Phil "not the Power" Taylor
I've just recorded tomorrow's Inside Politics, which is on the topic of the Blair Brown handover and its consequences for NI. My guests are Lord Paul Bew and Phil Taylor, Peter Hain's sometimes controversial Special Adviser. Phil parted company with Peter Hain shortly before the former Secretary of State hit the buffers in his Deputy Leadership campaign.
Some senior civil servants used to joke that Phil Taylor was the real Secretary of State. He took responsibility for a lot of the devolved brief and was involved in the proposed introduction of water charges and the ban on new housing in rural areas. On the programme he denies that this was a coherent strategy to twist local politicians' arms, but adds that if it had a positive spin off for restoring devolution then so much the better.
One regret that the former SPAD has is the concession made at St Andrews to throw academic selection back into the political mix. An opponent of selection, he tells me that giving the DUP a veto over the ban was "fundamentally wrong".
Lord Bew (he prefers Paul) may owe his peerage to Tony Blair. But he doesn't seem convinced by those who believe the Northern Ireland experience can be translated to the Middle East.
The programme is broadcast tomorrow at 12.45 on Radio Ulster, and should be up on the web sometime afterwards.
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Ha Ha Ha Peter Taylor. Not only are you out of work you are also out of the NIO. Take Peter Hain with you and for for a long walk of a short plank. Somewhere like the Atlantic would be ideal