentially on lockdown. This is a stressful and confusing time for many people but for parents or guardians of young children there is the added task of trying to not appear stressed or confused in front of your kids. Trying to explain adult problems in a normal, everyday situation is difﬁcult enough - as I’ve learnt from living with a six year old, never mind trying to explain things tha