SDLP

Melissa Brown and Stevie Conlan, two street musicians in Belfast

Buskers react to plans which would make them buy permits

An Alliance Party flyer in support of the permit proposals

Evangelical Alliance adds to Christian objections over permit roposals

The Financial Services Union has intensified their campaign against the proposal by Ulster Bank to close ten bank branches in Northern Ireland. Pictured is John O’Connell, general secretary of the FSU

FSU step up campaign to reverse Ulster Bank decision to close 10 NI banks

The DUP should consider the benefits of choosing not to go into the executive, and instead be the assembly’s principal opposition, if Stormont returns, writes David Hoey

David Hoey: Opposition is noble, and DUP should consider the benefits

The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee provides a platform for MPs to scrutinise what's going on in the province.

Sir Robert Buckland elected as NI committee chair

Home Secretary Suella Braverman leaving her home in Bushey, Hertfordshire, today

DUP MP accuses republicans of 'rank hypocrisy' over Braverman policing comments

Members of the House of Commons and Lords during the State Opening of Parliament, in the House of Lords at the Palace of Westminster in London on Tuesday. Photo: Aaron Chown/PA Wire

Passing reference to Union shows why Stormont should stay down: Allister

King Charles III delivers a speech beside Queen Camilla during the State Opening of Parliament in the House of Lords at the Palace of Westminster in London on Tuesday morning. It was King Charles's first King's speech as monarch, having previously deputised for the late Queen to open parliamentary sessions. Photo: Leon Neal/PA Wire

King: Government will 'strengthen' Union - but no mention of NI or trade border

Morning View

Editorial: Protests celebrate Hamas but anti abortion rules get more restrictive

Protesters during a pro-Palestine demonstration outside the BBC offices in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Picture date: Saturday October 21, 2023. PA Photo. See PA story ULSTER Israel. Photo credit should read: Peter Morrison/PA Wire

Is SDLP trying to 'out-green' Sinn Fein over Israel?

The flag of Israel, and the logos of the SDLP and Sinn Fein

SDLP takes harder line on Israel than Sinn Fein in council meeting

SDLP councillor Paul Doherty at the Celtic game last night (note the flag of the Irish province of Ulster in the top left, alongside all the Palestinian ones)

SDLP man among those with Palestine flag at Celtic vs Atletico Madrid clash

Morning View

Editorial: A supermajority in a border poll is a good idea but it is too late

Former chairman of Newry and Mourne Council, Arthur Ruddy remembered

Tributes have been paid to former SDLP Newry and Mourne District Council Chairman Arthur Ruddy.

UUP man pays tribute to former SDLP chairman of Newry and Mourne

Marking the multi-million pound investment in Dundonald International Ice Bowl are, from left; Andrew Dickson, Goaltender for Belfast Giants; David Burns, Chief Executive of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council; Mayor of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, Councillor Andrew Gowan and Jodie Dowling from Lisburn, competitive figure skater.
Photo: MCAULEY_MULTIMEDIA

SDLP and Alliance clash over £52m plan for Dundonald Ice Bowl
The SDLP and Alliance parties have clashed over plans to invest £52m on upgrading Dundonald International Ice Bowl.

Northern Ireland-based vaping company VaporLinQ has joined forces with local MP Colum Eastwood to call for tighter industry restrictions. Pictured is Stephen Ryan, founder VaporlinQ and Colum Eastwood, Foyle MP

NI firm VaporLinQ calls for tighter regulations within the vaping industry

The state of the health service in Northern Ireland would “embarrass a third world country”, SDLP leader Colum Eastwood has said.
Photo: Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker

Department and SDLP leader Colum Eastwood differ on NHS woes

Letters to editor

Letter: Chief constable's resignation was an unavoidable conclusion

Portrush - West Strand.

Tragic death of man at Portrush beach as tributes paid to heroes who tried CPR

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said the Irish Government should have a consultative role in formulating the budget for Northern Ireland in the continued absence of a functioning Stormont Assembly. Brian Lawless/PA Wire

SDLP calls for Dublin input on budget would breach GFA, says DUP

Altnagelvin Hospital Emergency Department is under severe pressure

Calls for immediate intervention after chaos at Altnagelvin Hospital

The Electorial Commission has published the finances for Stormont's largest five parties for 2022.
Photo: Liam McBurney

Finances of Stormont's big five political parties published

Blue-green algae is potentially toxic and has been detected in rivers and waters in Northern Ireland this summer. Credit NI World

Coleraine business closes due to blue-green algae

Morning View

Editorial: Northern Ireland cannot be rudderless in a security crisis

The economy was the key deciding issue in the Scottish referendum on Independence and so it is puzzling why unionism is allowing a disconnect to develop between their policies and the most critical issue

Letter: The future does not bode well for the DUP if it fails to promote economy

People taking part in the Belfast Pride Parade 2023

TUV sets out party policy towards transgenderism: 'It defies common sense'
The TUV has stated definitively that the party’s policy on transgenderism is that it is steeped in “extreme irrationality” and “defies common sense”.

The Labour Party is taking 'cautious steps' towards fielding candidates in Northern Ireland. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA

Labour's 'cautious steps' towards fielding candidates in Northern Ireland

DUP MP Sammy Wilson welcomed Dublin's £1.7m donation for NI students to study abroad - but questioned the motives behind it.

DUP queries Dublin motives on NI student donation

TUV have accused DUP of forging an 'unholy alliance' Sinn Fein during a vote at ABC Council

DUP accused of forming “unholy alliance” with Sinn Fein at local council level

ABC Council headquarters in Craigavon. Photo by Google

Row after DUP backs Sinn Féin to remove smaller parties from council body

The map shows 17 sites of potential blue-green algae - 10 confirmed, 2 plausible and 5 incorrect. Map from UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

10 confirmed locations of blue-green algae in NI posing danger to dogs

One of the symbols of the transgender movement - the male and female symbols combined

Consultation on handing free tampons to people 'irrespective of gender identity'

Malachy Quinn in a huge pothole on the Ferry Road in Coalisland

Potmonster: Man climbs into what could be the biggest pothole in NI

The coffin of Joe Clarke, one of a group known as the Hooded Men, is carried for burial at Milltown Cemetery in west Belfast. The News Letter reported that it was an IRA funeral while two rival daily papers carried photographs of the funeral but did not use any words that explained that the images showed he was being given terrorist honours. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Ben Lowry: Another week in which the IRA has been allowed to advance on legacy

One of the blasts on Bloody Friday in Belfast in July 1972. After the atrocity, crosses were planted in Belfast City Hall to mark all the people who had died in the Troubles to date. But most memorial events since then have glorified combatants and rarely are respectful to victims

Letter: We need an inclusive memorial to all who died in the Troubles

The T’ Chulainn Centre in South Armagh

Call made for SDLP to make its stance clear on republican commemoration event

DUP vote held up well in the council elections, despite the pressure on them. If unionists came out in the numbers of nationalists things would be different

Letter: After the election we as a unionist people need to pick ourselves up

A triumphant Sinn Fein Vice President Michelle O'Neill (left) and President Mary Lou McDonald at Belfast City Hall for the recent local election count. Their surge has been brought about by their pragmatic stance on reversing their purist republican credentials, swallowing up their negative historical stance with a charm offensive which has worked and worked spectacularly. Photo Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Doug Beattie: A fully functioning Stormont will stop swing to SF in its tracks

Carla Lockhart welcomed the U-turn

Department of Education U-turn on cuts to programmes for young people welcomed

In many pro-Union council areas, the turnouts dipped below 50%. Irish Unity could become a reality by default. In many Australian elections, voter turnout usually always exceeds 90%

John Coulter: Ditch unionist liberalism and push for mandatory voting

John Alderdice was Alliance Leader (1987 – 1998), Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly (1998 – 2004), a member of the Independent Monitoring Commission (2004 – 2011)

Lord Alderdice: NI on inevitable trajectory towards de facto joint authority

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar inspecting a guard of honour from the Defence Forces prior to the ceremony of reconciliation and remembrance for those who lost their lives during the Civil War in the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin

100 years since end of Irish Civil War commemorated in Dublin

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson speaks to the media in City Hall at the count on Saturday May 20. Today he tells DUP members: "Northern Ireland will struggle to move forward if republicans have so little respect for their unionist neighbours that they can’t see the problem with the current Protocol arrangements". Photograph by Declan Roughan / Press Eye:-

Letter: Election has renewed our strength, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson tells DUP

Letters to editor

Letter: Where was the Labour Party in the Northern Ireland council elections?

UUP leader Doug Beattie. It is time for him too talk to the DUP. The political stakes are too high for allowing sentiment to wash over unionists

David McNarry: I do not agree with Ben Lowry about the Ulster Unionist Party

The SDLP leader Colum Eastwood addressing the UUP conference in 2016, where he got a rapturous reception. That suggested a politics in which the SDLP and UUP looked inward to the centre rather than outwards to their tribe. Such centrist politics never came to pass. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye

Ben Lowry: The UUP and SDLP are far from finished – unless they want to be so

Ballot boxes at last week's count in Banbridge. Some pundits think there are more independent unionist candidates who poll in the thousands than nationalists. But while all such independents would push the unionist total closer to 40% than the headline main-party figure suggests, there is also a case to be made that People Before Profit is a republican party

Ben Lowry: Nationalists most votes, even if small unionist candidates included

Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill at the British Irish Council Summit at Lough Erne Resort, Co Fermanagh

Sinn Fein calls on Dublin and London to plan for Stormont revival

DUP councillor Clement Cuthbertson who has been elected in Mid Ulster, pictured with DUP MP Carla Lockhart

Sinn Fein and DUP occupy 75% of seats in Mid Ulster council following election

Lilian Seenoi-Barr with party colleagues, relatives and SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood

Sinn Fein win highest amount of seats ever in Derry & Strabane council

Counting in the council elections at the Aurora Aquatic and Leisure centre in Bangor for the North Down and Ards district council. The final seat tally was Final seat tally: 14 DUP, 12 Alliance, eight UUP, three independents, two Greens and one SDLP. Picture by Ben Lowry

Elections 2023: DUP maintains top spot in Ards and North Down

Barry McElduff is back on Fermanagh and Omagh District Council

Election 2023: Sinn Fein tidal wave leaves it in total control of council

Counting has been finalised in the Causeway Coast and Glens Council

TUV, Alliance and Sinn Fein make gains in Causeway Coast and Glens

James Lawlor (left) from the DUP celebrates with party colleague Gavin Robinson MP after winning a seat in Ormiston at Belfast City Hall during in the NI council election counts on Saturday May 20, 2023. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Belfast City Council: Sinn Fein increase lead but fall short of overall majority