In the studio complex where the hit drama Game of Thrones was filmed, it was appropriate that Mary Lou McDonald strode into the Belfast election count with the mistakable buzz of triumph among her team.
Northern Ireland politics is regularly marked by dramatic moments that promise a historic turning point. The juncture opened by Ms McDonald, president of the all-Ireland Sinn Fein party, was that its victory would start a push for reunification of the island, cutting the tie to the UK.
In the language of Northern Ireland politics, the process is referred to as a "border poll". Despite the anodyne name, the idea is both controversial and divisive – something that compounds the tensions created by the fragile make-up of the region.
Sinn Fein’s election campaign for the 2022 Northern Ireland assembly said almost nothing about unification and, instead, stressed messages around working together to address cost of living and healthcare issues. Once the votes were in, the Dublin-based Ms McDonald threw off the restrain.
The strategic implications of Irish unity are considerable and not to be underplayed
Work for a border poll should start before the end of the decade, she declared. Indeed she would like it within five years. The change of tone was one aimed much more towards a wider audience beyond the British-run territory.
If it pans out the way Ms McDonald would like it to, the outcome would be seismic. Sinn Fein in two decades has transformed from being the voice of the Irish Republican Army commanding less than 10 per cent of Northern Ireland votes and almost none in the Irish Republic.
As of this week, it commands most seats in the Northern Ireland assembly. It has set its sights on the same goal in the Irish Parliament at the next general election in 2025. Because of the weak and transactional nature of the big Irish parties, it has good chance of doing so.
That would give the tricolour-branded party an immense platform to further the reunification agenda.
There be little doubt about what that would mean for Britain, Europe and indeed the overall shape of the West. The current tensions with Russia are bringing those into focus in ways not seen since the Cold War, or indeed the Second World War.
When Russia’s state TV last week showed a mocked-up strike by a nuclear drone not only wiping out the UK, which it deems as principal enemy, there was outrage in Ireland.
The country’s foreign ministry lodged a protest with Moscow. There were calls in the newspapers for Ireland to expel the Russian ambassador, something that hasn’t really been heard in London.
A few days later, a Russia submarine was spotted off the north-west coast of Ireland, which is a non-aligned state. As such Northern Ireland is an important aspect of the UK's projection into the North Atlantic – and hence that of Nato.
The strategic implications of Irish unity are considerable and not to be underplayed, even if they have been rarely discussed.
There are several reasons why a rush to consider Irish unity can been discounted even after the poll result that has set everybody talking.
In the first place the Sinn Fein campaign placed its northern leader, Michelle O’Neill, on its posters for its presidential-style campaign. Her words have been far more inclusive towards the Unionist tradition. Even Ms McDonald has also told voters from the other tradition “don’t be scared”.
The overall percentage lead between Sinn Fein and its main rival, the Democratic Unionist Party, was 29 per cent to 23 per cent. But parties declaring themselves to be Unionists and parties that are Nationalist both garnered 40 per cent of the vote. A surge in the centrist Alliance Party has boosted the independents to 20 per cent. In effect the ratio of power in Northern Ireland is 4:4:2.
There is almost zero chance that this calculus could be reordered by the establishment of a referendum on Irish unity. The toxic issue of Brexit has if anything entrenched the divisions between each side. Those in the middle may enjoy the advantages of Northern Ireland’s duality too much to make a jump for Irish unity.
Global identity matters for all those involved in the process. Local identity matters even more. Polarisation has been turbo-charged by Brexit. Irish citizens in the south are also puzzled by the northern society and don’t easily understand how they could easily absorb hundreds of thousands of angry and “scared” northern Protestants.
Still, the rise of Sinn Fein both north and south cannot be discounted. It is based on familiar social issues of inequality and frustration at the economic disparities throw up by the modern economy.
The party’s ideological roots cannot be separated out by the fact that its electoral gains are based on different strands.
The wisest in the party lay a different stress from Ms McDonald. They point to Brexit and say the last thing they want is a referendum that they win and then don’t have a clue what to do with their victory.
Taking a step back, they see the Irish state as in need of overhaul. Northern Ireland would have to change, too, if it were to be absorbed into an all-island entity. Why not have a citizen's assembly to say a poll on Northern Ireland would be a vote on hitting the reset button across the whole of Ireland.
That would be something worth voting for: the future.
RESULTS
5pm: Rated Conditions (PA) Dh85,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner: AF Mouthirah, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: AF Alajaj, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Hawafez, Connor Beasley, Abubakar Daud
6.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Tair, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Wakeel W’Rsan, Richard Mullen, Jaci Wickham
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,400m
Winner: Son Of Normandy, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
'Moonshot'
Director: Chris Winterbauer
Stars: Lana Condor and Cole Sprouse
Rating: 3/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
WHEN TO GO:
September to November or March to May; this is when visitors are most likely to see what they’ve come for.
WHERE TO STAY:
Meghauli Serai, A Taj Safari - Chitwan National Park resort (tajhotels.com) is a one-hour drive from Bharatpur Airport with stays costing from Dh1,396 per night, including taxes and breakfast. Return airport transfers cost from Dh661.
HOW TO GET THERE:
Etihad Airways regularly flies from Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu from around Dh1,500 per person return, including taxes. Buddha Air (buddhaair.com) and Yeti Airlines (yetiairlines.com) fly from Kathmandu to Bharatpur several times a day from about Dh660 return and the flight takes just 20 minutes. Driving is possible but the roads are hilly which means it will take you five or six hours to travel 148 kilometres.