Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Yesterday Stormont sweltered in the heat. Today, like the rest of East Belfast, it took a pummelling from the rain. the benefit of being on top of a hill is that it cuts down the risk of flooding. You might have thought if anyone needed to worry it would be us journalists who are quartered like sewer rats in the basement. But we had the last laugh - the bits of Parliament Buildings which actually got flooded were on the fourth and third floors, courtesy of a leaky roof. At one point, the Deputy Speaker John Dallat warned the politicians that the torrential rain had affected the fire alarms, so MLAs should not rush out of the building, where they would get soaked.

You might have thought the change of weather would make yesterday's talk of shedding jackets redundant. But the Ulster Unionist Ken Robinson returned to the topic. He claimed to have seen a female MLA in the chaber holding not just a handbag, which he accepted as a reasonable accessory, but also a sizeable piece of luggage. Was there not a rule, the East Antrim MLA enquired, that MLAs should not bring large bags into the chamber.

On being told there is such a rule, Mr Robinson warned that in considering relaxing the Stormont dresscode MLAS "must not let other things creep in which could embarass the safety of members in the chamber".

He obviously has a serious point, but I couldn't help wondering which embarrassing things might start creeping around the chamber.

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