Scope Articles

Could the cost-of-living crisis be even bigger than we thought? See for yourself

3 May 2023

New ONS analysis shows where inflation is really pressurising household budgets. Some basics are up by over 40%. Meanwhile a new online tool will let you check how inflation is affecting you and your family, specifically.

Segregation: Must we still pay the price?

28 Apr 2023

With essential services in Northern Ireland now at risk because of the lack of a Stormont budget, and departments facing massive spending cuts we can no longer afford to waste money by duplicating services.

Is a public services meltdown on the cards?

27 Apr 2023

The Secretary of State’s budget is here. A bonfire of services seems likely. With a focus on education, Scope looks at cuts that are already in motion – and outlines the consequences.

You can't always get what you want ...

20 Apr 2023

You can understand why some politicians in Northern Ireland might not be too uncomfortable escaping the responsibilities that come with power.

If you want to protect the union, get back to Stormont

20 Apr 2023

As most people celebrate the Good Friday Agreement, hardline unionist politicians have their heads in the sand – to the detriment of Northern Ireland, and also themselves.

Stuck in the slow lane, 25 years on

14 Apr 2023

The holiday break gave many of us cause to reflect on just how slow progress has been since those heady Easter days of 1998.

Pay now, or pay (more) later? How the cost-of-living crisis is squeezing the third sector.

Photo by Samuel Regan-Asante on Unsplash

14 Apr 2023

Spiking inflation and weak public finances have put community organisations on the back foot. However, it would be short-sighted to let services wither. Where possible, we must spend to save.

Dormant Accounts: first phase closes

31 Mar 2023

The first phase of Northern Ireland’s Dormant Accounts Fund closed to new applications this month.

Community transport, health transformation and public service collapse

29 Mar 2023

Stormont was rarely good and never perfect but the current zombie version is leading us to disaster. Our elected representatives must get back to work.

At the root of our health crisis is poverty

23 Mar 2023

Health inequality lies at the heart of the crisis in care we are living through. Yet few members of the public know what it means, or what needs to be done about it.

We need to talk about wealth inequality – not just now, but always

23 Mar 2023

Distribution of wealth should a headline talking point of economic discourse, alongside GDP, employment levels and inflation.

Peace: time for serious soul-searching

16 Mar 2023

US President Joe Biden is to visit Northern Ireland to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday agreement (GFA).

Death is not the end

15 Mar 2023

We all die eventually but, before we do, most of us encounter death many times. Not all of us handle it well. Additional support could help.

Badger baiting: cruel blood sport still rife

10 Mar 2023

The levels of animal cruelty we are prepared to tolerate tell us a lot about the levels of civilisation our society has reached.

Poverty has many faces

6 Mar 2023

New research reaffirms an old oddity – Northern Ireland has the lowest rate of poverty of any UK region. However, that’s not the whole story.

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