Back in the saddle
Like Arnie and Peter Robinson before me, I'm back. It looks like you were busy when I was away (143 comments - should I be entering this as a personal best for the qualifying rounds for the 2012 blogging Olympiad?)
What's happened whilst I was away - well the Ulster Unionists made education their bottom line for supporting the Hillsborough deal, although Sir Reg Empey has gone ahead and started co-chairing the committee on improving the working of the Stormont executive in any case. Will the public reward the UUP for putting academic selection above parades and minority languages as their confidence building measure of first choice? Or will they agree with Sinn Fein's John O'Dowd that this is a "silly" manouevre?
The UUP has been busy on other fronts. in the run up to a UUP Executive which is meant to endorse a final list of joint UCUNF candidates on Saturday, the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ learned that the former UTV presenter Mike Nesbitt was selected as Strangford candidate yesterday. He is expected to quit as Victims Commissioner with immediate effect. So, given the Iris Robinson affair, is the DUP's 13,000 local majority under threat? And who would be best placed to protect it, Jim Shannon, Jim Wells or Simon Hamilton?
Sir Christopher Kelly dipped his toe in the Stormont waters today, telling the local Standards Committee that they should include two lay people on future inquiries into MLAs' conduct, so that the public does not belive the politicians are operating as a cartel. He also says a future Standards Commissioner should be able to launch their own inquiries.
During the committee hearing there was no reference to specific cases, but first on Good Morning Ulster then again in the Stormont Great Hall Sir Christopher was asked about whether the barrister's opinion Peter Robinson relied upon to resume his duties as First Minister should be published. Sir Christopher replied in the affirmative saying "doubts" would remain until there is full transparency.
Whilst the SDLP reckons Peter Robinson should heed this advice, the First Minister says he is disappointed and thinks Sir Christopher was "unwise to say the least" to be drawn into matters of which he is unfamilar. The DUP leader insists he has nothing to fear from publishing advice favourable to him, but warns that "matters relating to other persons named in the opinion cannot be released in a routine or reckless fashion". he also accuses the media and particularly the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ of trying to create the false impression that he doesn't want Paul Maguire's advice published.
As a side bar the SDLP's Declan O'Loan took a fairly sharp swipe at Shaun Woodward today. Speaking in a personal capacity, rather than as chair of the Stormont Standards Committee, Mr O'Loan said it had been "extremely improper" for Mr Woodward to say Mr Robinson has "cleared his name" whilst there are still Assembly and Westminster committee inquiries pending.
I'm 
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