Sticks and Carrots?
Just as Peter Hain managed to play his cards over water charges, rates, local councils, PPS14 and academic selection in a way which pressurised our politicians to do a deal over devolution, are we seeing the creation of a similar mixture of sticks and carrots in relation to the transfer of justice powers?
Today Paul Goggins confirmed the lowering of the age of consent to 16, in the face of opposition from the majority of MLAs. The implicit message is that if they would like to do things differently they could take the responsibility themselves. So that's a stick, then.
Earlier this week we had the Ashdown report on parades - something of a carrot to entice the DUP to sort out the policing log jam.
Could other carrots - say the handover of more security bases - be added to the mix? It's something Peter Robinson raised with Gordon Brown at Prime Minister's Questions today.
I'm 
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