Unemployment moving to 6%
Political correspondents gathered at Stormont Castle this morning for a briefing with the First and Deputy First Ministers where we had expected to ask about dissident violence, the prospects for devolving justice, education and so on. However as we arrived the rumours began to fly around about 1000 jobs going at Bombardier. Inevitably the briefing was overtaken by events.
Martin McGuinness talked about the need to "weather the storm which is raging out there". Peter Robinson reckoned that when this week's redundancies filter through they will increase our local unemployment rate from just over 5% to 6%. Although, he pointed out, the comparable rate is 11% south of the border.
The FM and DFM were in Brussels earlier this week lobbying for state aid for the new Bombardier C series commuter jet project. But that is yet to get going and they seemed powerless to stave off the latest job losses.
Martin McGuinness repeated his denunciation of the latest dissident violence. He seemed convinced last night's punishment style attack in Creggan was the work of the INLA. Referring to Sinn Fein's condemnation of the violence, Peter Robinson argued that recenmt events "will have improved confidence in the community" over the prospects for devolving justice. Neither politician was getting drawn into discussing dates for the transfer of powers (not least because Peter Robinson in particular emphasised the need for adequate financial resources). But that positive remark about community confidence did nothing to put us off the notion that progress might be made in the autumn.
On community relations and tackling sectarianism, the two men pointed to the symbolism of their appearance alongside Sir Hugh Orde. Questioned about whether they planned similar symbolic shows of unity, Peter Robinson cautioned against "gimmicky" stunts. But he said they were working with people on interfaces in the hope fo eventually bringing down some peace walls. Mr Robinson also noted the restraint showed by loyalists in the face of the recent dissident violence. In an earlier period, he pointed out, there would have been tit for tat killings. However the loyalists, who he has been talking to, did not fall in to the dissident trap.
Whilst both politicians insisted they were ticking off the stages towards devolving justice and taking difficult decisions every day, there was no sign of any breakthrough on academic selection. Martin McGuinness expressed the hope that the siutaion would "evolve" and "settle down", but Peter Robinson put it bluntly, "we disagree, it's as simple as that...if agreement is going to come about it will not be on the basis of the proposals now on the table."
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