Northern Ireland Politics

Written by Michael Slater

New job titles for First and deputy First Ministers?

A committee (called the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee) have suggested that the First and deputy First Minister in Northern Ireland should be called ‘joint first ministers’ instead.

The First and deputy First Ministers of Northern Ireland are roles given to the leaders of Northern Ireland’s government. One is always from the largest unionist political party and one from the largest nationalist party. They have joint authority and form the head of the government in Northern Ireland.

The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee’s report also suggested other changes to Northern Ireland’s politics, such as allowing two politicians from any party to be elected as the leaders, not just one from the largest nationalist and one from the largest unionist parties.

NI Youth Assembly takes place at Stormont

In early December a group of young people aged 13 -17 from all parts of Northern Ireland met at Stormont for the Youth Assembly. Stormont is the name of the parliament buildings where the Northern Ireland government meets.

The Youth Assembly discussed many of the issues that are facing young people in Northern Ireland, such as mental health and climate change.

American business delegation visits Northern Ireland

In October a delegation of businesspeople from the USA were in Northern Ireland to take a look at potential investment opportunities. A delegation is a group of people that represent a larger group and the USA stands for the United States of America.

The delegation was in Northern Ireland for four days and they met with people from companies such as Coca-Cola to discuss the possibility of new jobs and money being invested by America.

Northern Ireland politicians ‘in talks’

Northern Ireland’s government has still not restarted since it ‘collapsed’ in 2022. Recently politicians have been having meetings to discuss how they can get the government working again. We will keep you updated in future issues of The Highlighter News.