Sam McBride
Belfast Telegraph
United Kingdom
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Past articles by Sam:
Government would be ‘bound’ to veto EU law if 30 MLAs ask, says NI Secretary
The Government will be “bound” to veto new EU laws if 30 MLAs in the Assembly ask them to do so, the Secretary of State has said. → Read More
A revised protocol won’t protect EU, but a new anti-smuggling agency certainly can
Two months ago I received an email I initially thought was spam, and then thought was a leak from within government. → Read More
Farmer ‘had no idea’ about huge cannabis factory found yards from his home
A farmer whose shed housed one of the biggest and most sophisticated cannabis farms ever discovered in Northern Ireland has criticised police for not doing enough to find those responsible. → Read More
Reunification would be easier if Sinn Féin didn’t exist, says Irish unity campaigner
Irish unity would now be far more achievable if Sinn Féin didn’t exist, the author of a book arguing in favour of reunification has claimed. → Read More
Bonfire restrictions loom as family of man who fell to death in Larne consider suing
A council is facing legal action by the relatives of a loyalist bonfire builder who fell to his death on its land — and as a result it is considering a clampdown on the structures. → Read More
Sinn Féin’s online advocates only ever want to hear an unending hymn of praise for their party
Some problems emerge suddenly and are seen immediately in their full awfulness; others grow incrementally, masking their eventual scale until it becomes inescapable. → Read More
Stephen Nolan: ‘I regret not being able to repay my dad when he was alive’
When Stephen Nolan joined Radio Ulster almost two decades ago, he told this newspaper: “To be honest, I’m bored with green and orange politics… I’d rather hear local people’s views on Saddam and Rio Ferdinand.” → Read More
Stephen Nolan: I’ve £3m, but not having a family is failure
After almost five hours with Stephen Nolan, there was an element of frustration in my final question, even if he didn’t know it. → Read More
Edwin Poots abused office for political gain, says union which represents Stormont’s top civil servants
A DUP minister wrongly politicised the civil service by abusing power for political gain, the union which represents senior civil servants has said. → Read More
Sam McBride: What’s next on Leo Varadkar’s list of regrets after his admissions over NI protocol?
Just two years ago, with the Irish Sea border just weeks old, Leo Varadkar assured the public he had helped secure the “best Brexit deal possible”. → Read More
Sam McBride: A letter the DUP won’t admit exists is now a nightmare for civil servants
Hours before Edwin Poots left office two months ago, he left a letter with civil servants which he knew would make their lives much harder – because that was its unavoidable effect. → Read More
Top NIO official privately said nationalists had an ‘inability to come to terms with’ Bloody Sunday
The NIO’s most senior official — who would go on to head up the inquiry in the Iraq War — referred to “the nationalist community’s inability to come to terms with the events of Bloody Sunday and the findings of the Widgery tribunal about them”, a declassified government file has revealed. → Read More
NIO believed Sinn Fein was whipping up parade tensions, declassified files reveal
Escalating parading disputes in the 1990s were in large part due to Sinn Fein orchestrating protests, the NIO believed. → Read More
Whistleblower vet: I don’t think I will ever get justice for being forced out of my job
The Stormont vet hounded out of her job for attempting to prevent animal suffering and potential fraud has said she has lost all faith in a promise by the head of the Civil Service to hold those responsible to account. → Read More
Irish diplomat privately told Foreign Office that Dublin expected north-south bodies to fall if Stormont fell
An Irish diplomat privately told the Foreign Office in 1999 that if Stormont collapsed, he would not expect north-south bodies to continue to operate, according to a declassified government file. → Read More
Sam McBride: As we lose time for reflection, looking back to Christmas 1922 puts our lives into perspective
Never has so much information been so freely and so instantly available, and yet never have we had less time to reflect on what that information really means. → Read More
Sam McBride:A cautious article from Leo Varadkar – but one which will unsettle unionism
Two words sum up Leo Varadkar’s article in Thursday’s Belfast Telegraph: cautious and bland. → Read More
Sam McBride: Unionism has taken its eye off the ball as many are repelled by self-inflicted wounds
For decades, professional sport has learnt from the worlds of business, psychology, nutrition, data and scientific analysis. → Read More
NI rates bills are likely to rise steeply next spring for two related reasons
For those prudent souls who budget carefully months into the future, they should set aside considerably more money than expected for rates bills which will start arriving in the spring. → Read More
Prosecutors considering third file from Nama deal detectives linked to Ten Square hotel
The PPS has for months been considering a third file from detectives in the National Crime Agency (NCA) who investigated alleged corruption in the £1.2bn sale of Nama’s Northern Ireland loans, it can be revealed. → Read More