If You Ask Me
with Fionnuala O Connor

From big issues to small is quite a jump. Once it was war and peace, nationality and identity. Now it's a visitors' centre for the Giant's Causeway and a new sports stadium.

The saying that "It's all over bar the shouting" doesn't apply. Turns out the shouting's over too.

Last night's Moygashel meeting of unionists unhappy about power-sharing won't disturb the new serenity on the face of Ian Paisley.

In Stormont, the business of politics proceeds. Forecasts of a battle a day long ago grew cobwebs.

Instead we've had Peter Robinson, to a fairly meek audience, declaring it "ill-judged and ill-conceived" to propose that the Assembly get tax-raising powers.

What is clearly a stand-off between Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness on who to have as Victims Commissioner has brought no muttering from either side. This is not a stand-off as in olden times.

The spat about the Giant's Causeway has come and gone, small clouds of bluster from Ian Paisley Junior obscuring the clifftop as Ministers Dodds and Foster announced their joined-up thinking before Mr. Dodds edged away from the cliff.

So that prize-winning design for the new visitors' centre might yet be paid for by public money – or the contract may go to the biggest developer on the coast. But the Stormont chamber wasn't crowded for last week's exchanges.

Some think the trends are already clear. Sinn Fein are limp, as though still winded by their poor performance in the Dáil election. Michelle Gildernew is an exception, a lot punchier than her party leader.

The SDLP is a bit ahead of the Ulster Unionists but neither has strong speakers. The DUP have most of the energy, Sammy Wilson scores for knockabout, Edwin Poots gets credit for being much better than expected, Mr. Robinson is grave, Mr. Dodds snippy but effective.

Does all of this matter? Parliamentary politics everywhere rarely rises to high levels. How often do people walk out of the Dáil elevated?

Former Tory leader William Hague does a good turn on what everyone deemed his success in Question-Time against Tony Blair, but his fans all lived in the media/Westminster village: much good his House of Commons debating skill did Mr. Hague with party and voters.

At the top of the Stormont heap are two disciplined parties, on the next level down two parties still demoralised by their loss of status. Will the DUP lay into Caitriona Ruane for real when she announces her decision on the replacement of the 11plus – or is there an unspoken pact to preserve power-sharing at all costs? A principled sort of a pact might be fine, but us paid observers may have to sharpen up our act to stop cosiness becoming complacency. From Chuckies to Chucklers is far enough.

If You Ask Me Archive