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Melissa Ciummei

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This is what they fear most: people putting old divisions aside and standing together. While some continue to dig into the past in an attempt to reignite sectarian tensions and keep communities divided, more and more people are choosing to focus on the challenges of the present and the future. Catholics and Protestants have far more in common than what separates them. Across Northern Ireland people are beginning to see through the politics of division and are finding common ground on the issues that affect their families, communities and way of life. Unity does not mean forgetting the past. It means refusing to let it be used against us. A people united is far stronger than a people divided.

This is what they fear most: people putting old divisions aside and standing together. While some continue to dig into the past in an attempt to reignite sectarian tensions and keep communities divided, more and more people are choosing to focus on the challenges of the present and the future. Catholics and Protestants have far more in common than what separates them. Across Northern Ireland people are beginning to see through the politics of division and are finding common ground on the issues that affect their families, communities and way of life. Unity does not mean forgetting the past. It means refusing to let it be used against us. A people united is far stronger than a people divided.

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‼️More Inflation Incoming.‼️ Even the Bank of England admits it. So here are three things worth understanding. 1. Inflation usually ends at wages. Prices can keep rising for as long as people can keep paying them. If your wages rise at the same pace as prices, your standard of living doesn’t really change. But if prices keep rising while wages lag behind, your purchasing power falls. You don’t notice it all at once. It’s a slow squeeze. Every pay packet buys a little bit less than it did before. Then people start cutting back, demanding higher pay, or simply going without. Ask yourself this… If employers can fill vacancies with people willing to work for lower wages, what does that do to the bargaining power of existing workers? 2. High prices eventually solve high prices. Not because politicians step in. Because consumers do. When enough people refuse to pay the asking price, demand falls. People buy less. They switch to cheaper alternatives. Or they stop buying altogether. Businesses then have two choices: lower prices if they still can, or if they can’t make a profit, close their doors. 3. Not all inflation hurts equally. You can postpone buying a new phone. You can’t postpone paying your mortgage. You can skip a holiday. You can’t stop buying food or paying your electricity bill. Inflation in luxury goods is annoying. Inflation in essentials changes lives. If inflation continues, expect more pressure on household budgets, more businesses struggling, and some jobs disappearing as people cut back on spending. My advice? Don’t wait until you’re forced to make changes. Pay down expensive debt if you can. Build some savings. Review your spending now, not when circumstances do it for you. The people who usually cope best aren’t the ones hoping everything goes back to normal. They’re the ones who prepare before everyone else realises they need. Hope isn’t a financial strategy. Preparation is.

Melissa Ciummei

53,313 Aufrufe • vor 12 Tagen

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The Curious Case of the Barrister, the Bomb, the Museum and MI5 This story raises more questions the deeper you look. A 25 year old trainee barrister spends two years in war-torn Syria, comes home, then is allegedly caught transporting a Semtex car bomb complete with a detonator and timer. We’re told she didn’t know what she was carrying. She gets bail. We’re also told MI5 and Special Branch knew about the alleged bomb plot for two months. If that’s true, why was a live device allowed to be collected in Phoenix Park and transported up the N2 through public roads before the car was finally stopped at a petrol station in Carrickmacross? Then there’s the second arrest. Simon O’Donovan appears before Ireland’s three-judge, non-jury Special Criminal Court and is refused bail. Prosecutors allege explosives were stored at Collins Barracks……a government-owned museum where he worked. So which is it? Was this such a serious national security threat that it required the Special Criminal Court or was is something worthy of granting bail? The official line is that the intended target was a police officer in Derry. Maybe it was. But given the current political tensions, the growing split within republicanism and the fact that intelligence agencies reportedly knew about the operation well in advance, it’s understandable that people are asking whether the public is being told the full story. Questioning an official narrative isn’t extremism. It’s what people do when the facts presented raise more questions than they answer.

Melissa Ciummei

95,398 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat

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Gerry Adams in a recent interview said: “We all have to have a very assertive opposition to the far right or to the right generally.” Listen carefully to the language being This creates a false choice: either you support current immigration policies, or you are placed in the “far right” category. But questioning the scale of immigration, rapid demographic change, pressure on housing or the capacity of public services is not the same as blaming immigrants. No one is saying immigrants specifically are the problem, Gerry. The debate is about the decisions made by politicians, the policies, the planning and whether governments are putting the interests of the people they represent first. When public services are already struggling, asking whether they can cope with increased demand is a legitimate democratic question. A democracy depends on debate. Questioning immigration policy, borders, economic policy or aspects of progressive politics are legitimate views. Dismissing people with labels instead of answering their concerns is an attempt to create a culture where people feel they cannot speak openly. “At a certain intellectual level.” That comes across as incredibly dismissive. Just say what you mean: people who disagree are either racist, “far right” or not intelligent enough to understand. That is not how you build trust. The irony is that while some speak about unity, people from different backgrounds who were once divided are now finding common ground on issues affecting their communities. A united Ireland cannot be built by telling certain people their concerns are unacceptable. There is no unlimited right to move to any country of your choice. Countries have a right to control their borders and decide who enters, lives and works there…while still protecting those genuinely fleeing persecution. The real question is not about blaming immigrants. It is about asking whether political decisions are serving ordinary people. A united Ireland should mean unity among its people — not unity against those who question the direction of travel.

Melissa Ciummei

15,332 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat