The Kindness of Strangers
It's been one of those days when I've hardly been able to get my head around anything political. A flat tyre this morning left me struggling by the roadside. I must have looked particularly pathetic as a female motorist stopped to ask if she could help. Now don't get me wrong. I can change a tyre. But I couldn't find the little tool to unlock the hub cap (what is it with modern cars?).
Eventually an extremely helpful lorry driver stopped and managed to prise the locking cap off with his screwdriver, then change the wheel far more expertly than I would have managed. In the news business we tend to focus on people doing things they shouldn't. But in daily life most people turn out to be kinder and more generous than you have any right to expect.
I tried to memorise the name of my Good Samaritan's firm, but so far my efforts to trace a phone number have failed miserably. So Frank, if you are out there, thanks again.
As I struggled with my tyre, I was taking calls from the Ulster Unionists about the future of education. Basil McCrea is concerned that the DUP and Sinn Fein might be edging towards a compromise which would see the number of grammar schools slashed dramatically from 69 to 7. Sammy Wilson reckons this defies logic and that UUP HQ requires lessons in numeracy.
I am not convinced that either Basil or Sammy would qualify for the Maths Olympics. I think they need to call in Martin Orr (formerly of Methodist College) who, I think, is Northern Ireland's last gold medallist
Leaving the numeracy lessons to one side, the UUP leader Sir Reg Empey is making noises about withdrawing from Caitriona Ruane's area planning process, something which could further complicate efforts to find a compromise on academic selection.
Finally a technical footnote. Not only have I been working on my car, but the 91Èȱ¬ has also been working on its blogging software. From 1800 this evening (UK time), our boffins will be doing some essential maintenance to all of the 91Èȱ¬'s blogs. As a result of this, you won't be able to leave any comments on our blog posts from that time until early Thursday morning. They tell me it should make leaving comments easier and quicker in the future. I shall post again to let you know about the new system once it is installed tomorrow.
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