. UK Covid-19 Inquiry As it breaks for lunch legal teams have laid bare NI was not ready for the pandemic; the political infighting affected decision making; Robin Swann felt marginalised ; the CMo Sir Micael McBide referred to the NI Executive as “dysfunctional bastards”.

And people think I’m rude about the executive : )

Sunningdale and the Ulster Workers Strike (Part One): The Power-sharing ‘experiment’

🎙️ Full podcast: rb.gy/q45kzm

Ciarán Dunbar Alex.Kane

Alex Kane: East Belfast shows that the era of safe unionist seats is over
Alex.Kane
irishnews.com/opinion/alex-k…

It’s truly an honour to have been selected by my party to be the next Lord Mayor of Belfast in June.

This is a significant moment for the LGBTQ+ community, as I step into a role which has never represented us before.

I look forward to getting stuck in!

belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/…

TUESDAY 30-4-24 HEADLINES…… ALL SCHOOLS WARNED ON ‘SEXTORTION EPIDEMIC’……. INQUESTS INTO 11 KILLINGS ARE HALTED ON EVE OF LEGACY ACT…… IRISH MINISTER SET TO PROPOSE‘RETURNING’ MIGRANTS WHO ARRIVED VIA NI….. PM HAS NO INTEREST IN MIGRANT RETURN DEAL…. #BuyANewspaper

Indeed. And maybe making it easier for TUV/Reform to endorse. Also makes it easier for the DUP to stay out of fray: making it a three-way between Farry, Collins (pro-Donaldson deal) and Easton (anti-Donaldson deal). Also makes it easier for UUP to stay out of East Belfast.

Of all the qualities my old chum Stephen Grimason possessed - and there were many - perhaps the most remarkable was the way he faced his terminal illness. Living life to the full and making liberal use of dark humour. See you down the road, old friend. bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northe…

So, what colour was the decision the UK sovereign parliament took when it endorsed the original NI Protocol; or what colour the decision it took, by a whopping majority, when it endorsed the Framework? Black. White. Gray. Dappled.

Here’s the piece from the Belfast Telegraph last week celebrating 40 years of Brett and Joan Hickson. We all have a favourite Holmes and Marple—these two are mine. And I really must get around to writing a Holmes pastiche set in Belfast in the 1880s/90s

Thanks to Robbie Butler MLA for highlighting the disproportionate impact of loneliness on unpaid carers. Nearly 1 in 3 carers in Northern Ireland say they feel lonely always or often and issues like access to replacement care and financial strain are big drivers of that.

Not a single DUP or UUP MLA voted against the motion. 9 DUP MLAs didn’t actually vote at all which, given the chatter about ‘internal dissent,’ does seem a little surprising. Or maybe not :)

My cat has been missing since Saturday which is very out of character. 🥺

Please share in #Belfast / Northern Ireland. 🙏🏼

Sunningdale and the Ulster Workers Strike (Part One): The Power-sharing ‘experiment’

Ciarán Dunbar Alex.Kane belfasttelegraph.co.uk/podcasts/the-b… belfasttelegraph.co.uk/podcasts/the-b…

We've had all the photo opportunities and bonhomie but where is the substance? What has been achieved?

That's what the public is entitled to know, particularly as we were told those they elected would 'hit the ground running'. It's time for action, not just lots of photos

This is being debated today.

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/6535…

This looks like great fun.

Tickets are on sale for our 31st Crime Fiction Weekend! Guest of Honour Elly Griffiths & speakers inc Mark Billingham Richard Coles Erin Kelly #TheHouseOfMirrors Kia Abdullah Doug Johnstone Saima Mir Harriet Evans moonlighting #DisforDeath Lucie Whitehouse Jake Lamar

9-11 Aug in Oxford & online

rb.gy/d9ai6w

Please join me in congratulating my baby sister Councillor Lilian Seenoi Cllr. Lilian Seenoi Barr (MRS BARR)-SDLP for being elected as the first black - Maasai Mayor of the City of Derry , Northern Ireland , United Kingdom. belfastlive.co.uk/news/northern-… may the good lord open many doors for you as you lead your…

MONDAY 29-4-24 HEADLINES…… IRISH MOVE TO SEND MIGRANTS BACK TO UK…… UK REJECTS DUBLIN’S MIGRANT RETURN BID……. UK WON’T TAKE BACK MIGRANTS…… TIME FOR ACTION…… DIABETES CARE HIT BY INSULIN SHORTAGES …..DEPRESSED AND ANXIOUS FACE LOSING THEIR BENEFIT…… #BuyANewspaper