A personal message from News Letter editor Ben Lowry

	I N S I D E R

Oct 21, 2023

Ben Lowry

Editor

Parts of the Republic of Ireland, to our southwest, were hit badly by Storm Babet, and Scotland, to our northeast, but Northern Ireland largely escaped

Our lead story is politicians and experienced police officers calling for Marie Anderson to step aside as ombudsman until the investigation into an incident is completed. And here we welcome the new chief constable not appealing the court ruling which exposed PSNI pandering to Sinn Fein

The reporter Adam Kula here has identified a split in Sinn Fein over what to demand of Israel in Ireland which I think is a reflection of their awareness that Irish exceptionalism (ie Ireland being at odds with America on key issues but still having a close relationship) only goes so far

Jeffrey Donaldson after the DUP conference explained to this paper his warm language about Stormont but Doug Beattie says he would have been "labelled a Lundy" if he said the same

These poems commemorating murdered Orangemen were written in Gaelic

I do hope the National Trust repairs Hezlett House. Northern Ireland has many buildings from the 1700s, mostly churches, but very few like this from the 1600s

Ben Lowry

Editor

Rare public split appears to emerge in Sinn Fein as top brass decline to back calls for expulsion of Israel's ambassador

Sinn Fein’s leadership last night resisted calls for Israel’s ambassador to be expelled from Ireland – against the stated wishes of the party’s youth wing, a TD, and a senior MLA.