Fiona Bruce's salary before COVID was £250k. Now it's 400k. Gary Stevenson is wrong in Fiona's case. She hasn't got richer by 20k, she got richer by 150k, per year! But they're reaction says it all.

🗣️ NI Nightlife Needs Your Voice The Department for Communities is running a public consultation on the changes to licensing in 2021. This is a crucial chance to push for further reform - changes our nightlife and cultural spaces urgently need and deserve. Thread 👇

We’ve included a PDF of bullet points in our bio to help you respond, covering key issues like:

Yet again preoccupied with the number of beds, not what can do and enjoy when staying in Belfast and then wonder why they stay one night only Belfast City Council Music venue founded by Snow Patrol star Gary Lightbody ‘at risk of closure’ if hotel is approved belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/…

A tax barrister is threatening to sue Dan Neidle for defamation. We’re standing with him in saying – bring it on. goodlaw.social/480312

If your industry can't survive without exploiting people, then you're in the wrong industry.

✍️ SIGN THE OPEN LETTER 📝 We are calling on businesses, organisations and promoters* to join the call made by Belfast’s Night Czar Michael Stewart and sign this open letter to the NI Executive. Link in our bio. 🖇️

“When exactly do the First Ministers plan to engage seriously on the epidemic of race hate we are seeing in Northern Ireland given their responsibilities for good relations and racial equality?” ➡️belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-… belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-…

Great work from Give Us The Night, Sunil and Ciara… really glad to see this come together for them. Now ROI government must commit and action change.

NEW MET POLICE statement on Kneecap ‘kill MP’ November 2023 comments: “A thorough investigation has now been completed by detectives from the Counter Terrorism Command, which included interviewing an individual under caution and seeking early investigative advice from the Crown

PSNI will go out of their way to stop people dancing to the wee hours, but I hear if you included asbestos, a bonfire and a bit of racism you’re good to go.

A clear election promise from the government parties has been de-prioritised. Thanks Una Mullally for covering the licensing/night-time dancing debacle again! RayRazor District8 Dublin emma_jg Mother Club Sunil Sharpe #whyarewewaiting #giveusthenight irishtimes.com/culture/2025/0…

Great news Street 66 👏 Again, we need more effective noise policies, that'd require property agents to warn renters/buyers in advance, and to accept that they're moving into a louder nightlife environment. Hopefully this can now be resolved amicably. thejournal.ie/neighbour-of-s…

Well Jonny, at 16 I was solo travelling and working as an aid worker in abandoned babies hospitals & Roma villages in Romania, elected to management committees of the then Irish Bronte Society and a cross community radio station. But let's base it all on your level of maturity!

The fact that a State solicitor had to be onhand for this hearing, makes it all the more idiotic. How much longer can Ireland’s completely inflexible, mean-spirited management of the night-time economy continue? Anyway, well done to all involved.

With respect to this DCC employee - who also supports the killing of gulls it seems - the sustainability of social activity + cultural events are better managed in city centres than, say, a large festival site. A shift towards more (and later) weekly activity is only a good thing

This is what Free The Night have coined as “creative drain”. It impacts way more of our creative community than brain drain does with graduates. We must allocate more money to arts in NI and fast.

Need to see more of this!

In the coming days, the Communities Minister Gordon Lyons MLA is due to respond to the Licensing Review report, which was published in February, making decisions which will have a profound impact on the future of nightlife and culture in Northern Ireland.

The independent report published by the University of Stirling, costing over half a million to research and produce, features many solid recommendations, which you can read here: