Newton Emerson

Newton Emerson

Contributor

Newton Emerson, a contributor to The Irish Times, writes a weekly opinion column.

Sinn Féin and the DUP are happier arguing over a parade than agreeing a budget

The normalisation of ultra-short-termism has entrenched financial irresponsibility

Drumcree standoff puts a significant achievement of the peace process at risk

Political leadership on all sides means supporting talks that are open to the possibility of a walk

As controversy grows over Leaving Cert reform, Northern Ireland is going the other way

It should be possible to learn fascinating lessons by comparing outcomes either side of the Border

Sinn Féin’s immigration policy will need to be tougher than everyone else’s to stand out

Nationalists may be more liberal by conviction but they have less immediate experience of immigration, which tends to be concentrated in unionist areas

What now for the Israel flags flying across the North?

Some of the complaints heard from Israel this week have been of British colonial arrogance. This tired cliche misses the point

Sinn Féin should forget its absurd timescale for a Border poll and focus on the now

Dissident republicans have seized on Burnham’s statement as proof Sinn Féin has been naive

Progress that appears solid can be all too easily undone

If parading regulation unravels, Drumcree would not be the only reawakened flashpoint

A strict approach to citizenship would be a policy of inclusion

Citizenship is mocked by near-identical forms of non-citizenship for non-citizens

Government must stop enabling Sinn Féin’s threats to Stormont

Annoying the party when it threatens devolution would be a far more helpful contribution

Why unionists went to the Belfast Fleadh and liked it

Some on social media ask why the July 12th celebrations cannot generate atmosphere more like the Fleadh

Striking lawyers don’t tend to evoke much public sympathy

Reform should not be treated as the alternative to controlling costs. We should have both

Andy Burnham likes to be liked. There could hardly be a worse qualification for the job

Is the new Labour Party government just as doomed as Keir Starmer’s?

Common Travel Area can’t become an excuse for hard borders on land or sea

Mainstream parties of government should be able to sell the CTA as a way to regulate immigration while minimising internal borders

DUP may be destroyed by Jeffrey Donaldson scandal

Unhappy voters stay at home, so unionism could cease to be Stormont’s largest designation next May

One takeaway from the Jeffrey Donaldson scandal is the value of a scurrilous press

Some of the people now demanding to know why the press did not expose Donaldson earlier can be the sniffiest about the tabloid tactics that would have entailed

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