Watch out for spin at this stage. In my view the pro Peter line being taken on the radio this morning may be an attempt to give Peter Robinson as dignified an exit as can be managed. If its not, they may have calculated that tonight’s Panorama is a re-run of Spotlight. I’m not so sure that’s an entirely wise calculation. But it’s hard to conjure with the future when almost everything coming at you unknown unknowns. If Peter goes, the word is Sinn Fein will collapse the Executive. It’s then down to the SoS and the NIO whether elections follow or it goes to suspension. There is absolutely no sign that either the Tories or the UU are focused on anything but the windfall benefits of get anything between 4 and 8 new seats… But the truth is, the whole shitty mess falls directly into their laps after all of this chaos… And at this point, they have formulated no plans on how to deal with… And this is now the point where the MSM’s serial misreporting of the Policing and Justice issue could come in very handy for Sinn Fein’s misleading spin on the matter…
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