Academic – Author – Analyst
When I broke the news that the East Belfast UVF leadership had been stood down on Remembrance Sunday last November it took a lot of people by surprise, even Northern Ireland’s media. Some of them moved quickly to check with their own sources, with two respected journalists, Hugh Jordan of the Sunday World and Julian…
As rumours of a General Election intensify some close to the thinking of the DUP suggest that the party is working to a post-Christmas timetable. This is highly significant, particularly in light of how far the DUP has come since it began its boycott of the power-sharing Executive in February 2022. As I revealed on…
It has become clear in recent days that the UVF Brigade Staff on the Shankill has seen its stock rise in the eyes of its grassroots supporters due to its shock statement a week ago, which saw them announcement the standing down its East Belfast leadership. I argued in an earlier blog post that there…
Since I broke the story about the UVF Brigade Staff on the Shankill standing down its East Belfast area leadership, it has become clear that the group has not produced a more comprehensive plan for what comes next. My sources in Belfast tell me that the statement was “short and sweet.” It did not mention…
The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), a militant loyalist group in Northern Ireland, has disbanded its notorious East Belfast unit, which has been intimately involved in drug-related crimes. This move has provoked fears of violent retaliation within working-class communities. Nevertheless, with this strategic decision by the UVF leadership, the responsibility now falls on law enforcement and intelligence agencies to mitigate potential internecine feuds, ensuring the integrity of the group’s transition process.
A loyalist source has contacted me to tell me that the East Belfast UVF have been stood down, effective from midnight tonight. The statement is believed to have been issued by the UVF Brigade Staff, the group’s central command. It was read out across different areas as members of the paramilitary group met to commemorate…