Sandra Overend

with a past in elected politics, now working in Training & Development, I’ll also tweet abt my people, gyming, food, & my lovable sidekick, Harper

[Jim Gamble @JimGamble_INEQE]

@JonBurrowsMLA @over2sandra This has not been well managed and should have been a separate piece of legislation. It requires much deeper consideration and this pre-determined outcome won’t work for anyone in the end and will at some stage need to be revisited.

[Jim Gamble @JimGamble_INEQE]

12/ The real question is not:

Should children be punished?

It is:

How do we protect vulnerable children while still responding proportionately to genuinely serious harm?

[Jon Burrows MLA @JonBurrowsMLA]

There are considered ways to look at this issue that balance victims rights, public protection & children’s rights. However - that is not what is being done here.

[Jon Burrows MLA @JonBurrowsMLA]

The proposals are dangerous & deny victims justice. They see the world as their proposers want to see it & not how it is. The vast majority of children who come into police contact are not prosecuted, but removing the option to investigate/ prosecute serious crimes is dangerous.

[Jon Burrows MLA @JonBurrowsMLA]

If a victim was assaulted and left with life changing injuries and there were a number of suspects under 14, then the police would not even be able to arrest them to take samples or interview them to prove or disprove the offence.

[Jon Burrows MLA @JonBurrowsMLA]

If a child in a stolen car hit another child and killed them, the police could do nothing. The offences of death by dangerous driving or manslaughter would not be available as there we be no crime committed.

[Jon Burrows MLA @JonBurrowsMLA]

All the sexual harassment of female teachers and pupils in schools, the street or on public transport by 13 year olds would be legal, including threats to rape, upskirting, downblousing and indecent assualt. Youths under 14 suspected of petrol bombing could not even be arrested.

[Sandra Overend @over2sandra]

Please read this thread, that provides you with real examples of how this proposed change in legislation will affect NI AND THEN contact your local MLA to OPPOSE changing the min. age of criminal age of responsibility from 10 to 14.

[Jon Burrows MLA @JonBurrowsMLA]

1. If the amendments to change the minimum age of criminal responsibilty to 14 as proposed by SF, Alliance & SDLP becomes law a 13 year old in England recently convicted of aiding & abetting the rape of 2 schools girls could not even be investigated, as it would not be a crime.

[Ulster Unionist Party @uuponline]

The Ulster Unionist Party extends its warmest congratulations and best wishes to our elected representatives as they take on these important civic roles.

We wish Cllr Craig Blaney every success as Mayor of Ards and North Down, Cllr Bethany Carson-Ferris as Deputy Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, and Alderman Sandra Hunter as Deputy Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens.

We would also like to place on record our sincere thanks to our outgoing Mayors and Deputy Mayor for their dedication, hard work and service to their communities over the past year.

These appointments are a reflection of our representatives' commitment to public service and the communities they serve. We know Craig, Bethany and Sandra will carry out their duties with distinction, integrity and pride throughout the year ahead.

Congratulations to all three and best wishes for a successful and rewarding term in office.

[Sandra Overend @over2sandra]

The best place for a rainy day walk is under the cover of trees #portglenoneforest

[A.A.Milne @A_AMilne]

Roo was washing his face and paws in the stream, while Kanga explained proudly that this was the first time he had ever washed his face himself. 'I don't hold with all this washing,' grumbled Eeyore. 'This modern Behind-the-ears nonsense.' ~A.A.Milne

[Cllr. Pete Wray @PeteWray11]

Some of the commentary from small sections of the media on the UUP been ridiculous recently.

The party is too left, then it's too right. We make policy based on what is right for the people of NI. Labeling it left or right is lazy to be kind, and disingenuous to be cynicle.

[Máiría Cahill @cahillbooks]

Sinn Féin's New Mid Ulster Mayor has deleted her X account. Unfortunately for her, she was one of my trolls when I first went public about my abuse, and she continued to troll for over a year. And I kept the screenshots. Dopes.

[Ulster Unionist Party @uuponline]

Northern Ireland’s Universities are hooked on high-fee overseas students to survive

Ulster Unionist Deputy Leader and Economy spokesperson Diana Armstrong MLA has raised concerns about the long term structural sustainability of higher education in Northern Ireland, with Northern Ireland’s universities hooked on high-fee students to survive, and the numbers prove it. Assembly figures show non-domestic student numbers nearly doubled from 10,340 in 2019/20 to 18,985 in 2023/24, with non-EU students alone surging from 4,380 to 12,520. This follows news yesterday that Ulster University is considering cutting up to 450 jobs.

Diana Armstrong MLA said:

“These figures expose the reality of higher education in Northern Ireland; a dependency on students from GB and overseas, who in many cases pay thousands if not tens of thousands more in tuition fees than our own NI students, simply to keep our universities financially afloat. Universities should be institutions of education, not profit-driven enterprises, and when a university feels job cuts of this scale become necessary, it is a clear signal that something is fundamentally broken in how we fund higher education.

“We still have large numbers of Northern Ireland students choosing to study in Great Britain and not returning, yet we are filling our universities with international students who are equally unlikely to remain here after graduation. That is not a sustainable model for building our economy or our workforce, and fundamentally it’s time we had a serious conversation about how we attract and retain our own talent and ensure our universities are serving the long term needs of Northern Ireland.

“The maximum student number cap is simply constraining our universities from growing their domestic intake and generating sustainable income. It’s also stopping a generation of engineers, doctors, nurses, vets, and teachers who are all in high demand from completing their education here at home. The Economy Minister cannot continue to ignore these warning signs. It is time for a genuine and sustainable strategy that puts students, staff, and the needs of our economy first.”

[Steve Aiken @SRAikenUUP]

👏👏👏Great speeches from @JonBurrowsMLA & @Diana_uup at our packed @uuponline AGM. There is a reason Jon is now acknowledged leader of Unionism - we need to move on from the very tired messages and incompetence from DUP, TUV and Alliance, we are the Party to do that👏👏👏

[Sama Hoole @SamaHoole]

A reasonable audit of what the British farmer is actually doing, measured against what he is currently being accused of.

What he is doing:

- Up at 5am. Earlier in lambing. Finished at 9pm last night. Doesn't consider this notable.
- Producing 60% of the food eaten in the UK.
- On a land area smaller than Oregon.
- Maintaining 400,000 miles of hedgerow.
- Several hundred thousand miles of stone wall.
- The entire drainage infrastructure of the lowlands.
- Every postcard the country has ever printed.
- Sequestering carbon into the soil beneath his livestock at rates that offset a significant fraction of his sector's emissions. Not widely discussed.
- Feeding, clothing and tanning a population that has mostly forgotten where any of this comes from.
- Lambing in March at his own expense.
- Calving in April on no sleep.
- Silage in June on three hours a night.
- Harvest in August.
- Ploughing in October.
- Feeding stock through January in conditions any urban professional would call a humanitarian emergency.
- Watching his son decide whether to take over the farm, knowing what the answer is likely to be.
- Earning less per hour than the barista who served the coffee to the journalist writing the article about him.

What he is not doing:

- Destroying the ozone layer. Hasn't been near it.
- Flying almonds in from California.
- Clearing the Amazon.
- Running a data centre.
- Operating a private jet.
- Producing microplastics.
- Failing to recycle his packaging. He hasn't got any.
- Causing the climate crisis. The climate crisis is two hundred years of industrial activity he wasn't around for.
- Lobbying Parliament. Can't afford it. He's in a field.
- Complaining about any of this. He hasn't got the time.

The audit concludes.

The defendant is out feeding the cattle.

He'll be back for supper if the tractor holds up.

[The Prince and Princess of Wales @KensingtonRoyal]

Happy birthday, Louis! 8 today! 🎈

[Robin Swann MP @RobinSwann_MP]

It was fantastic to support World Curlew Day in Parliament earlier this week and to meet ‘Cathy the Curlew’!

Very pleased to give my support to the UK Curlew Action Plan.

[Ulster Unionists in Westminster @UUPWestminster]

The Westminster Ulster Unionist Association was pleased to welcome Party Leader @JonBurrowsMLA to their meeting in the Houses of Parliament last night.

The Leader shared his vision for the @uuponline and what work needs to be done to make it a reality.

[Ulster Unionist Party @uuponline]

Party Leader Jon Burrows MLA met with Conservative Party Leader Kemi Badenoch and her Westminster team today, alongside our Westminster representatives Robin Swann MP, Lord Elliott, Lord Empey and Lord Rogan.

Jon outlined his vision for a more prosperous Northern Ireland, urging the Official Opposition to support a VAT cut for the hospitality and tourism sectors, take decisive action on the Irish Sea border, and ensure fairness in legacy matters for veterans and former RUC officers, including backing amendments proposed by Unionist parties.

The Ulster Unionist Party will continue to make the case for Northern Ireland at every level.