Owen Polley

Why are ministers prepared to take on the SNP, but not Brussels?

Last week, the Government took the historic decision to trigger Section 35 of the Scotland Act for the first time and strike down Nicola Sturgeon’s controversial gender recognition bill. This example of ‘muscular unionism’ was hailed by Lord Frost,…

Owen Polley: We want no part of Irish nationalism’s ‘Up the Ra’ culture

Over the past year or so, there have been several high profile controversies that involved the song ‘Celtic Symphony’ by the Irish ‘rebel’ band, the Wolfe Tones. This composition, which features the repeated refrain, “ooh ah, up the ‘Ra”, in blatant…

What chance of restoring power-sharing in time for the Good Friday festivities?

Once again, Northern Ireland started its new year without a devolved government – a situation that last pertained as recently as 2020. The Northern Ireland Secretary, Chris Heaton-Harris, plans to address this by calling the province’s political…

Owen Polley: Let us hope that common sense makes a come back in 2023

Could 2023 be the year to push back against some of the bad ideas that have damaged politics and society over the past few years? There are plenty of them to get started on. In Northern Ireland, the same hardcore separatists who always blighted our…

Owen Polley: The year everything changed ...but mostly stayed the same

This year, in the UK, so much changed and yet so much stayed the same. The monarchy is a symbol of continuity for our nation and it was fitting that, while people expressed their sorrow and sense of loss after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, they…

Owen Polley: Propagandists for the Northern Ireland Protocol are taking no break for Christmas

But the repercussions of this disgraceful deal don’t stop emerging for the festive season, and neither does the propaganda from the grifters who justify and support the Irish Sea border. Take the latest figures on the local economy that were…

Owen Polley: You’re the one for the Northern Ireland team, Michael O'Neill

The Green and White Army’s (GAWA) foot soldiers welcome their hero back to Windsor Park in March, when Northern Ireland plays Finland in the first home game of a new campaign. In the meantime, they will enjoy replaying their memories of his first…

Isn’t the Northern Ireland Protocol ironic, don’t you think?

The comic Ed Byrne once memorably deconstructed Alanis Morrissette’s song Ironic. He noted that, while the lyric was supposed to provide a series of examples of irony, it actually just recounted unfortunate events, none of which was ironic at all.…

Owen Polley: The challengers of the Northern Ireland Protocol are heroes of the Union

Last week, a significant legal case against the Northern Ireland Protocol reached the Supreme Court in London. The appellants argued that the Brexit deal altered the Acts of Union, without making that constitutional change explicit, and claimed that…

Owen Polley: Northern Ireland is not a ‘hybrid’ state and shouldn’t be treated as one

Many of the Northern Ireland Protocol’s keenest advocates have claimed at some point that the Brexit deal did not compromise or change the province’s position in the United Kingdom. Sometimes, they even argued that the Irish Sea border could…

Owen Polley: It’s almost impossible to keep politics out of a world cup

The Northern Ireland team is not involved this year, but some fans feel understandably that it is not a bad tournament to miss, given that it has already generated so many controversies. The decision to stage the competition in a tiny, Middle Eastern…

Owen Polley: Government’s Northern Ireland policy looks chaotic and contradictory

Last week, Chris Heaton-Harris confirmed that he will delay a potential Stormont election for up to twelve weeks and, in the meantime, cut MLAs’ pay. The secretary of state’s announcement will strengthen a growing sense among the public that the…

The Irish should help Sunak roll back the EU's Northern Ireland power-grab

The Prime Minister met his Irish counterpart for the first time yesterday, at the British-Irish Council meeting in Blackpool. It would have been a perfect opportunity for Rishi Sunak to remind Taoiseach Micheál Martin of the real content of the…

Owen Polley: Principle of consent needs restored to Belfast Agreement

The Belfast Agreement will be 25 years old next year and, in the decades since it was signed, it has been treated at times like holy writ. Too often, though, the deal’s supposed biggest advocates do not quote its provisions directly. Instead, they…

Owen Polley: 'Trust me, I'm a Tory' is way past its sell-by date for unionists

Opinion Last week, the Northern Ireland Secretary, Chris Heaton-Harris, announced that he would call another Stormont election, but did not specify a date. Strictly speaking, he is obliged by legislation to take this action, but we have seen before…

Could Northern Ireland scupper Sunak’s appeal to ‘unite or die’?

Rishi Sunak believes he can restore order to the Conservative Party and hold together an exceptionally fractious coalition of Tory MPs. There is an issue, though, that his predecessors failed to resolve that could fatally destabilise his premiership…

Owen Polley: Hopes of fixing Protocol debacle could hang on Tory leadership race

If the comedian had scripted the last few weeks of the Conservative government, it would have been dismissed as too over the top and unbelievable to be funny. A farce, a soap-opera, a shambles - how can you describe the latest developments at…

Owen Polley: Whoever becomes next Tory leader needs to impose order quickly

Opinion The uncertainty at Westminster was exacerbated yesterday, as Liz Truss resigned from the prime minister’s post after just 44 days in office. She will become the shortest serving premier in the UK’s history, when another Tory leadership…

Owen Polley: Baker offered unionists encouragement, but can we rely on an unstable government?

Opinion In an interview with the News Letter, published on Saturday, the Northern Ireland minister, Steve Baker, sought to reassure unionists that his well-publicised apology to the EU and the Republic of Ireland wasn’t the prelude to a sell-out. He…

Owen Polley: Substance of any protocol deal more important than the fact of getting one

To reach this new position, the government, which previously seemed to be resolute on what it could and couldn’t accept from any potential deal, has apparently softened its position. That creates fresh anxieties for many unionists, who were largely…