@emmadesouza
Civic Innovation Specialist | Civic Initiative Founder & Co-facilitator | Director NI Emerging Leaders, National Committee on American Foreign Policy | Journalist & Commentator | Bylines: Guardian, Irish Times/Examiner, Byline Times, Journal.ie Desouza.ie
Following the autocrat’s playbook, Trump and his MAGA cartel are attacking alternative sources of power; universities, the media, and the judiciary — all of which pose a threat to the unchecked power Trump seeks.
My latest for Byline Times
bylinetimes.com/2025/04/30/t...
Secretary of State Hilary Benn is dragging 87-year-old widow Bridie Brown to the Supreme Court in London, refusing to accept the court order to launch a public enquiry into the murder of her husband Sean Brown.
I cannot express how grosteque this is. Utterly utterly shameful.
Thank you, Michela.
Thank you, John.
As a peace activist, I am far less concerned by the artistic expression of music artists than I am by the human suffering being endured by the people of Palestine.
My view on the furore around Kneecap: www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...
Emma holding a coffee at the airport
Slán Ireland! I'll be in New York, Washington, and Chicago over the next two weeks. Heading straight from the airport in New York to deliver a guest talk on peace processes later today, just how I like it - flat out!
Just Jim Wells saying Irish citizens in Northern Ireland who want to vote for their president should move across the border.
No problem with British citizens in Dublin having UK voting rights - just not themmuns.
www.newstalk.com/podcasts/hig...
There is nothing controversial about Kneecap. Art being provocative is as old as time. Music has long been a vehicle for challenging oppression and injustice, especially rock and hip hop. Rage against the Machine, N.W.A., Public Enemy. Music and politics go hand in hand.
It will be civic society that moves the dial on a United Ireland, not political leaders.
Change, whether it was the Good Friday Agreement or repealing the 8th amendment, came from ground up.
Emma wearing an oversized beige jumper in the garden with a glass of wine
Rounding out the week with a glass of homemade apple wine, circa 2021.
Follows a railing I gave the SOS in DC on his refusal to grant a public inquiry, and continued push for the ICRIR. Gets harder and harder to listen to politicians bandie on about the success of the GFA while so much injustice continues.
Thank you.
My view: We can not continue to celebrate the success of the Good Friday Agreement while bereaved families are denied justice.
Families are spending decades trying to access truth and justice. Many have died without seeing either. Many might still.
www.thejournal.ie/readme/bridi...
Lettuce head
Trump's tariffs 0 Lettuce 1
This should be easy pickings for the Democratic Party, but rather than counter the Trumpification of the Republicans, the Democrats are flailing in the wind, directionless, while the ideological divide in America widens.
My latest via @thejournal.ie
www.thejournal.ie/readme/trump...
I'll be back in the US in a couple of weeks to deliver a guest talk on the power of civic engagement in peacebuilding at Cornell University.
Very much look forward to meeting students and staff at the Reppy Institute.
events.cornell.edu/event/the-po...
Thank you, David- will give this a listen.
Citizens assemblies: how they could unlock NIs voice in the housing crisis
My recent article for the Belfast Telegraph on citizens assemblies.
84 citizens delivered 38 policy recommendations via an assembly model in November. Politicians already committed to launching one assembly a year, so where are they? Why is civic society having to launch them?
A northerner should run in the Irish presidential election as a reminder of the abject failure of consecutive governments to give Irish citizens in the North a vote in presidential elections.
We can run for the office of the president, but we can't vote for our president.
So looking forward to taking part in this panel discussion next Saturday as part of @imaginebelfast.bsky.social
'How to lose a referendum!'
Featuring a pre-panel referendum quiz, come along and have your say!
Register ⬇️
imaginebelfast.com/event/how-to...
Israel killed at least 174 Palestinian children on Tuesday, inflicting “one of the largest one-day child death tolls” in the enclave’s history, says Defense for Children – Palestine.
“Today, Gaza’s one million children – who have endured more than 15 months of war – have been plunged back into a world of fear and death. The attacks and the violence must stop – now,” UNICEF’s Executive Director Catherine Russell
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said all ceasefire negotiations will take place “under fire” after Israel resumed its assault on the gaza strip killing hundreds of civilians including women and children, breaking the ceasefire. We are witnessing a genocide in real time.
Celebrating St Patrick's Day and the global impact of the Irish community with Ireland’s mission to the UN team in New York City last night. Important remarks from the UN Ambassador & Tánaiste on resilience amid global challenges to peace and security.
Join me at Fairfield University Tuesday evening, where I'll be delivering a guest lecture, 'When Citizens' Decide: The Role of Youth, Women, and Communities in Advancing Northern Ireland's Peace Process'
Information and registration ⬇️
events.fairfield.edu/event/guest-...
Universities are being defunded unless they adopt government-approved policies that will limit free political speech.
The level of harm inflicted in under two months is truly shocking and will have a generational impact.
What we are seeing in the US is a complete dismantling of the founding principles the country was built on. Everything is being politicised down ideological lines. Law firms are having their security clearances revoked for working with democrats. The free press is under seige.
In November, 84 citizens ratified 38 policy recommendations to address NI's housing crisis. Could empowering communities through a citizens’ assembly structure be key in gaining momentum after decades of political inertia?
My latest via The Belfast Telegraph
m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/feature...
Such a joy to host Siobhán McSweeney in New York City for a special National Committee on American Foreign Policy luncheon.
Over lunch, we spoke about belonging, identity, resilience, representation, and building understanding North and South in Ireland. Siobhán is an inspiration, a trailblazer!