I think a number of us view this meeting with a jaundiced eye. So Gerry Adams (Gerry has two R's in his name BTW) and Ian Paisley meet. Kind of reminds me of when Gerry Adams and David Trimble (then leader of the UUP largest unionist party at the time) met. Remember when famously or infamously (depending on how you look at it) Trimble refused to shake Adams' hand. The Assembly didn't happen then either. Is Paisley sincere? And if he is, will he have more luck than Trimble in convincing his party members and constituents that power sharing with Catholics is the way forward? Already the DUP has party members resigning. Check http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/article2399429.ece out. Jim Wells is talking about going, Jim Allister resigned yesterday as did Leslie Cubitt, George McConnell went weeks ago, the Rev. William McCrae isn't a happy bunny. He said it made him, "sick to the bottom of his stomach", to think that the DUP would be sharing power with Sinn Fein. And what of little Jeffrey Donaldson. He left the UUP to Join the DUP when he felt that they (UUP) were getting to cosy with Sinn Fein.

You see I remember George McConnell and Jeffrey Donaldson very well. I went to a protestant High school to study for 'A' levels. No local catholic school had 'A' level accreditation at the time. The nearest one was a 40 mile round trip away. So bucking the trend, myself and a few other brave souls decided to attend the local protestant high school. This was in the 70's. Jeffrey was at the same school at the time and I vividly remember he and George McConnell leading a demonstration of "concerned" parents and pupils around the playing fields carrying placards that variously read Fenians/Taigs out. I remember Jeffrey at school. He could never even look me in the eye and never spoke one word to me the whole time I was there. I've often thought of that over the years and wondered as his political star ascended, how with this kind of mentality could he ever objectively represent any constituency. Sorry got off the beaten track there a little but I thought I'd inject a little local colour.