A good day to bury good news
If a tree falls in a forest and noone is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
Perhaps someone in the Social Development and Agriculture Departments should acquaint themselves with the old philosophical riddle. Just as Gordon Brown's outriders pulled up at the Stormont West Door yesterday afternoon, my phone and those of my colleagues rang with a summons to a joint announcement in the Great Hall from ministers Margaret Ritchie and Michelle Gildernew. They were unveiling £400,000 in extra funding for insulation for rural homes.
I know they pressed ahead with the announcement because I passed through the Great Hall at the time looking for an advance copy of Gordon Brown's speech and witnessed the two ministers addressing a couple of puzzled looking cameramen. The press room in the basement was packed with hacks waiting for the PM to begin.
Perhaps there was some cunning reason to bury this bit of good news beneath Mr Brown's visit, but I can't for the life of me work it out. As things stand I am nominating the joint announcement for a most inept bit of political PR award.
I'm 
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