SDLP could be a refreshing change from republican gamesmanship

SO, can Northern Ireland get on with the rest of its life?

As I write this we still haven't seen the text of the IRA statement sent to the two Governments over the weekend. It seems, though, that the message may have got through this time, the Governments weren't for turning.

It's a classic Sinn Féin response that when they get into trouble, they blame everyone around them. There was a time, not so long ago, when Sinn Féin used to make a fetish out of refusing to indulge in "the politics of condemnation". In those days, of course, it was usually the actions and activities of the IRA that were up for condemnation. Since Sinn Féin got into politics full-time, it has become routine for them to condemn others for failure to respond, or to respond adequately, to the Sinn Féin agenda.