Sam McBride
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Northern Ireland Editor of the Belfast Telegraph & Sunday Independent. Author of Burned: The Inside Story of the Cash-for-Ash Scandal. Any views mine alone.
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Articles by Sam McBride
I am an Irish author, I hope JLF is a rock festival for books in Ireland, too
4 hours ago European Council President Antonio Luis Santos da Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will be chief guests at India's Republic Day celebrations next Monday. Besides state banquets and the ceremonial pomp of the event, the two leaders will have a more pressing item on their …
For and against a united Ireland
What do the words ‘united Ireland’ even mean? Would it be better for Northern Ireland? Would it improve lives in the Republic of Ireland? Would it be brought about without bloodshed? The prospect of Irish unification is now more discussed than at any point since partition a century ago. Voters on both sides of the Irish border may have to confront for themselves what the answer to a referendum question would mean – for themselves, for their neighbours, and for their society.
Nama’s blockbuster Northern Ireland criminal trial facing delay
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A Leap of Faith—Conor Graham celebrates 50 years of Irish Academic Press - Books Ireland
by Ruth McKee There’s a framed portrait of Seamus Heaney on the wall behind Conor Graham, Publisher at Irish Academic Press. It all started with Heaney, back in Maeve McGuckin’s English class at St Patrick’s College Belfast in the 1980s. ‘Maeve covered a lot of Heaney,’ says Graham, ‘and I was mesmerised. It all made sense—he was dealing explicitly and directly with what was happening.’ Graham took Heaney seriously—’but school not so much,’ he says, with characteristic mischief.
Former Sinn Féin press officer makes hefty payment to ex police officer he defamed online
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Over 1,000 high-level DUP texts show party leaders mocking Catholic Church and political rivals
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Sacked Borders Watchdog Hits Out At ‘Shocking Leadership’ In Home Office - Evening Standard
Sacked border watchdog David Neal told MPs he was fired “for doing my job” and hit out at the “shocking” way the Home Office terminated his role. He was sacked as the independent chief inspector of borders and immigration earlier this month after losing the confidence of Home Secretary James Cleverly amid claims he breached the terms of his appointment. The former inspector had become embroiled in a row with the Home Office about concerns he was raising over security checks at airports.
Emergency alert triggered on NI's electricity grid as wind power drops
Emergency alert triggered on NI's electricity grid as wind power drops Jan 16, 2024Jan 16, 2024 1:19 pm GMT 1 view AN emergency alert was triggered on Northern Ireland's electricity grid yesterday, sending it into an amber warning at teatime. The warning — which does not mean that blackouts are imminent — ran from 5pm to 6.30pm.
Hefty bill for Sinn Féin’s Gerry Kelly as judge throws out ‘scandalous’ attempt to sue journalist Malachi O’Doherty
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Cabinet considered proposal to build nuclear power plant on shores of lough
A MINISTER in the old Stormont government wanted the unionist regime to take control of nuclear power — and there was a plan to build a nuclear reactor on the shores of Lough Neagh, newly declassified government files have revealed. However, both ideas were dropped when the dangers involved were made clear to the unionist cabinet, with one fellow minister saying that if they were to take on the responsibility, they would be "like children playing with a toy which could destroy us".
Nuclear plant was planned for shore of Lough Neagh
Nuclear plant was planned for shore of Lough Neagh Dec 28, 2023Dec 28, 2023 11:28 am GMT 1 view THERE was a plan to build a nuclear reactor on the shores of Lough Neagh, newly-declassified government files have revealed. However, the idea was dropped when the dangers were made clear to the unionist cabinet of the old Stormont government. The revelations come in files from the 1950s which have emerged after more than 60 years.
Farmer who criticised police for not catching those behind huge cannabis factory on his farm is charged with running enterprise
A farmer who said he was “really annoyed” that the police weren’t doing enough to find the criminals responsible for a huge cannabis factory on his farm has himself been charged with running the enterprise. Clive Weir faces a host of serious criminal charges linked to a shed yards from his home which contained what police described as one of the biggest and most sophisticated cannabis farms ever discovered in Northern Ireland.
United Ireland is now inevitable and unionism was probably always doomed, says DUP founding member
He’s a Paisleyite, a founding member of the DUP, a former special adviser to Nigel Dodds, and a leading evangelical Protestant, but Wallace Thompson now believes a form of Irish unity is inevitable — and he’s willing to consider it. Thompson has had many lives. As well as having been at the heart of unionist politics and fundamentalist Christianity, he is a respected figure in the Independent Orange Order and a former NIO civil servant who drafted a key speech for the Queen.
Wallace Thompson interview: I'm considering Irish unity - and I’m not alone, says DUP founding member
A ‘New Ireland’ is now inevitable and unionism was probably always doomed, DUP founding member Wallace Thompson tells Sam McBride in an extraordinary interview He’s a Paisleyite, a founding member of the DUP, a former special adviser to Nigel Dodds, and a leading evangelical Protestant, but Wallace Thompson now believes a form of Irish unity is inevitable — and he’s willing to consider it.
Simon Byrne said Michelle O’Neill indicated that Sinn Fein ‘could withdraw its support for policing’
Sources reveal chief constable's claim to the Policing Board as Sinn Fein strongly denies any threat to end backing Embattled Chief Constable Simon Byrne told the Policing Board that Sinn Fein Stormont leader Michelle O’Neill had indicated to him that her party could withdraw its support for policing, two sources have told the Belfast Telegraph.
Stormont officials knew of cross-border cattle smuggling during BSE – but didn’t want public to know
Senior Stormont officials knew in 1997 that systemic smuggling of cattle across the border was dangerously undermining the BSE export ban, but chose not to tell the public, a declassified government file has revealed. Department of Agriculture officials discussed the problem in detail, meeting with the meat industry and commissioning a statistical analysis of trends until a senior civil servant described the smuggling as a “fact” which involved “obvious dangers” if it became publicly known.
Anti-Catholic sentiment in the PSNI is driving brave officers away
There are times when bureaucrats must wonder if their work really matters — staring at screens in esoteric corners of government while shovelling around information which only a handful of people will read, and fewer still understand. But when bureaucracy goes wrong, people can die. Twelve days ago, a PSNI spreadsheet passed through five dull processes in four departments.
‘I’ve arrested just about every alleged dissident’
Serving police officers rarely speak in public without authorisation from their superiors; when they do, it’s often in consultation with police PR professionals. But the scale of the PSNI crisis has seen a host of officers come forward to tell of their raw dismay at what has happened and their distrust of their leaders. Here is what 10 of those officers have told our sister publication, the Belfast Telegraph.
Terrified officers claim they have been left ‘defenceless’ without guns
Many PSNI officers claim they have been left defenceless because they are being refused personal protection weapons despite the increased risk to their lives since last week’s massive data breach. Multiple officers have contacted the Belfast Telegraph as a last resort to raise awareness of the situation, which they say is contrary to public claims from the force that it is looking after its staff.
PSNI data breach slipped past FIVE key checks
Information passed through five processes in multiple departments – not a bungling junior member of staff, as was initially implied What began as a request for basic data on police numbers at various ranks and then developed in a massive security crisis could end in a calamitous outflux of Catholic PSNI officers, reversing one of the Good Friday Agreement’s most enduring successes.
PSNI blunder identifies every serving police officer and civilian staff with 345,000 pieces of data, prompting security nightmare
The PSNI is tonight desperately attempting to contact its officers after a massive police data breach meant the force mistakenly published the names, ranks, locations and other personal data of every serving police officer and many civilian employees. The data from the PSNI’s ultra-confidential human resources system is a gold mine for terrorists, offering details of officers working in intelligence and other highly sensitive areas.
Without power-sharing in Stormont, the Good Friday Agreement as we knew it is gone
What does a political party leader do when he believes he should do X but his supporters love him doing Y? Not much, it seems, when that leader is Jeffrey Donaldson. The DUP leader believes it’s in the interests of unionism to return to Stormont, but he has now spent a year and a half in the political wilderness. At the start of summer, it seemed Donaldson would at least try to get back into government this autumn, even if that effort failed. Now even an attempt seems ambitious.
Blackouts risk for NI as power station cuts jobs
Blackouts risk for NI as power station cuts jobs Jul 19, 2023Jul 19, 2023 12:04 pm GMT 1 view THERE are growing fears that Northern Ireland could be hit by blackouts after Kilroot Power Station confirmed most of its workers on coal-fired units will be losing their jobs when they close in two months. However, new gas turbines will not be operational until next year, raising the potential for winter blackouts.
Andrew McCutcheon: DAERA veterinary inspector who won big at Balmoral Show in court on illegal vet medicine charges
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For and Against a United Ireland
For centuries, there was an Irish ethos of noble but ultimately pointless struggle towards a goal that was likely unattainable. In recent decades, the island has broken those shackles. Ireland can regularly defeat England at rugby, and even occasionally at cricket. Where it matters far more – in negotiating the post-Brexit trading landscape – Irish officials and ministers comprehensively out-classed their UK counterparts. Economically, Ireland is forging far ahead of the UK.
Sam McBride: How DUP expense claims within Mid and East Antrim Council were hidden from voters
Dispatchist News from around the globe in real time Client login News Sources Countries People Categories Organizations Three years ago, a cover-up began inside a decaying Northern Ireland council. Now, as an election looms, that cover-up has been covered up — despite a devastating verdict by the council’s own internal auditors.
UK and EU: no meeting of minds on the Northern Ireland protocol – Yorkshire Bylines
No Border No Barrier – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:No_Border_No_Barrier.jpg Share EmailTwitterFacebook The Irish border is casting a long and ominous shadow over Brexit with intensive negotiations underway on the Northern Ireland protocol at a technical level to find ways of smoothing trade across the Irish Sea.
Burned : The Inside Story of the 'Cash-for-Ash' Scandal and Northern Ireland's Secretive New Elite
Quantity Burned : The Inside Story of the 'Cash-for-Ash' Scandal and Northern Ireland's Secretive New Elite is backordered and will ship as soon as it is back in stock.
Northern Ireland's expensive push towards renewable electricity
There have been a couple of datasets released over the last couple of weeks that are of interest for those with an interest in Northern Ireland’s push towards the use of renewable electricity. First, the good news. The latest data from the Department of the Economy shows that Northern Ireland came very close (49.2%) to sourcing the majority of its electricity generated from renewable sources for the calendar year 2020.
Border Lewis claims doesn’t exist empties shelves and ends business
© Empty shelves at Tesco (left and centre inset) and Sainsbury's (right inset) yesterday afternoon in ... The fiendishly complicated and expensive red tape which now applies to all commercial goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland - which even many freight industry veterans say privately they struggle to understand – has seen a growing number of GB companies simply refuse to supply Northern Ireland.
‘Surreal’ moment as Irish Presbyterian leader ‘insisted to diplomats that he wasn’t Irish’
© The Rev Dr Samuel Hutchinson A note by Mr McCabe of the November 1996 encounter with Presbyterian Moderator the Rev Dr Harry Allen and the Rev Sam Hutchinson, Clerk of the General Assembly who would become Moderator the following year, was addressed to the ambassador, and said: “On identity, the views expressed tended towards the surreal. Both men were absolutely clear that they, and their Northern flock, are first and foremost British.
Executive flounders haplessly, and then goes home at 8pm - with still no hint of a decision on restrictions
© Arlene Foster and Michelle O'Neill are bitterly divided For unfathomable reasons, businesses and the wider public were yet again left with no idea of what they will be allowed to do from this weekend. Some businesses – especially those which ordered perishable stock which depends on being allowed to open – now face a direct financial penalty because they listened to Arlene Foster and Michelle O’Neill and believed their promises.
Executive dithers all day and still can’t reach decision on pandemic restrictions
© Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill (left) and First Minister Arlene Foster A day which was described by a source close to the Executive as “shambolic; utterly shambolic” saw the Executive meet twice, adjourn twice without agreement, agree to meet a third time late tonight and then cancel that meeting at the last moment.
Sam McBride in conversation with Mark Carruthers
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Burned by Sam McBride
Visit our Christmas Gift Finder MENU SHOPS SEARCH New Bestsellers Fiction Non-Fiction Children's Stationery & Gifts New BESTSELLERS Highlights Fiction Children's Non-Fiction Stationery & Gifts CD Audiobooks Signed & Special Editions Shop Finder Help Events Book Blog PODCAST COMPETITIONS AND PRIZE DRAWS Sign In Home BACK About Us Affiliate Programme Book Trust Recycling Electrical Equipment Stamp Card Waterstones Children's Laureate BACK Careers at Waterstones Job Applicant Privacy Notice BACK...
Burned by Sam McBride
Find your perfect holiday reading MENU SHOPS SEARCH New Bestsellers Fiction Non-Fiction Children's Stationery & Gifts New BESTSELLERS Highlights Fiction Children's Non-Fiction Stationery & Gifts CD Audiobooks Signed & Special Editions Shop Finder Help Events Book Blog PODCAST COMPETITIONS AND PRIZE DRAWS Sign In Home BACK About Us Affiliate Programme Book Trust Recycling Electrical Equipment Stamp Card Waterstones Children's Laureate BACK Careers at Waterstones Job Applicant Privacy Notice...
RHI overspend far greater than first feared, department tells court
The scale of the overspend on the RHI scheme has now increased from a potential figure of £500 million to about £700 million, the Stormont department responsible for the debacle has told the High Court. On the fourth day of a judicial review case which RHI claimants have taken against the Department for the Economy, the department’s lawyer told Mr Justice Colton that the scale of the problem is now worse than previously feared.
MLA pay rise, despite just 46 minutes in Assembly chamber
MLAs received a £500 salary increase in March – and are in line for a similar increase in six months’ time, despite not having sat in the Assembly since March. Stormont sources yesterday confirmed the increases to the News Letter but said that MLAs were not directly responsible because they had effectively sub-contracted the decision to an independent panel.
Value investing isn’t dead — but it has gotten harder
For quite some time, traditional value investing has not seemed to work. There are many theories, but the most popular one was recently voiced by legendary value investor Jeremy Grantham in his first quarter letter to investors for 2017. In it, he tells investors, “This Time Seems Very, Very Different,” and the famous perma-bear flips his longtime bearish script and argues that valuations may stay elevated for many years to come.
The earnings recovery is an illusion
Reports of 2016 earnings brought cheers for the end of the “earnings recession,” and analysts say earnings growth has continued to accelerate since then. However, quarterly earnings omit valuable information. They are unaudited and don’t provide financial footnotes or the management discussion and analysis (MD&A) that investors need to accurately measure profits.
The Labor Department still has to define the hardest part of the new fiduciary rule
An open letter to the Department of Labor: We applaud the Department of Labor for raising awareness of the importance of fiduciary standards. No matter the legalities, the new fiduciary rule is here to stay. Few would argue against the idea that all advisers should act in their clients’ best interests. Investors are better served, and the investing business has more integrity, when the fiduciary level of service is applied. Investors want advice that is aligned with their best interests.
The Fed Is Chasing Donald Trump's Tail | RealClearMarkets
Finally, the Federal Reserve is raising interest rates again. Except… haven’t rates already risen? Since the beginning of November, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note +0.62% has climbed 180 basis points to 2.5%. The spike began at the same time as Donald Trump’s election. As we’ve argued in the past, the Fed is irrelevant. The market has already driven interest rates up in response to Trump’s election and a more positive economic outlook. Janet Yellen is only following the signals from the market.
The Fed is chasing Donald Trump’s tail
Finally, the Federal Reserve is raising interest rates again. Except… haven’t rates already risen? Since the beginning of November, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note TMUBMUSD10Y, +1.16% has climbed 180 basis points to 2.5%. The spike began at the same time as Donald Trump’s election. As we’ve argued in the past, the Fed is irrelevant. The market has already driven interest rates up in response to Trump’s election and a more positive economic outlook.
No matter what Trump decides on the fiduciary rule, the standard will only gain strength
Many expect President-elect Donald Trump will undo the regulations that would hold all brokers and advisers to a fiduciary standard, requiring them to act in the best interests of clients. We think investors’ expectations for the fiduciary standard are here to stay no matter what the official rules say — and those investors will increasingly demand their advisers apply to their non-retirement accounts too.
This is the earnings metric stock-market investors should focus on
Analysts love to talk about “earnings.” If earnings beat expectations, they say it’s a reason for the stock to go up. If earnings are lower than expected, the stock should go down. The price-to-earnings ratio is the most common valuation metric in the financial media. You might think, given their prominence and the fact that the Financial Accounting Standards Board governs their calculation, that “earnings” reflect a company’s profits.
How The Internet Economy Killed Inflation
Despite its best efforts, the Federal Reserve has been unable to push the economy to its targeted 2% annual inflation. For four years now inflation has stayed resolutely below that target even as the Fed deployed an unprecedented program of bond buying and low interest rates in an effort to push prices up.
The Nelson woman who hated being famous
“Don't ever ask Mrs. McPhail about the Frank Slide!" That was the warning my mother Dee Dee gave me as I left home to walk a half mile to Marion McPhail's house at 808 Carbonate St. for my first piano lesson with her. Earlier that day my father Leigh and grandmother Helen separately told me not to mention the Frank Slide in Mrs. McPhail’s presence. It was September 1960 and I was an eight-year-old apprehensive about what was going on.
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