Northern Ireland Executive 2025-26 Budget Info Sheet on All Possible Charges Aired This info sheet compiles all revenue-raising charges (fees, rates, and other cost-passing measures) that have been publicly “aired” — meaning proposed, discussed, consulted on, or ruled out — in the context of the Northern Ireland Executive’s 2025-26 Budget process. Sources include the Draft […]
UK Construction Warning Indicators Q4 2025 UK Construction: Surface Stability, Deep Trouble Ahead Official figures might suggest UK construction is holding steady, but beneath the surface, the foundations are cracking fast. Output has grown by around 1%, yet almost every forward-looking indicator signals a sector sliding into contraction. The data from ONS, S&P Global, and […]
Equity Trap, Crumbling Infrastructure, and the Warming Frog: Why Ireland Needs Radical Action Now Families across Ireland are trapped in rising equity but falling access to real wealth. As Northern Ireland politics stall and infrastructure decays, China powers ahead. Radical transport, housing, and land-use reform are urgently needed before the economy reaches boiling point. Ireland’s […]
Then and Now: Why One Wage Bought a Dublin Home in 1968 — But Two Can’t Today Introduction Across Ireland, a familiar question keeps resurfacing:How could an ordinary worker once buy a three-bed semi-detached house in Dublin on a single income — while today’s generation, even with two salaries, cannot? The contrast between 1968 and […]
Why DfI Civil Service Blocks Consideration of the Strangford Lough Crossing (SLC) Briefing for MLAs and Councillors – October 2025 Summary Despite public, economic and safety arguments in favour of a fixed link across Strangford Lough, the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) civil service continues to block even a basic feasibility study. The position has remained […]
Introduction: A Single Island Standard of Care — Linking Option B, the Bengoa Vision, and the Strangford Lough Crossing Northern Ireland’s health system stands at the same crossroads the Bengoa Report (2016) identified:too many hospitals, stretched rotas, inconsistent outcomes, and unsustainable duplication.Eight years on, the fundamental message remains valid — safety and sustainability require networks, […]
Marlborough House, Craigavon – From Modernist Ambition to Protected Heritage October 2025 | By Kevin Barry Marlborough House in Craigavon has now been officially granted Grade B1 listed building status by the Department for Communities’ Historic Environment Division (HED).This confirms its recognition as a structure of special architectural and historic interest — and firmly ends […]
NORTHERN IRELAND PUBLIC FINANCES Funding Position, Pressures, and Cross-Department Progress Dashboard (October 2025) 1. Background – £3.3 Billion Settlement and 24 Percent Uplift In early 2024 the UK Government and the restored Northern Ireland Executive agreed a £3.3 billion funding package to stabilise services, fund overdue pay settlements, and enable reform.The Barnett Formula “needs-based factor” […]
The Long Road (and Ferry Queue) to Nowhere — How the Strangford Lough Crossing Was Always Made to Seem “Uneconomic” 1. The 1950s–1960s: The first serious bridge dream After the war, engineers across the UK were busy linking estuaries — Tay, Forth, and Menai. At Strangford, the logic was obvious: a fixed crossing would link […]
Construction Sector Health: Northern Ireland vs. Republic of Ireland (Oct 2025) Metric Northern Ireland Republic of Ireland Activity (PMI, Sep 2025) 45.2 (↓ 5% YoY) 43.7 (↓ 2.2 pts MoM, 3-yr low) Project Starts (Q3 2025) £422m (↓ 51% YoY) 1,653 homes (↑ 43% MoM) Key Projects Strabane Water, Belfast Greenway MetroLink (€12.6B), Kilshane Energy […]