Despite persistent rain, members of Éirígí held a successful picket today outside the front entrance of the Canal Court Hotel in Newry where a business lunch was being held, attended by the British shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, Ed Balls. Those attending the lunch included ministers from all of the Stormont parties.

Éirígí in Newry have voiced their concerns following recently released figures which show that a staggering 3,831 people in the Newry and Mourne area find themselves out of work and are receiving unemployment benefits. Of those 3,831 people, 2,708 are male while 1,123 are female.

Éirígí Béal Feirste spokesperson John McCusker has slammed the recent news of 760 job cuts at engineering firm FG Wilson. When added to a previously announced loss of 160 jobs, this takes the total to 920 – almost one-third of the company’s workforce in the Six Counties. The company also announced last week that it was

In a mixed judgment, the High Court in Britain on Monday [August 6] ruled that regulations through which the British government has created many of its ‘Workfare’ schemes are lawful but that the decision of the Department of Work and Pensions [DWP] to strip clients of benefits for six months for refusing to undertake compulsory work was unlawful.

Many will no doubt be accustomed to the ongoing battle being waged by parties within the Stormont Executive to stamp out dissent and criticism from republican quarters.