The personal can be Political.

[Clodhopper]

DUP leader Peter Robinson has shaken hands with Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness for the first time, it has emerged.

Mr Robinson told the Sunday Times Mr McGuinness reached out his hand in a private meeting to commiserate with him over his personal troubles.

"He expressed sympathy to me and put out his hand," he said.

"I thought it would be wrong of me in those circumstances to do anything other than that (shake it)."

Mr Robinson announced last Monday he was standing aside as Northern Ireland's first minister for six weeks to clear his name over an allegation surrounding his wife Iris's financial conduct.

He told the paper Mr McGuinness "very kindly sent me text messages, then voice mail messages and spoke to me privately about the issues".

The DUP and Sinn Fein have been holding intensive talks at Stormont in recent days about transferring policing and justice powers from London to Belfast.

These talks will resume on Monday.

During Northern Ireland's peace process, handshakes between political opponents have been seen as highly symbolic.


It's this sort of thing which gives me hope for Nothern Ireland's future. Personal disasters for both men have given them a way of crossing the Great Political Divide. Maybe it'll come to nothing, but at least the door is now open a tiny bit.

The fighting is over. Mostly. Just about:



A County Down man has appeared in court charged with having bomb parts and conspiring to cause an explosion.

Asked if he understood the charges against him, Brian Owens, 20, from Old Road, Castlewellan, made no response.

He is accused of having the component parts of an explosive device for the purpose of terrorism and of conspiring with others to cause an explosion.

Bomb parts were found on the M1 motorway during a security alert which started on Tuesday night.

They were discovered on Wednesday morning during a search of the roadside at the Coalisland off-slip near Dungannon.

The accused was arrested later in the Newry area.


Which side he was bombing for doesn't really matter - point is, the violence is barely, just barely, being contained. And there are hotheads on both side who would like it to kick off again. Not to mention the criminal fringe.

Every day the Peace Process holds, it gets just a tiny bit stronger.

Quotations from BBC News 15/1/2010

[Oscar Namechange]

Perhaps you would like to add a link so we can all read the full story and not just the parts you wish us to read.

[Snowfire]

Probably...

BBC News - Robinson shakes hands with McGuinness for first time

And...

BBC News - Man in court M1 motorway bomb charges

[Oscar Namechange]

Snowfire;1282885 wrote: Probably...

BBC News - Robinson shakes hands with McGuinness for first time

And...

BBC News - Man in court M1 motorway bomb charges
Thanks for the links

[Clodhopper]

Thanks Snowy.