Sinn Féin Vice President Pat Doherty MP has said that the suspension of the political institutions and the cancellation of the Assembly elections has "allowed politics to be reduced to little more than squabbles between different wings of rejectionist unionism". Free article

Sinn Féin Councillor Brendan Curran has called for the removal of British Army foot patrols in the centre of Newry. On Tuesday, several large British Army foot patrols, accompanied by members of the PSNI, met at the Town Hall, Newry and made their way out the Belfast Road. Free article

An unemployment tribunal in Belfast has found that a former British soldier was driven to attempt suicide after being subjected to a relentless campaign of sectarian abuse, threats and harassment by his Protestant collegues. Private Patrick Murphy was born a Catholic in the Andersonstown area of West Belfast, but all that changed one day in 1996, when he signed up to serve with the Royal Irish Regiment in Portadown. Free article

The UDA in Derry issued a new threat of violence at a loyalist press conference in the Waterside on Thursday 7 August, when members of the Ulster Political Research Group (UPRG) read the paramilitary group's latest statement. Free article

Sinn Féin's Mayor of Sligo, Sean MacManus, has expressed extreme disappointment at the failure of the government to purchase Lissadell House and Estate, which is closely associated with Irish patriot Constance Markievicz. MacManus, who is Chairperson of the Lissadell Action Group, expressed extreme disappointment at the failure of the government to purchase the historic property. Free article

Sinn Féin's Arthur Morgan and Joe Reilly have welcomed the open letter by 18 family doctors in Drogheda that they have serious concerns about the building of the 26 Counties' first incinerator in Carranstown, County Meath. Free article

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Employment, Arthur Morgan TD has criticised comments by the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Martin Cullen, expressing opposition to the forthcoming ban on smoking in all workplaces. Sinn Féin wholeheartedly supports the introduction of this ban. Free article

What is really happening in the Irish housing market? Revealing financial statistics from Britain and a damning IMF report and have underpinned the perilous state of the housing market as new job losses and unemployment figures continue to rise. First the financial data, British Mortgage bank Bradford and Bingley announced its results for the first six months of 2003 last week. Free article

Inflation figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) last week showed slowing price rises and an annual inflation rate of 3.1%. This gives the Dublin government another financial headache, with potentially serious consequences for the ordinary consumer and the PAYE worker. The problem is that there is in the economy this year an ever growing gap between tax revenue and government spending. Free article

Sinn Féin Dublin EU Candidate Marylou McDonald has welcomed Environment Minister Martin Cullen's announcement that tally figures will be available in next year's Local Government and European Union elections. Free article