Northern Slant is excited to be part of this year’s Imagine! Festival of Ideas & Politics – and we want you to be part of it too. We’re delighted to host the online panel discussion:

Post-Pandemic NI:
Should I Stay or Should I Go?

You can watch the event back here:

Event Description

Seismic changes forced by Brexit, COVID-19 and technological innovations are shaping Northern Ireland beyond recognition. At the same time, much of NI’s political and societal divisions remain stagnant. An emerging generation, often due to economic and career motivations, choose to study, work and live elsewhere.

As the world reopens, how do we prevent Northern Ireland becoming a stepping stone? As geographic location becomes less linked to employment opportunities, how can we persuade our people to stay and attract newcomers? As we navigate post-Brexit political and practical realities, how can our political and civil society leaders build a truly shared future?

Join Northern Slant and a panel of commentators as we consider how, together, we can make Northern Ireland a more attractive and inclusive place for everyone.

Our panellists are:

  • Ailbhe Rea, New Statesman
  • Laney Lenox, Northern Slant
  • Tina McKenzie, CEO Staffline Recruitment Ireland, and Chair of the Federation of Small Business NI
  • Charmain Jones, Rural Community Network

Ailbhe Rea

Ailbhe Rea is from Belfast in Northern Ireland, now living in London. Previously a reporter for the Londoner’s Diary at the Evening Standard, she is currently Political Correspondent at the New Statesman. She co-hosts the New Statesman podcast, discussing the latest in UK politics.

Laney Lenox

Laney Lenox is originally from Louisiana, USA. Having spent a six-month study abroad semester in Belfast in 2013, and later time in Galway, Laney chose to stay on the island of Ireland. After completing a masters in Conflict Transformation and Social Justice at Queen’s University, she is currently a PhD candidate at Ulster University.

Tina McKenzie

Tina McKenzie is a high profile and multi award winning Managing Director with over 25 years’ experience in the recruitment industry. She launched Staffline Ireland in 2013 as a start up after running companies throughout the UK and internationally – today the company has an annual turnover of £150 million. Tina also Chairs the FSB NI Policy Unit, is a member of UK FSB Policy Board, sits on the Department of Economy Advisory Group in response to Covid-19 and holds the office of Honorary Consul to Finland for Belfast.

Charmain Jones

Charmain Jones is the Community Relations Officer at the Rural Community Network (RCN). Since 2000 she has worked in the community and voluntary sector all her life and has led grassroots initiatives across rural and urban areas in Northern Ireland. With a particular focus on Cohesion, Sharing and Integration, at RCN her role includes leading rural community relations initiatives/programmes and training to address social exclusion, promote social cohesion and build community capacity. She is supported and funded by the NI Community Relations Council.

More about the Imagine! Festival

The Imagine! festival website and full events programme can be found here. You can follow us on Twitter @Northernslant and on Facebook.

The image used for the advertisement of this event is from Ryan Simpson – he’s on Twitter @RSimpsonPhoto.

In Case You Missed Them – Previous Northern Slant events

The U.S. and Us – October 2020

Three weeks ahead of the US presidential election, Northern Slant editors and guests discussed – virtually – the campaign, potential outcomes and, particularly, what it all means for Northern Ireland and the rest of the World. (This was originally planned to be an in-person event at last year’s Imagine Festival). Our report and video presentation are here.

Making Sense of the UK General Election 2019 – December 2019 

A couple of days ahead of the most recent Westminster general election, this discussion considered what opinion polls were saying and what the election might mean for Northern Ireland. Our report is here.

Politics Beyond Politicians – March 2019

Who are political leaders? How does politics happen? What are the opportunities to do politics differently in Northern Ireland and how can we, as citizens and not just voters, bring about positive change? This panel discussion was held on the opening day of the 2018 Imagine! festival in Belfast. Our report is here.

E-book launch: Exploring Aspects of the Northern Ireland Troubles – January 2019

When Northern Slant author Vicky Cosstick launched her e-book Don’t Mention the War: Exploring Aspects of the Northern Ireland Troubles, we chaired this discussion about her work, considering the long-term impacts of the Troubles and what it will take to move NI’s frozen peace process forward. Our report is here.

Control, Alt, Delete: Resetting how we tell Northern Ireland’s story – March 2018

Our first Northern Slant event featured a great panel of local journalists to discuss how NI is covered and represented; and how that might change in the future. Our report on the event – and the associated LucidTalk poll on media trust – are here.