Scope Articles

Northern Ireland government: time to fix the system

9 Nov 2018

The crisis in Northern Ireland has spread from frustration at the political impasse to disillusionment and anger at the entire system of government.

Give Stormont more powers to fix economy, says think tank

7 Sep 2018

A landmark report into the economy by an influential think tank argues that more devolution is a key element in boosting prosperity.

Democracy is changing

27 Jul 2018

Politics feels increasingly fractious, perhaps irrevocably broken. That is a blinkered view. The only thing that is certain is change, not ruin.

Political uncertainty puts UK charities on the back foot

17 May 2018

A large project mapping the environment for philanthropy around the world says the UK suffers in comparison with its European peers.

Diabetes is a problem – and emblematic of the challenges in health and care

9 Mar 2018

The NI Audit Office report released this week outlines 15 years of missed opportunities to improve diabetes care. The findings serve as a cautionary tale for the ongoing failures in wider health reform.

The GFA, Brexit and the future

2 Mar 2018

The Good Friday Agreement has come under a barrage of criticism as part of the Brexit arguments. Threatening it wholesale is madness – but nothing should be free from scrutiny.

Is it time to give councils more power?

2 Mar 2018

Nick Garbutt asks if devolving more power to local councils might help provide some of the political stability Northern Ireland so desperately needs.

Third sector: “We must remain in the single market and customs union”

9 Feb 2018

NICVA has joined together with partner organisations in Scotland and Wales to compile a list of key aims for the UK’s withdrawal of the EU. Top of the list is membership of the single market and customs union.

The ongoing perils of our year of non-governance

12 Jan 2018

Stormont collapsed 12 months ago leaving Northern Ireland in stasis while Brexit plans are shaped and the health service crumbles. Here we look at NICVA’s response to a Westminster consultation on the crisis.

Brexit, the border and other European contexts

6 Dec 2017

Carys Brown looks at how other European countries manage their borders with the EU and examines the implications for Northern Ireland.

A health check for our health service

3 Nov 2017

When Sir Liam Donaldson reviewed Northern Ireland’s health care system in 2014 he said politicians were incapable of implementing the necessary reforms.

Less uncertainty is a good thing

PM Theresa May needed to do a deal and the DUP has taken home some policy concessions and a lot of money

27 Jun 2017

The Tory-DUP deal at Westminster will remove some of the many layers of uncertainty plaguing local politics and policy – overall, good news for the third sector.

Voting: not a blind ballot for everyone

25 May 2017

The secret electoral ballot is a right some exercise zealously and others waive – but a few people don’t have a choice. Joe Kenny explains.

What Theresa May has in store for the Third Sector

5 May 2017

Direct Rule in Northern Ireland is a distinct possibility. Scope examines Theresa May’s commitments to Civic Society, and asks what that might mean for the Third Sector.

English Tories and the union

21 Apr 2017

Back in 2006 the then Secretary of State Peter Brooke said that his government had “no selfish strategic or economic interest in Northern Ireland.”

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