Crisis redux

For all the talk of crisis things seem much the same up the hill at Stormont. Sinn Fein wants to see legislation through, but also an early election. What they couldn't do with 28 pieces of legislation they'll need twice as much time to do with fewer, apparently because the DUP pulled Paul Givan out of the Executive and despite that not reducing one day of Assembly time before they close for the always planned election. No journalist has asked a single political leader why that might be.

Meanwhile, Doug Beattie's clean shaven look doesn't seem to have done anything to make his political antenna look more shiny. The UUP needs to focus on consistency if nothing else, because at the moment Mr Beattie looks like a man with no particular plan on any given day - though in fairness few other Parties have a better approach and all think blaming the DUP means no-one will ask them what their alternative approach might be.

Meanwhile the hubris over Health continues apace. 8 weeks to save the NHS!!! No budget we are told despite hundreds of millions £ heading into the budget - rightly questioned by the DUP for being cash planned to be spent without a plan for spending. In future he won't have Covid to bring Armed Services in to cover staff shortages that have been created by the very restrictions his department has championed while everywhere else has abandoned the pretence they have any further value.