A waste of time?
That was Peter Robinson's verdict on initial reports about the Eames Bradley group on the past. Unionists have set their heads against the proposed £12,000 payment to the families of all those killed in the troubles, irrespective of their status. Nationalists appear more ready to give the payments, and proposals for a three person Legacy Commission, a fairer wind.
So is the payment scheme creating an equivalence between IRA members and loyalists and innocent civilians? Or given that any money would go to their families not the victims themselves (who are of course no longer with us) then are the tears of a bomber's mother equal to the tears of another victim's mother?
And given the £40 million price tag for the "recognition payments" will Gordon Brown fund the scheme or not.
With SDLP supporters gathering in Armagh for their annual conference, my guest on Inside Politics tomorrow is Mark Durkan. I spend the first half of the programme gauging his reaction to the Eames Bradley proposals.
On another day the news that Diane Dodds has emerged as the hot favourite for the DUP European nomination would have been taking up more of my time. But this has been a busy Friday.
Tomorrow I shall join Jim Fitzpatrick for live coverage of the SDLP conference on 91Èȱ¬2 from 11.;45 am. Inside Politics is on 91Èȱ¬ radio Ulster at the usual time of 12.45 pm.
I'm 
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