A paragraph in Charles King’s review of the new biography of William F Buckley (Buckley: The Life And The Revolution That Changed America) resonated with me: “He bequeathed one big idea to the conservatism of today. The problem with liberals wasn’t just that they wanted more government. It was that they wanted to share government with people who, out of ignorance, indoctrination, or natural inadequacy, could be relied upon to muck it up.”

Hmm. Does that remind you of something?

To make it easier, I’ll paraphrase: “An Executive dependent on mandatory coalition and requiring no demonstrable evidence of genuine cooperation means government dominated by two polar opposite political parties who, out of calculated stupidity, self-interest and sheer bloody-mindedness, can be relied upon to make a dog’s dinner of everything.’

MLAs had barely resumed their seats after the summer break before a new ding-dong was under way.

Brian Feeney on Friday: Daft ideas and Dublin deals from the toffs against terrorism

Alex Kane: It’s Groundhog Day meets Carry On, Psycho at Stormont

As a father of an eight-year-old and 16-year-old I am well aware of the strops that accompany the reopening of the school gates. But at least things return to normal within a few days.

Up at........

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