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Northern Ireland has the lowest poverty rates in the UK

13 Feb 2020 Ryan MillerWelfare Reform, Equality, Poverty, Housing

Photo by Tom Rumble on Unsplash

The latest annual poverty report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation shows the importance of affordable housing.

Only the lonely

13 Feb 2020 Nick GarbuttHealth, Mental Health

In most respects our health is better than our ancestors and we can thank technology for that. But in one important health indicator, loneliness, it is not.  

Climate Change: How charities can help

7 Feb 2020 Nick GarbuttEnvironment

Climate change is not just the greatest threat we collectively face. It is an existential threat. Combating it is a task for all of us: every government, every organisation, and every individual.  

Reducing net emissions requires many changes

6 Feb 2020 Ryan MillerEnvironment, Health

Northern Ireland emissions (graph from Pivotal PPF)

The Assembly has declared a climate emergency. There is no one way to fix this global issue – but it is great to see us take a seat at the table to take on this existential problem.

Restoring Ireland's forests, one tree at a time

31 Jan 2020 Nick GarbuttEnvironment

County Down man James McConville is an architect based in Sweden. He saw the rise of Greta Thunberg first hand and was inspired to make a difference himself back home.

We don’t know enough about academic selection

30 Jan 2020 Ryan MillerEducation, Inequality

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

A comprehensive study on the effects of academic selection in Northern Ireland is needed. A new report from Stranmillis University College's Centre for Research in Educational Underachievement shows why.

Better together: the case for government reform

24 Jan 2020 Nick GarbuttPolicy

The Northern Ireland government is divided into nine departments, each with clear responsibilities, separate budgets and ministerial leadership.

NI Health Survey points to difficult conversations

22 Jan 2020 Ryan MillerHealth, Mental Health, Health Reform

Dr Michael McBride - crafting his message with care

If we save our health service, one key strut will be more personal responsibility for individuals. The latest annual Health Survey shows why encouraging healthier lifestyles can be tricky.

Stormont: Better outcomes demand better government

17 Jan 2020 Nick GarbuttPolicy

If the revived Executive and Assembly is to be a success how it works will be just as important as what it does.

Stormont’s back – and everyone’s inbox is full

16 Jan 2020 Ryan MillerHuman Rights, Equality, Health, Education, Poverty, Welfare Reform

Stormont’s return has left the NIHRC annual statement out of date, sort of - but it’s also more relevant than when it was published.

The Assembly’s return is a big deal and surely better than the past three years. However, the list of issues MLAs face is enormous. Scope looks at human rights in NI.

More than a good start

9 Jan 2020 Ryan MillerEducation, Equality, Social Policy, Health

Sure Start is two decades old but still going strong. Scope takes a look at a long-running programme that has managed to stay fresh.

Suicides in NI: causes and prevention

9 Jan 2020 Nick GarbuttHealth, Mental Health

Scope examines the suicide crisis in Northern Ireland and looks at causes and solutions.

Northern Ireland: more Tallinn than Finchley

19 Dec 2019 Nick GarbuttEconomy, Policy

We are often told that the UK is a powerful western economy. But that is profoundly misleading. 

Reductive politics is on collision course with reality

18 Dec 2019 Ryan MillerEquality, Health, Economy, Education, Social Policy

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

It wasn’t just election week, it was Brexit election week. Or was it? And what about the Stormont talks? Voters are more subtle than politicians and we stand at a policy crossroads. Without fixes there could be enormous public anger.

Boris and the Northern Ireland problem

13 Dec 2019 Nick GarbuttPolitics

Now that the General Election is over we can only hope that Boris Johnson’s new government is better than the last one. But at least there will be one, which is more than can be said for Northern Ireland.

The importance of self-efficacy

12 Dec 2019 Ryan MillerHealth, Education, Social Policy, Sector Issues

Self-efficacy is a person’s belief in their ability to succeed at tasks they take on. We should all know more about it, and its effects.

Schools: the price of segregation

6 Dec 2019 Nick GarbuttEducation

The troubled history of the Northern Irish state is full of “if only” moments.

Hunger is an issue this Christmas and New Year

5 Dec 2019 Ryan MillerEquality, Welfare Reform, Poverty

Food banks, Universal Credit and holiday hunger are different issues,  but all are interlinked. That relationship comes into sharper focus at this time of year.

Media failings make resuscitating Stormont harder

29 Nov 2019 Ryan MillerEquality, Sector Issues, Social Policy, Community Relations

Image by veve from Pixabay

Local journalism didn’t bring down the Executive but its shortcomings perhaps greased the wheels of collapse and are helping to manage its ongoing non-existence.

Religion and the Troubles

28 Nov 2019 Nick GarbuttFaith, Legacy

The conflict in Northern Ireland was not a religious war in the classic sense of the phrase.

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