guns, bombs, policing and justice

Well, again we are on the cusp of a crisis. I am surprised more people have not keeled over because of the excitement.

As of now, the two premiers (that's Gordon and Brian, not Peter and Martin) are trying to help resolve the policing and justice catastrophe currently brewing like a country woman's cup of tea. Though there is definitely no way to read the tea leaves and what the future holds.

There are so many options, and really - how much more important do people think Northern Ireland is than a General Election that could see the current Prime Minister picking up his P45. Yeah, he is far more worried about us than running the whole of the UK.

All this with the back drop of rising dissident activity. There is a lot more going on than we hear about in the media. A policeman is still very ill in hospital after terrorists put a bomb under his car causing him to lose his right leg. Reason? PSNI Constable Peadar Heffron is a 33-year-old Catholic, an Irish language specialist and is also the captain of its GAA team.

Dissidents have been trying to blow up the Policing Board HQ, keep attacking police stations, creating disruption with bomb alerts. The BBC have a nice little timeline for 2009 on their activity.

What we need really is all of the parties to be involved in the discussion for policing and justice and a positive resolution as soon as possible. Or else the community confidence question won't be in relation to unionist confidence, but in relation to whether or not we have confidence in our politicians to be able to actually do the job at all.

Perhaps another referendum would be appropriate. Put it to the vote of the community to resolve the question of community confidence once and for all.