Beyond the Edinburgh Fringe
When I first heard that Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness were going to today's Edinburgh Festival of Politics a/k/a the British Irish Council, I interpreted it as a possible sign of movement in the gridlock. Now I'm not so sure. Next Friday a North South Ministerial Council is due. Sinn Fein will argue that it has let the BIC proceed, so unionists must reciprocate. However the DUP will probably say that there's an Executive meeting due at Stormont Castle on Thursday so that would be the proper place to clear papers for the NSMC. If there's no Executive, it's hard to see unionists assenting to an NSMC. Maybe everything will be sorted out by then, but as things stand brace yourselves for more recriminations around the end of next week.
(If you can't follow any of that, I should explain that whilst nationalists are keen on the all Ireland North South Ministerial Council, unionists insisted on the establishment of the British Irish Council to emphasise the importance of East West links within the Atlantic archipelago.)
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