Direct Action
The SDLP leader Margaret Ritchie has called for the Executive to hold a special meeting on the weather "to consider how all public agencies might better prepare for extreme weather events". Ms Ritchie has a point when she talks about South Down at the weekend as "a case study in the need to have another, wider and deeper look at the problems that extreme weather events can throw up".
However, for purely selfish reasons I am hoping there isn't an emergency meeting as I am looking at six inches of snow outside and, with the fresh fall overnight, I am not convinced the car will tackle the hills it only just crested yesterday. So they may have to meet without yours truly for company.
Personally I am more drawn to the Sinn Fein "direct action" approach at the weekend. A number of activists, including junior minister Gerry Kelly, got the shovels out and cleared and gritted their local footpaths.
When they got back in from their endeavours, the Sunday papers would have made good reading for the republicans. Okay, columnist Diarmuid Doyle in the Sunday Tribune may have taken a crack at them over their Navan branch's inability to use apostrophes ("The Bobby Sand's Centre") and Gerry Adams' repeated denials of past IRA membership. But both the Tribune and the Sunday Times ran extensive news reports on the rise and rise of Sinn Fein in the polls, as previously noted on this blog entry. The creation of a Dail group of seven, which brings extra parliamentary rights, looks well within Sinn Fein's grasp, although if the election is delayed until March there's time for more fluctuations in the polls in the months ahead.
There was also a bit of good news for the DUP in the Sunday papers - the Telegraph did a review of "value for money" provided by the UK's 70 MEPs. Diane Dodds came in 11th, ahead of Bairbre De Brun in the 38th spot and Jim Nicholson at 45.
Back to "direct action". Sinn Fein doesn't have a monopoly on this - watch out for a cross party peaceline building project in the next few days (UPDATE: due to the snow that project has been delayed - and rescheduled for the New Year).
I'm 
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