Tony Blair – always referred to as Mr Blur in a Portadown accent – and that ‘hand of history’ stuff. Well, maybe this time the tectonic plates of Ulster politics really have shifted as Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams sit down together. I am always saddened by the political reality that the deals are almost always done by people of the right. Why? Because there is a sort of unavoidable reality which always brings the two sides back to the same place – deciding whether or not to work together. And that applies no matter who the politicians are. And politicians of the right – if they can avoid what Brendan Behan always called ‘De Split’ can’t be outflanked, shafted, rubbished, undermined by anybody else. But I think there has been real political leadership during the last few weeks – and that usually means people saying difficult things to their own supporters. Read for yourself what Ian Paisley’s people are saying and then move on to Gerry Adams and Sinn Fein.