Anyone else feeling pretty letdown by the election?....

[two gun sid]

I just don't see how the Peace Process can survive. Paisley's such a pompous ass. I never thought I'd say this but, I'm gonna miss Trimble.

I'm really apprehensive about the PIRA disbanding. Every word I've heard Paisley spew has made me believe that the sectarian violence is so close to starting again. I wish Martin would make a statement.

[RogueTrooper]

1. The sectarian violence won't be starting anytime soon

There is not taste for it on either side.

I would not worry about that. I am not sure if the destruction of the UUP is a bad thing to be honest. The UUP were the defacto power of NI since partition. Electoral anihlation is pretty much their deserved fate. The UUP were never as moderate as people believed; as all their leaders were elected be dint of being extreemists. It was reality that brought those leaders to the mainstream.

The DUP, since becoming a serious force in Ulster politics, have become more "moderate" that they were previously. Whatever Paisley does he has to be mindfull that he does not have much support in the mainland ( 46% of Brits support unification; and a further 26% don't care ).

[Maeve]

2. Let's see what Hain does

Paisley has declared the Good Friday Agreement dead--will Blair and Ahern allow that to be true? How will Hain deal with the situation? And just what will the IRA do (and how will the damn-fool split-offs react)?

I have long suspected that a lot of Brits would just as soon NI disappear into the North Sea!

[Henny Penny]

3. If you listen to the politicians from all parties

moderate or extreme, they are saying they will get the assembly up and running.

They are all under a lot of pressure from their supporters as the UK govt is deliberately doing a lot of very unpopular things like cutting budgets for education, closing hospitals, introducing water charges etc.

Its just a question of agreeing terms. The review that the IRA is undertaking at the moment may be a very important catalyst or stumbling block depending on the outcome.

[RogueTrooper]

4. I was unaware about the budget cutting

How extensive is it?

[Henny Penny]

5. I'm not sure,

but every time you turn on the news there seems to be a story about things like the school dinner budget being cut (at a time when the rest of the UK was promised an increase in this area thanks to Jamie Oliver), or school crossing patrols being cut, or library budgets etc. All things that hit people's kids and make them think "If any politicians call to my door, I'm going to tell them to get their act together!"

Here's an example.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4542227.stm

[RogueTrooper]

6. Thanks