Gridlock or Crash?
A fairly quiet day at Stormont, despite some spirited attempts by Edwin Poots to turn global warming into a dillemma for Sinn Fein by challenging them to drop their opposition to wind farms off the North Coast. This came during an exchange on the Environment Committee's climate change report which calls for Northern Ireland to set its own CO2 emission targets.
Otherwise the highlight was Martin McGuinness warning MLAs that Gordon Brown's Β£1 billion offer could be under threat if they don't agree the transfer of justice powers.
I took advantage of the relative calm to bunk off "Stormont Live" (thanks to Gareth Gordon for taking my place) and editing together a report for tonight's Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Newsline which relies on a traffic metaphor. Is the Stormont gridlock going to continue unabated, or are we heading for a crash?
P.S. I didn't get blogging after yesterday's Inside Politics. For those of you who didn't hear it the Conservative spokesman Owen Paterson had a few interesting things to say. He revealed that the Tories intend to amend the currently before the Lords, to ensure no politician gets any extra money for carrying out more than one elected job. Labour may, of course, vote this down in the Commons but the Conservatives will say it's a matter of keeping to Sir Christopher Kelly's intentions. No doubt the DUP's MPs and peers will object strongly to being lectured on double jobbing by Tories with lucrative earmers outside politics.
On the topic of the Lords, Mr Paterson denied that an offer of a place in the Upper House has already been made to Sir Reg Empey, and expressed support for the re-appointment of the Parades Commission, indicating that some kind of body is needed to resolve disputes but the DUP's support for replacing the Commission could be considered in the longer term.
I'm 
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