THIS week’s charity appeal is on behalf of the Stormont Executive.

Do you know that for only £189 million, Mike Nesbitt could balance the health budget?

A mere £500m would prevent a Stormont deficit in April, and to avoid cuts to school meals and transport next year, Paul Givan says he needs nothing more than £1.15 billion.

Can you watch our beloved Executive suffer in this way? Please send as many millions as you can to: Save the Executive Appeal, c/o somewhere abroad on a foreign trip.

Newton Emerson: Stormont again showing talent for dodging difficult decisions

Brian Feeney: Who controls the airwaves in a united Ireland?

A rather sceptical approach to Stormont’s financial problems, you say, but analysing the Executive’s performance in recent years makes it hard to take its budgetary process seriously.

A normal government uses a budget to describe what it intends to spend its money on and explains why, usually by reference to its policies.

Finance Minister John O’Dowd’s recent draft budget did not mention the “why”. Indeed, it made no reference to Stormont’s Programme for........

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