A key component of the Irish Government strategy was to ensure there would be no collapse or fire sale of key assets which are currently under the control of the country’s leading developers. NAMA was supposed to be a confidence building measure for domestic and international consumption. A flaw in the strategy to date is not the modus operandi but its failure to positively communicate its mission. To all and sundry, the word NAMA and going into NAMA has negative connotations and that’s not just a public perception many business folk with considerable commercial acumen believe that too. Property developers are obviously divided on the issue. One reason is because the Department of Finance in the Republic of Ireland is actually managing NAMA and controlling the banks, leaving the whole process stalemated with banks unwilling and more likely unable to complete on many, if any of the promises it made to developers to their complete schemes.

Some developers are calling foul play over NAMA’s tactics of reeling in both performing and non performing loans.  They argue with some justification that they are being penalised for the recklessness of the banks and are now being hung out to dry by the regulations of the Government.

Unfortunately developers are all being tarred by the same brush by a hostile and indeed sometimes antagonistic media.

Indeed much of the media coverage in the Republic has very much been about playing the ‘man’ and not the ‘ball.  Recently one Southern developer attempted to show a reporter many of the successful schemes he had developed across Dublin in the past thirty years in an obvious attempt to bolster his track record and credibility as a serious developer and not a cowboy builder.

On reading the finished article it was clear this developer was very much like the frog who accepted the offer of crossing the river on the back of the scorpion. As anyone who knows the story will tell you, despite assuring the frog that it would not sting it, the scorpion does just that.  Just as both the frog and the scorpion are about to drown together, the frog asks the scorpion why he did it? To which the scorpion replies ‘why? I am a scorpion, it’s my nature’. So too some Irish journalists seem intent on venting their spleen (in the national interest, of course) on any developer.

It begs the question was this plethora of journalists, who seem to be raking in on our misery with their endless rush to sell us their tacky books about builders, developers and bankers, immune to the personal greed, avarice and self interest that seemingly afflicted the rest of the population?

That banking and financial institutions played fast and loose with our economy, there’s no doubt and that some cowboy developers brought more pokes than pigs (certainly more than they could afford), is also true but Credit Unions and Citizen Advice Bureaus up and down the country will bear testimony to a nation living beyond its means.

Of course, no one wants to hear that now and some journalists like Salome’s mother, want to serve us up a daily dish of the head of very banker, developer and builder they can find.

But let’s be clear some of those bankers and developers committed acts of corporate corruption and they should in course be delivered before the courts and if necessary serve time. Yet the prospect of any successful convictions diminishes every time a journalist on a bad hair day tries to name and shame them. Canny defence lawyers must be keeping weighty media files to prove their clients could never receive a fair trial given the about of media bile occurring on an almost daily basis.

Even Christ knew it was worth separating out the goats from the sheep and both NAMA and the media should start trying too!

Parents have a responsibility too; as they must take responsibility for the huge amount of teenagers who should not be on the streets rioting. There is no escaping that responsibility and parents who don’t know or don’t want to know where or what their kids are doing on the streets should be hauled into court when and if their children are apprehended.

As for the criminal and anarchist mini-minds behind the rioting but more seriously who are behind the attempted murders of PSNI officers; we should not worry too much about their human rights when trying to get them behind bars. Sinn Fein knows that the politics of condemnation does not work; it did not work against them.  Though in fairness only the most churlish of observers would not praise Sinn Fein and in particular Gerry Kelly and John O’ Dowd for their work on the ground in trying to contain the dissidents action from spreading further within the nationalist community.

Naturally both the police and politicians need to win the hearts and minds of the public but the reality is that there comes a time when the policing ‘velvet glove’ comes off to reveal an ‘iron fist’.  One suspects with fifty officers injured over two nights the Chief Constable knows he is close to taking that glove off.

No-one should be under any illusion particularly in Sinn Fein or the SDLP- that whole nationalist communities cannot be held ransom just because a few hundred hoodlums decide take over their streets. Touchy, feely, words about confidence building measures won’t rid the streets of scum who would run feral and rampant as much on the streets of Limerick or Leeds as Lurgan- if they got away with it under the guise of semi political agitation.

Communities cannot rid themselves of these anti social elements alone. Most people are rightly fearful. It will take police enforcement and judicial will power to lock them away. ‘Tough on crime and the causes of crime’ was the New Labour mantra. The new Justice Minster whimpers on about ‘shared future’ strategies. Does he really believe that those out rioting or planting bombs care one iota about integrated schools, shared sports facilities and community picnics in the park? 

Sometimes politicians like jargon such as ‘flags don’t feed anyone’ but yet many people don’t seem to be suffering any indigestion from trying as mainstream politics gets more polarised not less so since 1994. The truth is that in the political carve up that we endure –people are seeing sectarianism rewarded by each side getting a trade off rather than a trade in. No sacrifices are really being made by the body politic. The mutual veto is a farce which masquerades the reality of our stagnant power-sharing. It’s merely position sharing as power sharing requires shared responsibility .

The war of attrition that dominated the Troubles has merely moved from the streets to Stormont and the public once are again pawns. Some unionist politicians are still too careless with their words and all too often fall into a mindset that belies the truth of their working relationship with nationalists in general and Sinn Fein in particular. This is not sustainable; though is unlikely to change with another election imminent. Leaders cannot lead from the trenches or from behind the barricades. Too few of our politicians are ready to move too far from positions from which they cannot retreat. 

In the poem ‘Invictus’- which Nelson Mandela motivated himself while on Robbin Island- the last two lines say ‘ I am the master of my fate; I am the master of my soul’. Mandela released his mind from prison long before his actual release- perhaps our politicians could follow his lead.

Indeed if the SDLP story is ever written it should be about the partners and families of SDLP politicians who bore the brunt of the political involvement by carrying out the constituency work, licking the stamps, knocking the doors, being attacked in their homes, bullied at school, shot at and times even being murdered just for being there to support those they loved.

In ‘Profiles of Courage’, Gordon Brown included Nelson Mandela, Robert Kennedy, Edith Cavell and Aung San Suu Kyi; all inspiring people who were prepared to endure great sacrifices. My icons and exemplars are much closer to home but are equally inspiring by their remarkable commitment, humility and ordinariness in achieving extraordinary things which have impacted positively on the lives of so many others.

My list is subjective but no less worthy.

Gerry Cosgrove. Gerry is probably one of the longest serving politicos in Northern Ireland. She has worked for the SDLP since 1972 and has lived in West Belfast for her entire life. She holds the post of General Secretary but in the life of that party she is both the glue and the touchstone of SDLP grit. She is an instinctive person; a value much under-rated by the careerist, polling mad test-tube politicians that make up our body politic. Many parties have a Gerry- this one only hugs people.

Monsignor Tom Toner. In an era were priests are vilified many people forget the clerical stalwarts who founded the Gaelic clubs; raised money for fields and charities, built churches and community centre and also found the time to provide spiritual and moral guidance and comfort in times bereavement. Tom Toner is one such priest. He pioneered a shared society through his Cathedral Partnership Initiative with Dean Shearer and stood firm against all forms of violence throughout the Troubles. He provided light when there were no candles.

Sir George Quigley. If the term enlightenment can apply to anyone; it can be applied to George. A true intellectual, George foresaw and led on the area of mutual economic interdependence between the North and South of Ireland. He charted the course for what is known as the Belfast-Dublin Economic corridor and provided leadership when other leaders were shirking from that responsibility.

Richard Moore. Richard is more of a verb than a noun when worn by Richard Moore. His enthusiasm is like a virus and is contagious. Being robbed of his sight at the age of ten by a plastic bullet he has shown more vision than a battery of politicians. He now shares that vision through his Charity Children in Crossfire. In Richard’s world no child will be left behind. Even the Dali Llama says he is a hero.

Rev. David Mc Millan. David is a remarkable Pastor. He ministers at the Baptist Windsor Church in Belfast. Few people can truly communicate a Christian message like this man. If people are made in God’s image this man is a poster-boy-though he would be embarrassed at the thought. His outreach has always demonstrated true compassion.

Pat Jennings. No one mentions Pat’s name without following it up with the word ‘gentleman’. Despite a remarkable football career, Pat remains a humble but exemplar sporting role model. Forget Best- Pat is a legend.

Joe Hendron. Decency and politics are words not often found side by side, particularly these days. Joe remains an icon for anyone seriously interested in serving people by playing a role through politics. He is a self deprecating, compassionate and decent politician. Try finding those words in a contemporary political bio?

Jim Fitzpatrick. If there are unsung heroes of the Troubles – Jim is probably holder of the Legion of Honour. In an unassuming and quiet way he has fostered initiatives both political and civic to bring people together and to build a physical infrastructure fit for them to share, particularly in Belfast.

But for space, I could have added; Eugene Reavey, Joe Hughes, Sr Consielo, Fr Ray Collins, and John Robb. For many others icons of inspiration could be parents, guardians or mentors but anyone who inspires us to be the best we can be –deserves iconic status.

Now Queen Elizabeth II will officially come to Ireland- with the proposed visit occurring before the end of the reign of our own Regent, An Uachtarain Mc Aleese. 

Mrs Mc Aleese has been long courting the notion of a State visit to Ireland by the Queen and has met the Mountbatten’s on several occasions. Apparently she thinks ‘Lizzie’ is a ‘wee dote’. Its odd that such a visit to the Republic of Ireland by the Head of State of Ireland’s nearest neighbour has taken so long. The visit will certainly be historic and no doubt will mark Ireland’s coming of age.

Of course, President Mc Aleese has met the Queen but always on the Queen’s home turf.  The President has been in and out of Britain so often her visits rarely make the press. As for Northern Ireland, the President nips home as often as she can without rising unionist heckles too much. Indeed some think she is probably more familiar with the Shankill in Belfast than Shankill in Dublin.

While Mrs Mc Aleese will finally lay to rest the taboo of an official visit to Ireland by the British Head of State and will make history in doing so; the real plaudits for the visit lie further back in the long and deeply personal relationship between Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair. The labouring of these two individuals so publically finally showed that good neighbours can be good friends too.

In the Republic of Ireland – no-one will blink an eye over the visit except of course for the cost of hosting such a visit in times of austerity. The Neanderthals in the wings of republicanism will bleat and protest. They are probably dusting down their placards right now. Sinn Fein will ignore the reality of their partial administration of the British State on behalf of HM Government at Westminster and will fill the airwaves with empty and out of date anti British rhetoric.

Some in their quarters don’t seem to mind rubbing shoulders with Royalty as Danny Morrison, tongue in cheek, revealed this week that he shared the groove with Prince Charles at Glastonbury.

The notion of an Ireland permanently in a state of war with Britain has always been more myth than reality. Both countries share a common language; their trade as pointed out by Brian Cowen is four times that than between GB and China. Ireland’s tourism comes mostly from Britain and the first stop for most Irish migrant workers since the Famine has been Britain. Nearly a third of all British Members of Parliament have Irish names and hundreds of thousands of soccer loving Irish support English football teams.

Of course in the land that time forgot and where memories are longer and more unforgiving; the battle against Perfidious Albion continued. But even in Northern Ireland –ice thaws.

These days, Lord and Lady Paisley don’t creep into Dublin under the cover of darkness; now they take the full Paddy wagon tour and dine at Leinster House. The Twelfth is celebrated in Phoenix Park; while rugby and soccer have been played at Croke Park. It only remains for hurling to be played at Windsor Park for Ireland to be truly ecumenical!  Naturally there had to be some political chorography to put the final building blocks in place for a Royal visit to occur- not least of which was recent publication the Saville Report and the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.

President Mc Aleese has played a significant role in providing confidence within the Unionist community that modern Ireland is mature enough and indeed pluralist enough to not only recognise but accommodate their traditions. She has also helped give full recognition and dignity to the families of the tens of thousands of Irish men who fought for the British in the First World War. 

As a glance at the Irish Sunday papers will tell, the Irish public are not immune to the fascination of the Royal Family’s soap opera shenanigans. While it’s doubtful that thousands will line the streets of Dublin when the Queen finally lands on Irish shores; there is no doubt many will be secretly glued to their TV screens in the privacy of their ownhomes with the remote set to mute during the English national anthem!

No doubt Labour strategists thought it was better to hand that poisoned chalice over to Mr Cameron. Perhaps too there may be something in the Saville Report which will make for uncomfortable reading for the leadership of the IRA and the Deputy First Minister. All round the Report is likely to make everyone uncomfortable – not least because of Lord Seville’s attention to detail and the turgid legalese which will make up much of its content. Yet uncomfortable reading may be as far as it goes because there is unlikely to be any political will to pursue the prosecutions of former soldiers should they stand accused of lawful murder.

38 years later, over five and a half thousand pages of evidence- at a cost of over one hundred and ninety million pounds, Lord Saville’s report is unlikely to bring closure to the events of Bloody Sunday. The families have asked the press to give them time to digest the findings of Lord Saville. This request is likely to fall on dear ears as the huge expense of this inquiry makes it an inevitable area of public interest. Whatever the outcome of Saville; the fallout will not meet with agreement. Unionists will accuse the Government of air-brushing history and will counter-demand inquiries into many of the IRA atrocities.  No doubt some members of victim’s families will feel short-changed. The families of other victims groups will press for more inquiries and one suspects a weary and cost conscious public will squirm at the prospect of further political inquires as hospitals and schools close around the country.

Piecing together the memories of thirty eight years ago is not a task for the faint-hearted as all memories are clouded by events, emotion, prejudice and the passing of time. Saville may well get us closer to the truth about that fateful day but it may never bring about the closure so desperately needed by the families. That all the victims of Bloody Sunday were innocent there is no doubt. The iconic images of that day with Fr Daly brandishing a white handkerchief whilst others were moving the body of a victim or him kneeling saying the last rights are forever imprinted in the minds of the wider nationalist community. Bloody Sunday was Northern Ireland’s Sharpeville and it led to the end of Unionist hegemony at Stormont. The waste of the thousands of lives in the intervening years up to the Good Friday Agreement is an indictment of unionist belligerence and the disastrous and counter-productive military campaigns of the Provisional IRA, Loyalist murderers and British securocrats; none of whom will ever be held accountable for their actions in this world as they are afforded of the luxury of a higher judgement at a later date.

Derry has always struggled with its past. The undoubted friendliness of its people masks an uneasy truce or co-existence. The continual battle over the name of the city is only an outward manifestation of the very real cultural tensions between its inhabitants. The UK City of Culture Bid has come at the right time for Derry. The city has an opportunity to demonstrate that it has come of age- not just to the outside world but to its own citizens. There is more than a little irony that the day after Saville’s Report is published with its all the warts view  of a battle scared city in 1972; that the promoters of the City of Culture bid will make their final submission to the UK judging panel.  This is a real chance for Derry to pick up its long awaited peace dividend. Like Cork, Derry suffers from second city syndrome but unlike Cork it has been unfairly blighted by the history of the Troubles. Its most iconic song ‘The Town I loved so well’ is about resilience and hope but it too has an all too idyllic rose –tinted view of pre- Troubles Derry. Derry today is a confident, welcoming City and its time its walls spoke to the world.

Following the Cumbrian murders there was the ritual outcry about gun control. Yet there is little proof that any tighter gun controls would have prevented the atrocity of last week; though an obvious starting point would be the outright prohibition of anyone with a criminal record being allowed to hold weapons. A blanket ban would at least ensure that those of criminal intent are not able to progress their unlawful activities by the use of firearms.

Murder most foul was back on the streets of Belfast last week with the shooting of Mr Moffett on the Shankill Road. This is apparently was internal UVF housekeeping. This of course would be the same UVF that successive British and Irish administrations have been wining and dining as the acceptable face of loyalist thuggery. This would be the same UVF that has allegedly decommissioned all their weaponry –at least that’s what those nodding donkeys on the Decommissioning Body would have you believe.

It’s clear that the structures and command units of these loyalist murder gangs are very much in place and despite the public out-pouring onto the streets of the Shankill Road –there in full view of the media were the shadowy figures of the loyalist underworld replete with their bling jewellery, designer jackets and tattoos – more Popeye than Don Corleone.  As repulsive as these characters are there is something almost comical about them with their dyed locks and their gay sounding nicknames- though there is nothing comical about their vice like grip in working class loyalist areas.

Surprise, surprise it took the peace time murder of a loyalist to finally awaken the former Leader of the PUP, Dawn Purvis from her dreamy slumber to the nightmare reality of loyalist paramilitarism. This writer was never that taken with her much feted predecessor, David Ervine, who just because he was moderately articulate enough to string a sentence together was never really pressed to tackle his backroom thugs in the UVF. Ms Purvis has now faced up to the grim realities of paramilitarism though in fairness, she does deserve credit for her openness about her departure.

A Belfast councillor last week stated that there had been fourteen punishment beatings involving firearms over the past few months. – Twelve of them were believed to have been dealt out by republicans. Clearly they have n’t gone way and neither have their guns. Much more worryingly there are a further 200,000 legally held guns in Northern Ireland and with that type of armoury we are more ‘tooled up’ than a Texan back-water town or an average Afghani tribe!

The DUP MP for Strangford says it’s not a reason to be concerned. But he is wrong. We actually have more legally held guns per head of population than Scotland, Wales or the Republic of Ireland. In fact the latter has roughly the same amount of legally held guns as Northern Ireland despite having three times the population. The time has come to tighten our gun laws even more. It’s a strange anomaly that we have nearly thirty thousand more legally held firearms than we did ten years ago. It seems having decommissioned for war; we have an armed peace.

With a combination of God knows how many illegally retained guns being held by ‘resting’ paramilitaries and some two hundred thousand licensed gun holders; its only a matter of time before we have a Cumbrian incident. Put quite simply we are a firearms powder keg just waiting to be ignited.

Incidences of armed robberies are on the increase and drug-land crime goes hand in hand with firearms. More concerning given Northern Ireland’s disproportionate number of people who suffer from mental health issues- easy access to legally or illegal firearms can only increase the risk of self harm or harm to others. Charlton Heston once held a rifle at an NRA conference defiantly saying ‘from my cold dead hand’’. Where there’s a gun involved- a cold dead hand is usually involved too.

Mr O’ Loan’s crime was to speak of the love that dare not speak its name; i.e. the diminishing brand values that are the SDLP.  During the recent election Sinn Fein pulled off a significant PR coup against the SDLP by deftly but publically pulling their no hope candidate out of South Belfast and calling for a reciprocal move by the SDLP in Fermanagh/South Tyrone.  Sinn Fein argued that the nationalist electorate would be unforgiving of the SDLP if it did not put ‘nationalist’ unity ahead of their political principles. It was pointed out in this column that the SDLP position may not be fully understood by the nationalist electorate in Fermanagh/South Tyrone.  As a tactic it worked for Sinn Fein and the SDLP vote in Fermanagh/ Tyrone collapsed.  The SDLP could not afford a reciprocal move as it would have damaged the SDLP pulling power for tactical voting by moderate unionists in South Belfast, South Down and to a lesser extent Foyle.

The retention of all three SDLP seats with comfortable majorities assuaged the SDLP Leadership’s fears of an electoral meltdown but it also masked fundamental problems at a grassroots level.  Unlike the Ulster Unionists the SDLP could afford to concentrate their resources to the three target seats and this gave them a focus.  Elsewhere the SDLP vote was a casualty of their limited resources of manpower and money.  On the doors in nationalist areas there was dismay and sometimes anger about the lack of nationalist cooperation.  Many SDLP canvassers went home with that flea in their ears.

 The SDLP was right to spurn the hollow offer by Gerry Adams though they did not handle or explain its rejection very well.  The SDLP raison d’être is more defined these days by not being Sinn Fein than being for anything else. Declan O’ Loan is right to acknowledge the shift in allegiances that he is detecting on the doorsteps and the backing of some young SDLP Turks in his constituency suggests that he is not alone in his thinking. Of course, his decision to go solo on the matter was misguided but so too was the withering response by the SDLP media team which resulted in yet another sledge hammer being taken to a nut.

The SDLP put down of Mr O’ Loan was disproportionate and quite damaging to Mr O Loan’s political career in the party- though electorally speaking one doubts his position will do him much harm in North Antrim -an already at risk SDLP seat.

While realignment with Sinn Fein is completely a non starter for 95% of the SDLP membership; it’s high time the SDLP leadership acknowledged that change is afoot.  The constitutional nationalist plinth is now shared with Sinn Fein who as the largest nationalist party is administrating a devolved parliament within in a UK political context.

There will be nationalist re-alignment and the voters are ahead of the two nationalist parties in Northern Ireland which in Irish terms are both North-Eastern political phenomena.  In an evolving political framework the more likely result will be new political entrants or realignments which can best deliver to our economic and political aspirations than one monolithic nationalist bloc.

National economic well being will be to the fore; not nationalist identity.

 As the 1916 anniversary approaches the Taoiseach has warned against anyone hi-jacking nationalism as he believes there needs to be a new charter for a 21^st  Century Republic . 

The SDLP needs a new focus. In the current climate and as short to medium term project that is best found by being progressive on jobs and wealth creation, taxation, education and opportunity.  The SDLP should be the party of a ‘the hand up’ rather than ‘the hand out’. 

Nationalist re-alignment will happen but better the SDLP heed the message than shoot the messenger.

At face value perhaps the Cardinal could have taken the easier route of resignation and retired to work as a curate.  The Cardinal could have simply washed his hands of his history and walked away into the sunset –very much a wounded healer. Whose interests would Cardinal Brady’s resignation have served? The press? Would a scalp of the Prince of the Church be enough for the mob mentality? The victims? Would the resignation of a Cardinal lessen their hurt? The Irish Bishops? Would the fall of their Leader wash way their own culpability?  The Roman Curia? Would the self sacrifice of one of their own –save the blushes of the Holy Father? Rank and file clergy? Would a Cardinal falling on his sword make the hierarchy more humble? Ordinary, mass going Catholics? Would they feel more catholic if their spiritual leader simply walked away his responsibilities?

By and large the answer to all of these matters is no.

The newspapers which carry the story of a Cardinal’s resignation would inevitably end up as wrapping paper for fish suppers; when some twenty four hours later the nocturnal habits of some kerb-crawling politician or naughty texting by some singer becomes the following day’s diet of gossipy trash to splash across the headlines.

Put simply, Cardinals who are not murderers, adulterers, drug-dealers, paedophiles, spurned lovers, or bank-robbers don’t make for good headlines. Once they have resigned- that’s it- they have resigned. 

The intervention of Sinn Fein into the question of whether the Cardinal should stay or go –is frankly mind blowing. Only in this nonsensical political Narnia called Northern Ireland, where collective amnesia is the order of the day, would any politician from Sinn Fein be allowed to comment on the issue of Cardinals resignation or not.  The fact that there are now people in government who are still in denial to their past actions or what they now know is nauseating. Even the acknowledgements of what they did know had to be dragged from them over thirty years and only then with the promise of immunity from justice.

 As a society we have been bribed, bartered, fooled, frightened and cajoled into the governance of the three brass monkeys. Justice appears to be a principle applied by some politicians to anyone but themselves.

Listening to some media hugging maverick priests playing patsy to their media luvvie commentator counter-parts betrays a staggering act of arrogance which would nearly make them eligible for the episcopate!

The Cardinal should stay; not because what he did some thirty five years ago was right but because it was wrong. Back then Fr Brady probably was caught up in the prevailing culture of the times. A culture of cover-up and denial that applied as much in homes, organisations and workplaces across the country; morally it was wrong then as it is now. It cannot be put in context because there is not a context that makes child abuse right. But people like Sean Brady are not abusers and should not be treated as such.  The contrasting media styles of Archbishop Martin and Cardinal Brady are exacerbating the latter’s problems.

What we now regard as good practice in child protection in the 21^st Century should be the norm. When it comes to the application of child protection norms many organisations from sporting organisations to church groups; the boys brigade to girl guides and from swimming clubs and dancing schools are in catch up. The Irish Catholic Church in many ways is ahead of these organisations but there’s a job still to be done and Sean Brady can’t nor should he be allowed to walk way from it. Big responsibilities require big shoulders.

The Tories on the other hand saw power slipping from the jaws of their victory and quickly threw the kitchen sink at the Lib-Dems in an attempt to woo them into Government. The unhelpful intervention of John Reid was disingenuous to his colleagues, as there is nothing more unedifying than the spectacle an ex politician clamouring for relevance.

Some parties here still seem to think that taking their political and mummified antecedents out of cold storage to bolster their images is useful but an ‘ex’ politician is just that.

While Gordon Brown gracefully accepted his defeat; the prospect of an early general election prompted an unusual level of loyalty from the DUP hierarchy for their embattled Leader. The DUP tactic of blaming the media for their ills is wearing thin but they had a fairly solid election result which will hopefully make them feel somewhat more secure.

Sir Reg decided to call it a day following the failure of the Tory Alliance to take root in Northern Ireland. The failure of the project can be laid more at the Tory door than the Ulster Unionists given Mr Patterson’s unhelpful decision to host not so secret talks between the DUP and UUP and Cameron’s unhelpful comparison between Northern Ireland’s over-bloated public sector and a former Soviet Bloc country. 

Northern Ireland is a strange place where the truth does not resonate well. Harold Wilson called striking loyalists workers ‘spongers’ in the 1970’s and he was right given the level of British subsidy to the NI economy. Then as now, Mr Cameron is right too about our public sector but the whining chorus of ‘hand- me- outs’ unified in their call against public sector cuts.

The fact that the Review of Public Administration and its recommendation to shrink our 26 local authorities is on freeze hold because a couple of local councils are squabbling the rates revenue from a few retail parks is obscene. This exercise of inertia has already cost millions.

Most of the councils in Northern Ireland are in debt and many intend worsening their situation by building wasteful follies. Sammy Wilson should call a halt to this nonsense and bring to an end the life of these councils by appointing a team of commissioners to run local authorities until agreement on new boundaries. At least this way there will be a degree of coordination on expenditure and local vanity projects can be reviewed on the basis on real need.

The level of waste in public expenditure at local government level cannot afford to wait until 2015 and Peter Robinson needs to square up to his Ministerial team and Executive colleagues to move things on.

Watching the TV debates between politicians it is clear than no party wants to bite the economic bullet. The Executive needs to show more collegiality and collective shouldering of responsibility; they are either in government together or out of government. It’s cheap to cry about the under-funding of a department when you know exactly how big the financial cake is before its cut.

Our all inclusive government makes many of the Assembly debates and committee structures redundant and wasteful. The so called ‘watching brief’ of Committee Chairmen lampooning their Ministerial counterparts because they are not of their own party is worthy of Barnum and Bailey. Ministerial question time is pure pantomime with members favourably stroking their own ministers with friendly questions while provoking the Ministers of other parties.

The appointment of the combative Alex Attwood as Minister of Social Development is unlikely to broker positive karma either around the Executive table or the floor of the Assembly.

Compare the body language of David Cameron and Nick Clegg over the past few days to the body language of our Leaders in their interactions. In policy terms the differences between Cameron and Clegg are seismic but in everything they are doing and saying they are demonstrating both leadership and hope.  No one expects miracles at Stormont but after 12 years of self government; the day of economic reckoning is here; its better we write the script than have it written for us.

It is inevitable that whatever about the on-going political shenanigans between the parties- Gordon Brown – the Frank Spencer of British politics- is toast.

In Northern Ireland the election turnout is starting to show a worrying downward trend and while that is probably a sign of normality; it also proves the electorate was turned off by political sleaze and probably wished a plague on all political parties by staying at home.

But the elections were exciting even for those who are not political anoraks. 

Firstly the celebrity factor did not work. Ringland, Mc Kinney and Nesbitt did n’t capture the public imagination. It will be interesting to see if they can muster the political stickablity needed for a period in the wilderness.

The UUP/Conservative initiative was probably the most expensive political cock up ever. What started out as a good idea in principle (and with some promise) descended into farce with a shambolic selection process; a senseless round of secret talks with the DUP and the ignominy of a pluralist idea being brought down by pressure from the Orange Order for a sectarian pact in Fermanagh/Tyrone. This Union never got properly consummated. It probably never got past the posting of the banns. The result: an embarrassing and fatal blow to the political career of one of Northern Ireland’s most decent politicians, Sir Reg Empey. Harsh as it sounds, Sir Reg’s leadership has bitten the dust.

Of course, the big surprise of the elections was the exit of Peter Robinson. The fifteen hundred odd votes that ‘did for him’ distracted from an otherwise successful election for a scandal haunted DUP. This was a personal rather than political defeat. Robinson’s career as a front-line politician is damaged. The Gospel singing DUP country and western set will try to undermine the moral authority of his leadership. Politics is an unforgiving sport.

If Sir Reg is embarrassed and Peter demoralised; the TUV Leader must be in a state of apoplexy. The ‘whole lot of P45s’ did not materialise and his 70,000 votes drifted from the North like volcanic ash.

Yet the real story of our elections is about ‘girl-power’.

Naomi Long is Alliances greatest asset. She is a congenial and street smart politician. She is a colourful personality outshining her dreary and colourless leader. Her slaying of Peter Robinson is akin to the political phenomena of the thoroughly decent and popular Dr Joe Hendron’s victory over Gerry ‘I repeat, was never in the IRA’ Adams in 1992. That the fall of the House of Robinson was initially caused by the lady of that House; it is rather poetic that another woman should deliver the final blow.

Then of course, there is the delightful Lady Sylvia Hermon who stood alone against the madness of an Indian summer brought about by the Tory/Unionist link up and who romped home in North Down with charm and political guile!

Fermanagh/South Tyrone was a belter and by the narrowest of margins, the popular Agriculture Minister, Michelle Gildernew took the final seat for Sinn Fein. She was put into a sectarian cauldron by the mid-wifery skills of the Orange Order. Many nationalists will be glad to see her returned –even if she wastes the win through abstentionism.

The main winner of the Northern Ireland elections is Margaret Ritchie. Twelve weeks into her leadership, it appeared to be an uphill struggle to maintain the three SDLP seats; especially the marginal seat of South Belfast. She need not have feared. Five years of sterling constituency service and Dr Al more than delivered the goods in South Belfast. Secondly, her cross community appeal and forthrightness comfortably maintained the Mc Grady legacy in South Down.   After the count, a defeated Catastrophic Ruane- another failed Adam’s babe- looked as if she was stung by a wasp. Eleanor Roosevelt may be right ‘Women are like tea bags; you can never tell how strong they are until you put them in hot water.’ a point well proven by this election.