Friday 30 October 2009

Parades pantomime

JUST when you thought the policing and justice debate was on safe ground, the rows broke out again. Yeah, the sunny disposition following on from Brown readying to hand over £1bn soon had clouds cast over the hesitant smiles.

With Christmas barely around the corner the, parties will have to remember that Santa will soon be drawing up his ‘naughty and nice’ list.

This time the rowing parties (DUP and Sinn Féin) contrived to find a row about parades.

The so-called Ashdown review of parades was subject to accusations, counter-accusations, sabre rattling and plain simple name-calling.

An impartial observer can draw only two things from the posturing and posing.

Firstly, the devolution of policing and justice will happen at some stage. Secondly, the rowing parties have a grudge against the radio listeners of Northern Ireland who they consistently expose to drivel. Yes, drivel. Unadulterated drivel. What other explanation can there be for two sets of people to contrive to disagree about everything.

As shadow foreign secretary William Hague reminded the Ulster Unionist/Conservative collective bash last weekend, Norn Iron isn’t the centre of the universe as proven by ‘Billy’ Gallileo and ‘Sean’ Copernicus some time ago.

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