Adams’ arrest a grim reminder of how fragile the peace process truly is

TOMMY Gorman, RTÉ’s Northern Editor, usually says it best. On last Sunday night’s news, he said "it’s one more reminder of the unfinished business of the peace process". Or, to put it more crudely, they haven’t gone away, you know.

Isn’t it amazing how elections in Ireland take a particular course. They usually have a pretty dull first week or so, with opinion polls and media commentary replacing any real action. The majority of people, I guess, don’t have a vested interest in the result — they’re free to enjoy the spectacle as it unfolds.

I used to be utterly engrossed in elections — physically and emotionally. Back in the days when I worked full-time in politics, the start of an election campaign would normally mean saying goodbye to my family for three weeks and plunging myself into 20-hour days, living on cigarettes and chips for the duration. It would also mean a knot in my stomach every time I heard that an opinion poll was imminent, a knot that wouldn’t disappear until, by hook or by crook, I got to know the figures.