IN allocating a huge sum of money to loyalist communities on the grounds that it would be used to enhance collective community development, Northern Ireland secretary Peter Hain was recognising the seriousness of the problem of low morale and self-esteem in those communities.

IT was a great relief that Sinn Féin, through a combination of skill and determination, had persuaded its membership to vote in favour of the party’s motion supporting a new era in policing in Northern Ireland.