Shaun and Esther
I've just finished Inside Politics. My guests were the Queen's academic Pete Shirlow and Sian O'Neill who works for the Ulster Cancer Foundation and is also involved in the campaign. Near the end of the show I raised with Pete Shirlow first reports of a Martin McGuinness speech at today's Bodenstown commemoration, in which the Deputy First Minister seems to be warning the Orange Order that if they aren't more constructive in engaging in dialogue over parades, republicans may grow tired of stewarding protests at march flashpoints.
The main political interviewee was Shaun Woodward. Regular commenter "7 pillars" wanted me to ask him about those reports of the UDA asking for money under the cover of "community groups". The Secretary of State insisted there had been "no deals and no negotiations".
But you may wish to deconstruct Mr Woodward's reference to the demand from loyalist areas for "greater representation" and involvement in the political process. The SoS also talked about showing "recognition" of the acts of leadership demonstrated by loyalism.
When I asked him what concrete form such recognition might take and suggested that we might hear announcements about new social projects, he countered that such projects were a matter for the Stormont Executive. So watch this space.
Our discussion of the intimidation of the Romanian familes on the Lisburn Road led me to ask the Secretary of State for his response to comments on "Question Time" about people here being addicted to hatred and violence.
For those of you who don't know, Shaun and Esther go back a long way. They used to work together on the 91Èȱ¬ consumer programme "That's Life", they wrote a book together, a second hand copy of which the SoS recently bought on his expenses, they were co founders of the charity Child Line, and although she didn't make it to his 50th birthday party in Morocco Esther did write Shaun an apologetic poem.
So it was with a fair degree of regret, I'd say, that the SoS told me that whilst he was very fond of Esther, she was wrong and had made a misjudgment, and warned people living outside Northern Ireland not to indulge in "knee jerk" reactions.
Which shows politics can test the firmest friendships. And that poem? According to the Sunday Times, it went like this:
'This is an ode to young Shaun Woodward / About whom everybody has a good word / We raise our glasses to our friend Shaun / Destined for glory from the day he was born / Please invite me to the beanery / When you celebrate your centenary / What will you be? We can only hope . . . if not God, then maybe the Pope!'
How I wonder will they address each other across the chamber if Ms Rantzen joins Mr Woodward as an MP after the next Westminster election?
I'm 
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