Workers Solidarity Movement

December saw the promotion of Fermanagh & South Tyrone MLA, Arlene Foster to the position of DUP leader and the North of Ireland’s First Minister.

Foster is a woman who was once described to have “learned a lot from the likes of Thatcher when it comes to dealing with men in politics."

It is not coming as much of a surprise that some middle-class, career-focused feminists have made claims of this being some sort of an advance of feminism. Many are claiming that this represents a great change in northern Irish society, as a move away from the male dominated arena that we understands politics here to be (the same could be said throughout the World of course).

Somewhere in the region of 70 people attended an emergency protest yesterday outside Belfast City Hall.

Those present were protesting in favour of free, safe and legal abortion on demand, as early as possible, as late as necessary.

The High Court in Belfast ruled in December that the North's abortion laws are in "breach of human rights".

The Belfast High Court has ruled that the North's abortion ban is in breach of Human Rights Law.

This is the judgment on the case brought forward by the Human Rights Commission to allow for abortion in the cases of rape, incest and fatal foetal abnormalities.

You've probably heard the slogan "Pro-Life that's a lie, you don't care if women die!" at pro-choice rallies or protests. Today the reality of that slogan is once again ringing true.

At around about noon yesterday a 57-year-old white man, known as Robert Lewis Dear, attacked a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado in the U.S. Three are dead and nine are injured as a result of the terrorist shooting.

It's no secret that Stormont has gone into one of its regular crises.

A few months ago they were arguing over Welfare Reform, then Kevin McGuigan was shot dead and they were then arguing about whether or not the IRA still existed (great timing for Robinson as the NAMA scandal was just being brought to light).

Bombardier reported a profit of $125 million last quarter yet our media is telling us that the Company is in a serious financial crisis and that significant changes will have to be made to the workforce as a result.

Today the story broke that an ex-soldier has been arrested in connection with Bloody Sunday in which 13 people (and another who later died from his injuries) were murdered at a protest against internment in Derry's Bogside on 30 January 1972.

The soldiers involved in the massacre, the Parachute Regiment, were involved in another massacre less than six months prior to this. In August 1971, 11 people were murdered over a period of three days by the Parachute Regiment in Ballymurphy in the west of the city - 10 were shot and another suffered a heart attack after a confrontation with a soldier in which it is alleged that the soldier put an empty gun into his mouth and pulled the trigger.

For the first time in the history of the Northern Irish state a majority of MLAs have voted in favour of Marriage Equality. The motion, however, has fallen due to the DUP launching a Petition of Concern which blocks any passing of the motion to law.

Voting against the motion - as 52 politicians did - is one thing, but guaranteeing its failure in spite of a winning majority vote reveals the homophobic, bigoted and bitter nature of the DUP.