A summit about nothing

We've previously expressed mystification at just what exactly was discussed at the glorious Belfast summit a few weeks ago between Bush, Blair and Bertie (Irish PM). Because no discernible positive outcome can be traced to it. No-one probably recalls that one supposed purpose was to boost the Northern Ireland peace process, but it now appears that whatever roadmap was discussed for that should have come with the classic Irish disclaimer on directions "I wouldn't start from here if I were you, Sir."

Today comes the news that the British government has postponed elections to the devolved NI assembly, which were supposed to be held at the end of May. Their basic complaint is that the IRA has not stated clearly enough that the war is over, even though there's a feeling on the nationalist side, north and south, that within the usual parameters of Sinn Fein wordgames, the IRA have been reasonably positive.

Furthermore, the British government is displaying some strange priorities today, because their other major NI activity was to arrest a journalist, the NI editor of the Sunday Times, for being in possession of those embarrassing tapes we posted about yesterday. And finally, there is the evidence that the Brits perhaps need to focus a new source of terrorism, with the news that the bombers of the pub in Tel Aviv were UK citizens. The IRA has been shown up by revelations of apparent cooperation with other terrorist groups, notably in Colombia. But suicide bombing is not in their repertoire.