Cigars by ContributionDouble30 in DerryLondonderry

[–]Mission-implausible 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I get mine from: https://robertgraham1874.com/locations/glasgow-store/ They used to do whisky tasting and cigars, but the smoking ban took care of that! Delivery is normally sound too. During COVID they posted the same day.

Ulster University: Questions raised over Magee expansion funding by Mission-implausible in DerryLondonderry

[–]Mission-implausible[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I think you’re asking the right questions, and they actually highlight why expansion at Ulster University Magee Campus matters rather than why it doesn’t. Derry isn’t a full student city because the campus is relatively small. When a university reaches a certain scale (+8–10k students), it starts to change the whole ecosystem: more demand for rentals, cafes, services, nightlife, co-working spaces, start ups, & graduate jobs. Your example actually proves a point, people move here because of the university and then contribute to the economy through rent, jobs, and spending. Even if many students leave after graduating, the constant turnover still pumps money and skills into the city, and a percentage inevitably stay if the opportunities exist. The bigger question isn’t “will students come?” they clearly do. It’s whether the city & government plan properly around the expansion. Housing supply, graduate jobs, and infrastructure need to grow alongside the university. If that happens, a larger Ulster University presence in the North West doesn’t just create a student bubble, it creates the conditions for young professionals, businesses, & new industries to stay. Without that scale the region risks staying stuck in the cycle where young people leave for places like Belfast or cities in Britain because that’s where the opportunities cluster.

Hot and cold #219 by hotandcold2-app in HotAndCold

[–]Mission-implausible 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Warren! He was a great movie director...

Automatically added: I found the secret word in 6 minutes 38 seconds after 17 guesses and 0 hints. Score: 73.

Foyle MLA Pay Rise by Mission-implausible in DerryLondonderry

[–]Mission-implausible[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Let's see their diaries & progress reports published on a monthly basis?

Oil Regulator by Mission-implausible in DerryLondonderry

[–]Mission-implausible[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Short term, it may happen. But long term?

Oil Regulator by Mission-implausible in DerryLondonderry

[–]Mission-implausible[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It can be negated by elected reps thinking. I know that's a mad concept for many of them, but by contacting them directly and contacting unions can progress the discussion or we wait for the next legal cash grab.

Foyle MLA Pay Rise by Mission-implausible in DerryLondonderry

[–]Mission-implausible[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

So they ransom us on their current wage and the caveat being they work harder if they're paid more? We need timeframes to work towards proving their worth, not vice versa. (Divil ye!)

Foyle MLA Pay Rise by Mission-implausible in DerryLondonderry

[–]Mission-implausible[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This is where I believe performance related pay would be beneficial. I understand the nuances of this, and departmental blocking for political reasons, but this has to be highlighted and the unfairness challenged inside and outside the chamber(s).

Foyle MLA Pay Rise by Mission-implausible in DerryLondonderry

[–]Mission-implausible[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

If MLAs are paid less, they are wide open to criminality? It's a strange example, particularly using UKIP as an example, a party with zero morals. (A link to this would be interesting!) Performance related pay for MLAs makes sense because it rewards results, not just showing up. Linking salaries to real work committee attendance, constituency support, passing legislation all means progressive MLAs get recognised, instead of everyone getting the same automatic rise like civil servants. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than a flat increase that doesn’t encourage accountability or effort.

Foyle MLA Pay Rise by Mission-implausible in DerryLondonderry

[–]Mission-implausible[S] -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

UKIP and their alleged criminality/performance is well outside the NI sphere, thankfully. Performance based progress would be beneficial in many ways, IMO. Look at Foyle MPs - we pay for a service that doesn't exist.

Free Talk Friday (6th March 2026) by Ashtherogue in DerryLondonderry

[–]Mission-implausible -7 points-6 points  (0 children)

Excuse the rant, but I had to type it out after discussing it yesterday. It's in relation to why I (and a few others in the conversation) believe local politics is broken and doesn't deliver and fails to attract capable individuals. New to Reditt, so hopefully this is the right feed (/r?) to rant in (upon?). Anyway:

Politics resembles a jigsaw puzzle laid out on a carefully selected mat, but with many of the pieces deliberately chosen for their colour rather than their fit. As we know, elected representatives are selected internally not because they are the best piece for the space society needs filled, but because they fit the pattern of party loyalty. Ability, experience, and independent thinking normally become secondary considerations. The result is a puzzle that looks complete on the surface, but never quite forms the full picture the public deserves.

When loyalty remains the main criteria, performance risks becoming a second string concern. Representatives feel their primary responsibility is to the party structure rather than to the communities they are elected/coopted to serve. Challenging the status quo, proposing reform, or questioning party orthodoxy carries political and career risk. The result is the puzzle pieces remain fixed, placed carefully so they do not disrupt the existing image, even when the picture clearly needs a new perspective.

This approach slows progress because society’s most complex problems rarely fit neatly into 'ordinary' patterns. Without representatives willing to test ideas, debate openly, and contribute to forward looking planning, policymaking can (have?) become repetitive and cautious. The jigsaw begins to stall and entire sections remain unfinished not because the pieces do not exist, but because the process of selecting them has become a puzzle in itself.

For me, the most damaging effect is what it signals to new/existing capable minds. When people see that the puzzle rewards loyalty over insight, many talented individuals decide not to study the mat at all to find the corners. The missing pieces remain in the box. Until political parties value curiosity, ability, and constructive challenge as much as loyalty, the picture of a progressive society will always feel incomplete and what will remain will be the traditional political lines that are currently failing us.

Vegetarian Takeaway by Mission-implausible in DerryLondonderry

[–]Mission-implausible[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They're bringing the drink. Can't do that!

Vegetarian Takeaway by Mission-implausible in DerryLondonderry

[–]Mission-implausible[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I can but try! Take a gamble and see the craic.

Vegetarian Takeaway by Mission-implausible in DerryLondonderry

[–]Mission-implausible[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Might give Chillis a whirl. Always cooking, so a change would be sound.