A statement from Sammy Wilson has just dropped into my e-mail box likening Caitriona Ruane to Mr Bean, because of her alleged dithering over post primary school transfers.
Something made me think that Sammy shouldn't go near Mr Bean analogies. Was it the fact that the former acting Lib Dem leader Vince Cable beat him to it with his portrayal of Gordon Brown turning from Stalin into Mr Bean?
Well maybe. But I think the clincher is the famous sketch in which Mr Bean gets locked out of his hotel room naked.
Mr Bean naked
The Consultative Group on the Past, chaired by Robin Eames and Denis Bradley, hold the first of a series of public meetings tonight at the Holiday Inn hotel just opposite the BBC in Belfast. The group is continuing to take soundings from the public until the end of this month, when they expect to have talked to around 90 different organisations. They hope to produce a report on schedule this summer.
What might feature in their report? One idea which it's understood has been floated is some way of making it easier for ex-paramilitaries and others to tell their stories without fear of legal repercussions. However that's styled it sounds like an amnesty of some kind.
Another idea is for people to sign up to a new "covenant" pledging to never again resort to political violence. If such a solemn declaration were to be made, would it provide a convenient moment for the IRA Army Council and other remaining paramilitary structures to disappear?
The group hasn't yet talked directly to the IRA or other paramilitary leaderships, but expect them to press hard for some contact before they produce their report.
Another area being explored is the expansion of the police Historical Enquiries Team, or something like it. Should such a team be an all-Ireland organisation? In the future could a remodelled HET have an input from the Police Ombudsman and even the paramilitary organisations themselves?
The group has been to see the former Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir John Stevens, to learn more details about his inquiries into collusion. There are indications that what they might say on this score could shock people, especially in the unionist community.
The group want the politicians at Stormont to buy in to what they recommend, but there's plenty of potential for disagreement amongst the parties about how all these sensitive issues might be handled.
Whilst the DUP was busy disagreeing with the Secretary of State over the devolution of justice, the Daily Telegraph was predicting his early demise.
Daily Telegraph Blog
An NIO merger has been predicted before, but I can't see any move of this kind at least ahead of the proposed US Investment Conference in May and the same month's target date for justice devolution.
I'm just back at my desk after the Christmas and New Year break. Like everyone else here, I'm wading through a mountain of e-mails. Many thanks to all of you who left comments over the holiday period, and thanks to Martina Purdy who presented an edition of Inside Politics dealing with the devolution of justice this weekend.
I'm 
