By Maisie Watson

March 9, 2023

The Defects performing in The Harp Bar 1981

The Troubles

Punk in the 1970’s took England by surprise. This was, of course, to become an anti-Thatcher, anti-Government movement, and would erupt into a global phenomenon.

In Northern Ireland, people were preoccupied with more violent problems. Operating amongst the backdrop of a civil war, Punk threw its anchor down in the City of Belfast and began creating its own riot.

Bands such as The Defects and Ruefrex were amongst those spearheading the anti-sectarian movement. Unlike the English Punk movement, Belfast Punk provided an important bridge amongst the Catholic and Protestant communities.

Much of the politics of Northern Ireland was divided between the unionists and nationalists.

The underlying ideology of Unionism is a loyalty to the United Kingdom, along with a general Protestant background. Irish Nationalist favour a united Ireland and is founded on a Roman Catholic community.

Catholic communities in Northern Ireland complained of discrimination at the hands of Protestant forces such as the Royal Ulster Constabulary, the heavily militarised Northern Irish police force, comprising of a Protestant majority.

Catholic communities experienced discrimination in every aspect of life, and so, began to mobilise.

Violent attacks ensued, and the British Army were sent into Ireland to support the RUC’s efforts. Designed to separate the clashing communities, peace walls were erected across Belfast.

The Troubles in Northern Ireland began in 1969 and resulted in the deaths of more than 3,500 people.

“I have quite vivid memories of older kids putting up barricades at the end of the street … there were a lot of riots, a lot of people’s [houses] burnt out”, Paul Burgess, frontman of Ruefrex, tells me. Growing up in Shankill Road, Paul was no stranger to The Troubles conflict.

“You made your own fun, … running around making your own adventures as a kid. But then that fun changed to throwing stones at the army and at the police … even though it was probably inconsistent with the community I came from”

Paul Burgess, frontman of Ruefrex and author

The Defects performing in The Pound 1981

With curfews set, killings increasing, and internment without trial, Northern Ireland was in a state of crisis.

Surrounded by barricades operated by the Army, who would stop and search you upon entry to the city, Belfast City Centre was desolate. The only people roaming the streets were the Punks.

Punk Defiance

“They were absolute dumps. But they let the punks in. They were always packed … everybody was going mental. It was a really good scene … We made a lot of friends, crossed the divide, it wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for the music”

Buck Murdoch, frontman of The Defects

As well as sitting down with Paul, I also spoke to Buck Murdoch, the frontman of Belfast band The Defects, and discussed with them their involvement in the punk scene.

Although both Paul and Buck agree that the punk scene crossed the divide, Paul emphasised placing caution on remembering the punk scene during The Troubles too idealistically.

“As we were finishing [the song], this guy pushed his way to the front of the crowd, lifted up his coat, and there was a gun … pushed down his trousers, and he said, ‘if you play one more f*cking note you’re getting shot”, Paul tells me, “and this was in the Harp, which was supposed to be this escapist place”.

Paul Burgess

Nevertheless, it was apparent that the culture of punk formed a bridge. It also served to riot against an otherwise uncontrollable situation. “It was 100% important for meeting people, from across the divide”, Buck tells me, mentioning how his songs resonated with the crowds who often found themselves in similar situations as the backdrop to The Defects song ‘Brutality’.

“Our drummer … got arrested for nothing, and they absolutely beat the c*ap out of him … when we saw him the next day, he was absolutely covered in blood … you can only write about what you know, we didn’t write love songs”.

It may seem impossible to picture yourself living in this dystopian reality, but for the people of Belfast, this was their reality for decades. For both Buck and Paul, writing songs in reaction to their lives served as an immensely important outlet, to keep themselves otherwise out of trouble.

Speaking about his new book Wild Colonial Boys: A Belfast Punk Story, Paul tells me how he found himself immersed into street gang culture. Ultimately, he found his way to the punk scene, and used it as an outlet to fight on issues such as integrated education.

The significance of the punk scene during The Troubles is undeniable. If anything, it allowed young punk-goers to simply get out of the house, at a time where many people feared even that.

If you want to hear more on punk and The Troubles, catch up on the interviews and reports mentioned in this piece from Beyond the Headlines on Spotify and Soundcloud at Liverpool Politics Hour.

By Lily Bird

As we are all aware, the climate crisis is an ongoing issue of the utmost importance. With rising global temperatures, sea levels and extreme weather events, the impacts of climate change are already being felt across the globe.

A possible solution to the ongoing climate crisis is carbon capture. Carbon capture has been a topic of controversy among both scientists and policymakers, with proponents touting it as a promising solution, while critics argue that it is only a temporary solution which does not address the cause of the issue. Recently, on Beyond the Headlines, I investigated how young people are affected by the ongoing issue of the climate and found that some feel a sense of betrayal at the lack of government initiative to get the grips with the crisis and are plagued by a sense of anxiety for the future.

Could carbon capture be a key tool in the fight against climate change and put our minds at rest? To find out more I met with Professor in Geology and Earth Science here at the University of Liverpool to discuss with him whether carbon capture is a feasible solution to the climate crisis.

What is Carbon Capture?

Carbon capture works by capturing carbon dioxide emissions from industrial processes and storing or reusing the carbon in different industrial processes. Professor Daniel pointed out that due to the many industries which rely on carbon, a good use of carbon capture would be to put it back into these manufacturing processes, such as the steel industry. Those in support of carbon capture also argue that it can be used in conjunction with renewable energy sources to cut down carbon emissions.

Daniel also discussed how there is a fear that carbon capture may give the green light to oil and gas companies to keep pursuing fossil fuels and is only a superficial fix to a serious and complex issue. This is especially relevant following Rishi Sunak’s poor commitment to tackling the climate crisis. Sunak has ignored climate experts and gone ahead with investing in oil and gas, meaning that the global target to keep the temperature rising below 1.5 degrees Celsius is nearing impossible.

There are also fears about the potential dangers of carbon capture. Critics have argued that these technologies are in their early stages and that storing carbon underground could potentially be dangerous. I discussed this with Daniel who was reassuring in his response that contrary to some sensationalised media, these technologies are not so new to create concerns about safety and accidents such as leaks are unlikely. However, Daniel cited the main concern regarding carbon capture is its tremendous cost which would be difficult to fund. Again, this is not promising with the current government’s lack of commitment to investing in a green economy. The government’s Latest Energy Plan, which was outlined by Rishi Sunak over a month ago, essentially defied the advice of climate scientists and went ahead with new oil and gas developments. The policies outlined in the plan have the potential to worsen the already critical climate crisis that we face. Sunak’s track record on green policies during his time in the Treasury was disappointing, and his position as prime minister only seems to be taking the UK further away from the urgent need for decarbonization.

Overall, issues surrounding carbon capture are complex. However, it is important to bear in mind that although it could be a key step, it is by no means the answer to solving the climate crisis. As something of a climate doomer myself, I was both relieved and disappointed by my interview with Daniel. Yet, it is clear we must not rely on carbon capture and continue to strive towards a greener future using sustainable energy sources.

To find out more, listen to the full interview with Daneil on Beyond the Headlines. Link here.

By Andy Spence – May 3rd, 2023

On 4th April 2023 Finland became the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). This is a move that has been expected ever since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Russia and Finland: A complex relationship

Russia and Finland have a long and complex relationship which spans centuries of empire and war. Finland was a part of the Russian Empire until it gained independence in 1917 following the Russian Revolution. During the Second World War, Finland was against the USSR and backed NAZI Germany in an effort to maintain their political independence from Russia.

NATO/Russia Buffer Zone – A thing of the past?

After the Second World War Finland was to remain neutral and make up part of a ‘buffer zone’ between the East and West. This buffer zone has now been almost entirely dismantled. Even prior to Finland’s enterence into NATO, the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania joined NATO in 2004 which became the first time NATO and Russian land had touched. The direct border between NATO and Russian territory has doubled with the admission of Finland into the Alliance.

NATOs expansion eastward is what Russia claims triggered the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 as Russia were supposedly seeking to prevent Ukraine from falling into NATO. However, Putin’s plan to prevent NATO’s expansion has only furthered and accelerated it by panicking other countries which neighbour Russia. It is unlikely that Finland will be the last in the region to join the Alliance. Sweden are currently in the process of joining NATO and it has been announced that Ukraine will join the Alliance when suitable.

Whenever there is talk of NATO expansion into Eastern Europe or Scandinavia, Russia accuses NATO of acting aggressively. These are claims which have been adamently rejected by NATO.

“NATO is a defensive alliance, NATO and Finland have never been, and will never be, a threat to Russia. It is Russia that has invaded neighbours.”

Jens Stoltenberg – NATO Secretary General

Ukraine in NATO?

With NATO reaching the Russian border up at the Baltic Sea, it is worth taking a look further south at Ukraine. Ukraine joining NATO would be a catastrophe for Russia who seek to turn Ukraine into a Russian puppet state like Belarus. In fact, the Russian invasion of Ukraine was largely to prevent Ukraine from joining the Alliance at all. However, it appears that the invasion may have backfired in that regard. In a surprise visit to Ukraine in April, Secretary General Stoltenberg reassured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Ukraine will be welcomed into NATO.

“Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO and over time our support will help you make this possible.”

Jens Stoltenberg – NATO Secretary General

However, Ukraine will not be able to join NATO whilst at war with Russia. Article 5 of the Washington Treaty which pertains to the collective defence aspect of the Alliance would instantly to triggered by any Russian attack therefore leading to a full NATO vs Russia war. Therefore it will be untenable for Ukraine to join NATO until the war is concluded.

Is Sweden Next?

Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO together in 2022, so why has only Finland joined?

Before a state can join NATO, all pre-existing NATO members are required to approve the application. Sweden’s application has been halted by two NATO members, Hungary and Turkey. The main issue is with Turkey who accuse Sweden of supporting, what Turkey deems to be, Kurdish terrorist groups. This raises questions of whether domestic issues should be used to hinder international affairs which are unrelated to the domestic issues in question.

Despite the hold up caused by Hungary and Turkey, Stoltenberg remains confident that Sweden will soon become the 32rd NATO member.

“I’m confident that Sweden will become a member not least because all NATO allies, also Turkey, invited Sweden to become a member.”

Jens Stoltenberg – NATO Secretary General

Therefore, it seems as if the expansion of NATO will not stop at 31 member states and that Sweden will imminently join. Likewise, Ukraine will join once the Russo-Ukraine war comes to an end.

This topic was discussed on the most recent episode of the Lunch Bunch, stream here on Spotify!