Sam McBride

Belfast

Northern Ireland Editor at Belfast Telegraph

Northern Ireland Editor at Sunday Independent

Northern Ireland Editor of the Belfast Telegraph & Sunday Independent. Author of Burned: The Inside Story of the Cash-for-Ash Scandal. Any views mine alone.

Articles

State funding has become a perverse incentive to riot

1 week ago | belfasttelegraph.co.uk | Sam McBride

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Incoherent DUP vulnerable if voters realise it lobbied for more migration while presenting a very different message

2 weeks ago | belfasttelegraph.co.uk | Sam McBride

It is impossible to simultaneously argue for increased immigration while decrying the effect of more foreigners — but that’s just what the DUP has been doing for yearsThe monstrous fury unleashed in Ballymena this week before infecting other towns is a problem for all of society — but it is a particular crisis for the DUP.
Gerard Farmer and Paul Doherty: Mobuoy criminals are polluting Derry’s drinking water - but told judge their health was hurt by being prosecuted

2 weeks ago | independent.ie | Sam McBride

Gerard Farmer lied about his role, absurdly claiming people may have sneaked in to dump vast quantities of toxic waste because the gates were unlockedThe two criminals responsible for a vast toxic dump polluting Derry’s drinking water repeatedly lied about their role — and then claimed when caught it was hurting their own health.
Gerard Farmer and Paul Doherty: Mobuoy criminals are polluting Derry’s drinking water - but told judge their health was hurt by being prosecuted

2 weeks ago | belfasttelegraph.co.uk | Sam McBride

Gerard Farmer lied about his role, absurdly claiming people may have sneaked in to dump vast quantities of toxic waste because the gates were unlockedThe two criminals responsible for a vast toxic dump polluting Londonderry’s drinking water repeatedly lied about their role — and then claimed when caught it was hurting their own health.
The cross-border service doing more to break down barriers than all the north-south bodies combined

2 weeks ago | belfasttelegraph.co.uk | Sam McBride

Service has done more to break down barriers on this island than all 1998 Agreement’s north-south bodies combinedIn 1998, one of the most contentious aspects of the Good Friday Agreement was cross-border bodies. Having himself helped pull down power-sharing in 1974 over the Council of Ireland, David Trimble was intensely nervous about how many north-south bodies there would be, how powerful they’d be and who’d control them.
Sir Ken Bloomfield was a titanic figure who helped reshape NI in ways unthinkable for our sorry civil service

3 weeks ago | belfasttelegraph.co.uk | Sam McBride

A secret meeting Kenneth Bloomfield had with a future MI5 chief in 1971 remains controversial to some former colleagues, but his integrity and ability were never in questionIn Northern Ireland’s 104-year history, no bureaucrat had so much influence for so long. It’s unlikely that anyone will ever exert such enduring authority again.
Sir Ken Bloomfield was a titanic figure who helped reshape Northern Ireland in ways unthinkable for our sorry civil service

3 weeks ago | belfasttelegraph.co.uk | Sam McBride

A secret meeting Kenneth Bloomfield had with a future MI5 chief in 1971 remains controversial to some former colleagues, but his integrity and ability were never in questionIn Northern Ireland’s 104-year history, no bureaucrat had so much influence for so long. It’s unlikely that anyone will ever exert such enduring authority again.
Judge rejects attempt to stop the media reporting Frank Cushnahan’s Nama trial as it happens

3 weeks ago | belfasttelegraph.co.uk | Sam McBride

Judge ruled in our favour earlier this week, but we can only now report outcome related to case which defence lawyer says is of “monumental interest” to journalists and the publicThe Belfast Telegraph and other media organisations have successfully resisted an attempt to prevent us reporting on the trial of a prominent figure for alleged offences including fraud.
BBC hasn’t removed Gerry Adams defamation article - and won’t say if it plans to take it down

3 weeks ago | belfasttelegraph.co.uk | Sam McBride

Continued access to online report in Northern Ireland and Republic may hint that an appeal over ruling is likelyThe BBC has refused to comment on why its report at the heart of Gerry Adams’ libel victory last week remains online unamended days after a jury ruled it defamatory.
The consequences of landmark Gerry Adams trial verdict - and why they could be felt most by the Irish public

3 weeks ago | belfasttelegraph.co.uk | Sam McBride

The potential repercussions are many, including geoblocking TV and radio programmes and news site content so they can’t be accessed in the RepublicInside the BBC, Gerry Adams’s libel victory in Dublin’s High Court immediately prompted radical thinking. Few in the Republic yet realise that the most profound implications of this case could be borne not by British licence fee payers, but by the Irish public. From the BBC’s perspective, the jury’s decision was little short of disastrous.

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Sam McBride @SJAMcBride

13 Jun 25

RT @BelTel: Asylum seekers' support includes £49.18 a week and basic temporary accommodation. How many are there in Ballymena? Zero. In fac…

Sam McBride @SJAMcBride

10 Jun 25

The two criminals responsible for the vast Mobuoy toxic dump polluting Londonderry’s drinking water repeatedly lied about their role — and then claimed when caught that the court process was hurting their own health. https://t.co/Lro2pB59c1

Sam McBride @SJAMcBride

8 Jun 25

North-south bodies were once one of the most contentious aspects of the Good Friday Agreement; now, they're one of the least controversial elements. Few people could even name them. Yet a far older north-south institution is booming: The Enterprise train. https://t.co/SSXEVLb9wK

Sam McBride

Articles

State funding has become a perverse incentive to riot

Incoherent DUP vulnerable if voters realise it lobbied for more migration while presenting a very different message

Gerard Farmer and Paul Doherty: Mobuoy criminals are polluting Derry’s drinking water - but told judge their health was hurt by being prosecuted

Gerard Farmer and Paul Doherty: Mobuoy criminals are polluting Derry’s drinking water - but told judge their health was hurt by being prosecuted

The cross-border service doing more to break down barriers than all the north-south bodies combined

Sir Ken Bloomfield was a titanic figure who helped reshape NI in ways unthinkable for our sorry civil service

Sir Ken Bloomfield was a titanic figure who helped reshape Northern Ireland in ways unthinkable for our sorry civil service

Judge rejects attempt to stop the media reporting Frank Cushnahan’s Nama trial as it happens

BBC hasn’t removed Gerry Adams defamation article - and won’t say if it plans to take it down

The consequences of landmark Gerry Adams trial verdict - and why they could be felt most by the Irish public

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