Local Green Party co-chair John Barry has come to the defence of Muntadar al-Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist who flung his shoes at President Bush during a recent Baghdad news conference. Dr Barry reckons the outgoing US President should ask the Iraqi authorities to grant his assailant a pardon "in recognition of the fact that Mr. al-Zaidi merely engaged in a traditional method of communicating a political message" and it would be absurd and vindictive if the journalist's gesture was to land him in prison.
The Westminster Northern Ireland Affairs Committee took a crack at Lord Saville today over the delay and cost of the Bloody Sunday inquiry. A colleague pointed out that the Committee website still lists Ian Paisley as our First Minister.
However it would be a cheap shot to make too much of this as the Committee's annual report, published today, makes it clear that it has hosted a farewell dinner for the former First Minister and taken evidence from his successor.
After all the current First Minister's wife sits on the Committee. Or does she? The Annual Report lists Committee members, including the Strangford MP, "Mrs Iris Robertson".
Back in 2007 the Belfast Telegraph discovered I had a googleganger. Now Danny Morrison reckons I have a republican doppelganger. He says that someone looked closely at the photographs on his website and spotted me on the right of the eighth photo.
The photo was taken in Larne in 1984 and my line of defence is that this is two years before I first set foot in Northern Ireland. But if my doppelganger cares to make themself known it would complete my alibi.
It's my first day back at work after the Christmas holiday and, having deleted several hundred e-mails, I now find myself back up at Stormont. I hadn't expected to be here today as the Assembly website entry for Today's Business still referred to the recess, which ended on Friday.
However MLAs have been at work today on a couple of committees. As I write the two Junior Ministers, Gerry Kelly and Jeffrey Donaldson, are giving evidence to the OFMDFM Committee about the Financial Assistance Bill which is being used as a vehicle to channel funds to those experiencing fuel poverty.
The bill is due to be introduced next week and the ministers are looking for the support of the Committee for it to be passed by accelerated passage. This would enable it to move through all its stages by the end of the month. Whilst the bill will be used for the £15 million fuel poverty programme in the first instance, the ministers are explaining that it could then be utilised for other crises, whether they are flash floods or disruption to the pork industry.
It looks like I wasn't the only one caught out by the accelerated nature of today's hearing. Sinn Fein's Barry McElduff sent his apologies, explaining that he only got word of the committee meeting this morning.
UPDATE: The Committee has agreed to support the bill being fast tracked through the Assembly, although the SDLP has expressed concerns about a "power grab" by the OFMDFM and Alliance's Naomi Long also sought assurance that measures would not be implemented over the heads of the relevant minister.
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