The Editor

WE SAY: Asbestos farce shows bonfires are fireproof from the rules

THIS week we carry the first pictures of the large pile of asbestos beside a bonfire adjacent to the Westlink. The deadly waste has been the subject of some controversy in recent weeks as the large pile of toxic material is a lethal threat to the many people gathered at the site to build the structure or to drink and socialise there.

WE SAY: London Kneecap hearing is a rebuke to the PSNI

THE scenes witnessed outside Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday morning were a microcosm of what the United Kingdom has become under this Labour government. Younger readers may be be labouring under the misapprehension that Keir Starmer’s lurch to the right in pursuit of populist favour is the first time that the Labour Party has betrayed its socialist principles. But the truth is that throughout the Troubles Labour Secretaries of State repeatedly outperformed their Tory counterparts when it came to defending the interests of the British establishment at the price of the rights of Irish citizens.

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.

WE SAY: Will BBCNI bite the bullet or fire back?

CHAOS reigns at the BBC as the success of Gerry Adams’ libel case continues to shake the corporation’s local HQ at Ormeau Avenue.

WE SAY: Back to the future for the PSNI

THIS week we carry vivid testimony from an 83-year-old man for whom current events are bringing back unwelcome memories of a dark past.

WE SAY: Arrest of Palestine protesters underlines PSNI status as an RUC tribute act

THE arrest of two women at a pro-Palestine demonstration in the city centre on Saturday morning wasn’t the most outrageous thing that the PSNI has done in its 24 years in existence.

WE SAY: No surprise – DUP is targeting artists again

THE attempt by Communities Minister Gordon Lyons to bring the arts sector to heel is the latest in a dreary litany of attacks by the DUP on artists and creatives.

WE SAY: Shocking Arts Council decision over loyalist bands' funding

THE Arts Council has just told us that grants of around £10,000 to each of three bands who took part in the annual Brian Robinson UVF commemoration parade have been paid out in full.

WE SAY: Extend this non-aggression pact

THE relationship between the DUP and Sinn Féin both in the Stormont Executive and in the chamber is a curious one. And maddeningly frustrating to boot.

WE SAY: Kneecap marathon continues

KNEECAP have topped the news agenda here in the North for over a week. On a perhaps apposite note, Jeffrey Donaldson was arrested and charged with rape and a number of other sex offences almost exactly a year ago. That story – arguably the biggest news bombshell to have dropped here in the past decade – bestrode the news agenda like a colossus for two or three days and then dropped like a stone from the top of the news to find itself gracing the ‘In other news’ sections.

WE SAY: We saw in Francis the values of our own courageous clergy who walked the walk

UNIQUELY among Irish newspapers, this organ spent much of the seventies, eighties and nineties excoriating the Catholic Church for its egregious shortcomings when it came to protecting its flock.

WE SAY: What are Leo and Micheál up to?

IT’S unlikely that former government colleagues Leo Varadkar and Micheál Martin are engaged in an act of good cop, bad cop choreography when it comes to their respective takes on the constitutional future of this island, no matter how devoutly we might wish that to be the case.

WE SAY: BBC hears no Windsor evil... but wait until Féile comes around

OUR story this week on BBCNI’s response to our questions about sectarian singing at a live match it broadcast on Saturday is not primarily a criticism of the Linfield fans guilty of the singing, although it is of course that too. It is first and foremost a criticism of the BBC, who annually set the dogs loose on Féile an Phobail over a Wolfe Tones song in the Falls Park, but turn a Nelsonian eye to a similarly divisive and contentious song it put out on its own platforms.

WE SAY: Grand Central – the changing face of these six counties

THE days of beating about the bush need to come to an end; it’s time that we were honest about unionism and the Irish language. And the fact is that none of the three main pro-union parties gives a hoot about the Irish language one way or the other. Not really.

WE SAY: Irish language signage victory was inevitable

WITH tiresome inevitability it’s been announced that dual-language signage is to be erected at the new Grand Central Station.

NIFL Premiership: Reds boost playoff hopes with comeback win at Carrick

NIFL Premiership: Magilton excited for Cup final build-up as Reds return to league action

Gaelic Games: Rossa fend off Ballycastle rally to claim opening win

Gaelic Games: Carryduff win cross-city clash at Sarsfield's

TUV want Casement renamed after a British royal – and Andytown doesn't rule it out

ROBIN LIVINGSTONE: David Trimble’s Catholic problem was well hidden

SQUINTER: Loyalist Human Resources departments thrive

WE SAY: Irish language signage victory was inevitable

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