Most people love a drink to unwind at the weekend but is that fifth glass of wine doing more harm than good?
THE majority of people believe drinking at the weekends but not touching a drop all week constitutes a safe and healthy relationship with alcohol.
Drinkers often pack their drinking into sessions on a Friday and Saturday night. This practice not only harms their health but impacts on other areas of their life like relationships with family and friends and poses a risk to their personal safety and the safety of others.
I recently hit the streets of Belfast, camera crew (if you can call them that!) in tow, to find out how clued up the general public were about the people sitting in the seats of power at Stormont.
DUP Leader-elect Peter Robinson has said greater co-operation between Northern Ireland’s two main Unionist parties is on his agenda when he takes the office of First Minister in June.
Mr Robinson plans to talk with UUP representation in a bid increase voter turnout from Unionist areas.
He said: “We need to be mindful of the electoral strength of republicanism. They are getting stronger because unionist turnout is reducing.
“There is a responsibility on unionists to encourage people to come to the polling station.”
Robinson, who was Ian Paisley’s deputy Leader for 28 years, has insisted his dealings with current Deputy First Minister will be strictly business.
Sources say the DUP are also mindful of ending the so-called ‘Chuckle Brothers’ working relationship within the OFDFM.
Making politics and party policy accessible to the masses has always presented a challenge. Creating an attractive and interesting forum for the younger section of the electorate can, in some instances, seem downright impossible.
Northern Ireland’s only Green Party MLA Brian Wilson has taken an unconventional step in promoting his political message to the reluctant younger voter.
Brian, a North Down councillor for 25 years, in addition to the obligatory promotional website, has launched web pages on the popular networking sites MySpace and Bebo.
MINISTER for Employment and Learning Sir Reg Empey has pledged to “look at the reasons why young people leave Northern Ireland to study”.
Sir Reg, discussing the so-called ‘brain drain’, said: “The growth and development of the NI economy is of crucial importance in attracting graduates back.”
The Minister said: “We want to get a clearer picture of the effect that graduates not returning to the province has on it’s society and economy.”
Posted by Michelle Smyth 
BY PAUL REILLY – 
Posted by Paul Reilly 
DUP Leader-elect Peter Robinson has said greater co-operation between Northern Ireland’s two main Unionist parties is on his agenda when he takes the office of First Minister in June.
Posted by Paul Reilly 
BY PAUL REILLY – 
