And belatedly, here’s Newton Emerson from the Irish News last weekend (£):
PETER Robinson settled for a “judge-led review” from David Cameron into the on-the-runs letters, for reasons that may involve kicking the issue into the long grass until after May’s elections. However, Westminster’s cross-party Northern Ireland Affairs Committee was not mollified and has now announced its own parliamentary inquiry, with a far wider remit than Cameron’s wig-adorned paperwork exercise plus the power to compel evidence and witnesses.
This may involve kicking over a lot of creatively ambiguous rocks, covering all the key negotiations (and negotiators) of the peace process. The committee comprises Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs plus every Northern Ireland party that takes its Westminster seats. Sinn Fein will probably start off refusing to testify. It may end up wishing it had not abstained from membership.
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty