The question is not simply how much we spend on defence, but what we understand defence and security to mean, says SIMON BRIGNELL
THE statement by the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC), which represents the Ulster Volunteer Force, the Ulster Defence Regiment and the Red Hand Commandos, states that these groups have not been involved in the recent violence and urged people not to get drawn into violent confrontations.
Community volunteers came onto the streets to try to encourage young people not to get involved in the rioting, but it could be said that the LCC in the loyalist community is especially well placed to ensure that people do not come onto the streets.
The reasons given for these riots are related to opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol and the controversial decision last week not to prosecute 24 Sinn Fein politicians for attending the funeral of former IRA man Bobby Storey during strict Covid-19 rules limiting public gatherings. The funeral drew around 2,000 mourners.
From Barry McGuigan and Carl Frampton to Tyrone McKenna and Lewis Crocker, the city’s fighters carry a complex history into the ring, writes JOHN WIGHT
A new group within the NEU is preparing the labour movement for a conversation on Irish unity by arguing that true liberation must be rooted in working-class solidarity and anti-sectarianism, writes ROBERT POOLE
The independent TD’s campaign has put important issues like Irish reunification and military neutrality at the heart of the political conversation, argues SEAN MacBRADAIGH



