is the time to set your watches for Inside Politics on Radio Ulster. I'm joined by the DUP Deputy Chief Whip Peter Weir and Sinn Fein's Mitchel McLaughlin for a discussion which ranges across Jim Allister's new unionist movement, the Paisley- McGuinness trip to the White House and Caitriona Ruane's vision for education.
P.S. I think Mr Allister has to be congratulated for finding an acronym that, so far as I can tell, has not been used before. Traditional Unionist Voice translates as TUV. Apparently in Germany that's an organisation which inspects industrial safety. But I can't think of a previous unionist or loyalist TUV. Maybe it could merge with "Love Ulster" to become TUV LUV.
Is the one who is doing all the real work around here. As I write, she is about to cover Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness shaking hands with President Bush (if not with each other) and she has just sent back some pictures of the Stormont 2 meeting Hillary Clinton. The Presidential hopeful said she had enjoyed reminiscing about old times with both men. I find it hard to imagine this included repeating all those things the Big Man used to say about her hubbie during the 1990s.
Not only has Martina been covering the US trip, she also had a long film broadcast last night about Ian Paisley Junior's role in a £50 million land deal at Ballee near Ballymena, which also involved the developer Seymour Sweeney of Giants' Causeway fame.
Whilst Ms Purdy has been slaving away in Washington, I have just returned from London where I had to fulfil a long standing engagement with the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s internal "College of Journalism". Delayed at Heathrow on the way back, I wished I could be beamed, "Star Trek" style, back to Belfast.
I am guessing David Clement, a prominent member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, has similar day dreams. Next week he will address a Transport and Environment seminar in Belfast, advocating the development of a tunnel between Northern Ireland and Scotland in order to enable train travel from the south west of Ireland to South Korea.
I am not sure that I want to go to South Korea anytime soon, but I am sure others do. Let's get this imaginative project off the ground (or should that be below the ground?). Who could take on such a venture? Perhaps if he doesn't secure the Causeway, Mr Sweeney might have the time...
That's how many people the Statistics and Research Agency think will be living in Northern Ireland by the year 2046. Their latest estimate - for June last year - puts the population at 1 million 742 thousand. We should pass the 2 million mark sometime between 2031 and 2036, provided global warming, the apocalypse or whatever disaster takes your fancy doesn't get us first.
I'm 