Diplomatic intervention for Northern D-Day

THE countdown to what should have been the North’s devolution day has seen frantic diplomatic activity from Belfast to Berlin, via Downing Street.

The Taoiseach and Tony Blair broke-off from celebrations marking the EU’s fiftieth birthday in the German capital last night to try and salvage a last minute deal from a process which had come dangerously close to unravelling in the previous 48 hours.

Mr Blair had already held prolonged telephone conversations with DUP leader Ian Paisley from London and Berlin following on from their two “tough” encounters at No.10 last week.