Displaying items by tag: British Isles

Ireland’s general election has set the stage for coalition negotiations to form the next government. Fianna Fáil emerged as the largest party with 48 seats, followed by Sinn Féin with 39 and Fine Gael with 38. With 88 seats needed for a majority, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are expected to renew their coalition, perhaps with support from independents or smaller parties. Micheál Martin, leader of Fianna Fáil, is poised to return as Taoiseach under the coalition's rotation agreement. Fine Gael, led by Simon Harris, will likely alternate leadership roles during the government’s five-year term. Despite Sinn Féin’s gains, the other parties have ruled out collaboration with them. Negotiations will center on policies like enterprise, EU relations, and home ownership. Meetings and talks are expected to last for weeks, with the Dáil returning on 18 December. Ministers will remain in caretaker roles until a coalition agreement is finalised, likely in early 2025.

Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar has announced his immediate resignation as Fine Gael party leader and will step down as Taoiseach once his successor is chosen. He led Ireland from 2017 and took pride in guiding the nation towards economic stability, equality, and modernisation. Varadkar noted his role in referendums legalising same-sex marriage and abortion and improvements in childcare, arts, and infrastructure. Citing personal and political reasons for his departure, Varadkar believes he is no longer the best fit for the role. His decision is not expected to trigger a general election, as the coalition government, including Fianna Fáil and the Green Party, remains committed to its term. Opposition leaders have called for a change in government. There are at least five contenders for the leadership of Fine Gael, with an 18-19 day selection process expected.

Rishi Sunak has proposed compromising some of Britain's Brexit freedoms to encourage the return of devolved government in Northern Ireland. He plans to introduce a requirement that all new laws undergo screening to ensure they won't create additional trade barriers in the Irish Sea, aiming to persuade the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to end its two-year boycott of Stormont, which has paralysed Northern Irish politics. All laws would have to come with a ministerial statement confirming they would not significantly harm internal UK trade. If Britain diverges from EU rules, these checks could increase, potentially blocking new laws that differ from Brussels. Unionists argue that the current arrangement harms the Northern Irish economy. While Sunak's offer aims to guarantee no new laws will create more trade barriers between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, critics argue it would tether the UK to European standards and limit the benefits of Brexit. The DUP leader, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, has been in talks with the government over returning to power-sharing in Stormont but has faced resistance within his party.

Northern Ireland secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has declared that negotiations aimed at restoring the Stormont government have concluded, offering a financial package exceeding £3.3 billion for the Executive's return. However, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson asserts that no final agreement on the post-Brexit Windsor Framework has been reached. He urged immediate resolution of public sector pay disputes by the UK government, independent of Stormont's restoration. Alliance leader Naomi Long, who believes the financial package is substantial yet insufficient, has urged the DUP to return to government. Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald expressed disappointment over the potential delays, while UUP leader Doug Beattie acknowledged the end of talks but noted ongoing discussions about the 'good financial package.' He stressed the need for public sector pay resolutions before Christmas. The legislation for moving forward is reportedly ready.

Migrants at the Manston Airport detention centre are to be vaccinated against diphtheria after dozens of cases were confirmed. Diphtheria is contagious, infecting the nose, throat and sometimes the skin ,and can be fatal. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is working closely with the Home Office at the reception centre, where there are cases of diphtheria and other infections, including one unaccompanied child who had scabies. The UKHSA said accommodation settings should be considered ‘high-risk for infectious diseases with a high prevalence of toxigenic diphtheria infection’ and endorsed mass antibiotic prophylaxis and mass vaccination. Antibiotics and diphtheria vaccination are being offered to everyone at the centre and all who have moved on to hostels recently’. A national briefing was also sent to NHS staff to highlight ‘the importance of early diagnoses.

In 12 months, there has been an 184% increase of children having to wait over four years on consultant waiting lists and waits are longer for children needing help with mental health issues, speech and language therapy and autism assessments. The situation is ‘alarming’. Many of the children could be ‘experiencing pain and discomfort’. Parents' hearts are breaking as they watch their children miss out on vital parts of childhood while struggling to manage health conditions. Waiting lists for ear, nose and throat conditions are the longest. 10,000 children are waiting for a consultant-led outpatient appointment and 4,000 for surgery. In order to tackle the problem trusts are asked to provide additional theatre space, and paediatric surgeons from the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children will travel to other hospitals to perform children's surgery. Commissioned paediatric day case procedure theatre lists for general surgery are being re-established as a priority.

Across the nations churches proclaim the Easter message this weekend. One example is the ‘Cross His Path’ initiative which distributed 200 crosses for people to find in Sudbury and Great Cornard from 26 to 31 March. Each cross had a Bible verse on one side and on the flipside link details to the ‘Cross His Path’ Facebook page where people could log their finds, receive an Easter message, and leave their own reflections. It also gave details of local Easter services and activities, one of which is a ‘Stations of Sudbury’ walk on Easter Saturday, retelling the story of Jesus’ death through readings and prayers at a variety of locations. It will also give an opportunity to pray for the community. Praise God that the heart of the Christian message is being proclaimed across the UK in a variety of ways. Death is not the end for today’s disciples; there is more to come because of what Christ did for us.

Supermarket shelves have for weeks been full of Easter Eggs, Easter bunnies and hot cross buns, to remind us that ‘Easter is coming’. A three-year-old’s comments on Facebook remind us of how far the commercial marketing of Easter has removed us from our Christian tradition. You can watch her conversation with her daddy by clicking the ‘More’ button. A few of her comments were, ‘I don’t understand what Easter’s all about. Why do you give me chocolate at Easter, when you say it is bad for me? We learn about Easter at nursery school. Are Easter bunny and Jesus best pals? Is the Easter bunny in the Bible? Does Jesus carry a basket of eggs all the time? Does Jesus like chocolate?’

Pastor David Lynn leads a Toronto church and has preached on the streets for 22 years without conviction. He also heads up Christ’s Forgiveness Ministries, which has 40,000 supporters and a YouTube channel with 8.8 million views. When he preached outside Barking tube station on 20 March, he was arrested and kept in custody for over 20 hours. David began preaching at 1 pm, and at 3.30 pm a group of supporters joined him. He preached about people searching for love in the wrong places; only through a right relationship with Christ can this deep need be satisfied. A large crowd formed, and David handed the microphone to onlookers to allow them to respond to his preaching. Fortunately his preaching was videoed, so that when a lady accused him of calling her ‘perverse’ and ‘sinful’ the footage of the event did not substantiate her complaint.