Over the last few days a geyser has been spouting outside Stormont from a hole dug to accommodate a new security checkpoint. It looked like a digger had hit one of the exposed water mains. I was rather hoping to do a live interview for tonight's BBC Newsline with this temporary fountain in the background, given that the topic was a proposal to take any new water charges from the rates bill. The review of water charges is due to be published on Friday. Sadly, the geyser appears to have been quenched. So it's back to the usual Stormont backdrop...
Last month we reported that the Finance Department's best guess of what we might get in the Chancellor's Comprehensive Spending Review was a 3.7% increase in our budget. Allowing for inflation at 2.7% that equalled a 1% rise in real terms.
Yesterday when Alistair Darling opened his wallet, the Treasury told us we were getting an average 1.7% rise in real terms over the next three years. So that's 0.7% more. Gordon Brown said the cash was more than he had previously promised. Time to get out the glasses and order a crate of that Stormont crested wine?
Well maybe. However, according to the Treasury figures, we are trailing the other devolved nations. They say Scotland got a 1.8% rise in real terms and Wales got 2.4%.
Even so our politicians, who were all busy arguing about the Irish language when the Chancellor was on his feet, seem relatively content. In my e-mail box, I have a statement from the Alliance describing the spending round as "tight". But the SDLP say they find it "reasonably positive". The DUP Finance Minister Peter Robinson said it highlighted "the need for local departments to deliver efficiencies over the period to 2010-11".
This contrasts with the situation in Scotland, where both before and after the Chancellor's statement, the SNP has been crying foul. The Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond refuses to accept that he's getting 1.8% more. Instead he's told the Scotsman he's only getting a 0.5% increase.
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Here are a few potential explanations for the different reactions for readers to choose from
1. NI politicians are better at maths than Scottish First Ministers (or vice versa)
2. The SNP has a direct political reason to deride Labour figures as Labour organises in Scotland
3. If our parties make a fuss about the Treasury handout it will only attract attention to the lack of a peace dividend
4. We can't work out our percentages because we were debating the Irish language at the time
UPDATE: Alex Salmond met Ian Paisley at Westminster this afternoon. He claims NI and Wales are just as upset as he is about the Comprehensive Spending Review and they intend to work together to try to get a better deal...
FURTHER UPDATE: This evening the Finance Department confirmed that Peter Robinson had discussed the spending review with his Scottish counterpart and they hope to meet the Treasury soon, either separately or together. Both ministers are concerned, apparently, about the way the funds are geared over the next three years.
I'm 
