There have been penalties for those who looked the other way when Epstein was convicted of child sex offences and decided to maintain relationships with the financier — but not for the British ambassador to Washington, reveals SOLOMON HUGHES
Betty Sinclair, hero of the Irish working class
Following a ceremony held by comrades of the legendary communist activist, LYNDA WALKER summarises a life that saw time in Armagh jail, study in the Lenin School in Moscow and a founding role in the Irish civil rights movement
Family and comrades of Betty Sinclair gather to unveil a new headstone to the legendary communist activist at Carnmoney Cemetery in Belfast, December 3 2022
Labour’s new Treasury unit will ‘challenge unnecessary regulation’ by forcing nominally independent bodies like Ofwat to bend to business demands — exactly what Iain Anderson’s corporate clients wanted, writes SOLOMON HUGHES
DR DYLAN MURPHY looks at a Big Brother Watch report which exposes the government as an enabler of DWP secret spying on benefit claimants
The EU faces a critical choice: will it remain in the shadow of an increasingly unreliable US ally, or will it forge its own path in a multilateral world where co-operation with China is essential, asks MARC VANDEPITTE as leaders meet for the EU-China Summit
A lot of discussion about how the left should currently organise – including debate on whether the Green Party is a useful vehicle for advance – runs the risk of refusing to engage with or learn from the reasons the left was defeated previously, argues KEVIN OVENDEN
For Egypt trade trumps the Israeli genocide of the Palestinians, but how long can the country’s ‘misleaders’ – and others in the region – continue their indifference against the popular will of their own people, asks ROGER McKENZIE
BETTY SINCLAIR was born into a Church of Ireland, working-class family in Hooker Street, the Ardoyne area of Belfast. Her father was a worker in the Harland and Wolff shipyard and a “Walkerist” (pro-unionist) socialist; her mother was a reeler in Ewart’s mill.
The 1911 census shows that Betty lived with her mother Margaret, her father Joe and brothers William, Thomas and Joseph and her younger sister Ellen. It is thought that perhaps Joseph died at an early age as little is known about him.
As a young girl she lived for a short period with her aunt in Leeds, she described this as being a happy period in her life and found living in Leeds an improvement to Belfast.
More from this author
Peaceful protesters are facing increasingly authoritarian clampdowns, including two recent arrests for putting a sticker on a Barclays ATM. LYNDA WALKER reports
From confronting Nato to defending Irish neutrality, Clare Daly’s principled stance embodies the often-forgotten peace tradition at the heart of IWD — we are proud to welcome her to our Belfast event, writes LYNDA WALKER
LYNDA WALKER writes about Bohemian FC, who are set to welcome the Palestinian Women’s National team for their first ever match in Europe
LYNDA WALKER pays tribute to a trailblazing black actor who championed progressive causes, leading to a close relationship with struggles for justice in Ireland
