The Tory NI Spokesman Owen Paterson makes his debut appearance on Inside Politics this weekend. The discussion covers defining the troubles as a war, offering ex paramilitaries an amnesty, the prospects for devolving justice this year and whether the NIO should be merged into a department of the nations. He also praises plans for redeveloping security bases here, but adds a big "but" when asked if the MoD should hand them over for free.
Inside Politics is broadcast at a quarter to one on BBC Radio Ulster.
I bumped into a Belfast councillor when I was strolling past the City Hall this lunchtime and we got chatting about the redevelopment work which is continuing there. Whilst asbestos is stripped out of the historic building, and other work is carried out, the politicians and council staff are around the corner at the Adelaide Exchange building.
They hope to move back in at the end of this year, when all the political functions should be reinstalled on the first floor. But a working group is studying whether council staff should be moved back into their City Hall offices, or if the building's ground floor should be opened up to the public.
It's early days but the ideas knocking around for the ground floor include a new art gallery and exhibition space or locating frontline services like building control there.
Has anyone any better ideas?
On the topic of the City Hall, the Big Wheel was due to come down at the end of March, but the company running it has asked for an extension until the end of the year. Councillors appear happy to approve this extension. Although the Wheel seems to have complemented the City Hall surprisingly well, there is some debate about moving it to another city centre location, probably Custom House Square.
Peter Hain says he forgot to declare more than one hundred thousands pounds in donations because of the pressures of his governmental work, which at the time included trying to broker a deal here as well as keeping an eye on Wales. Is this proof positive that you can't take on two jobs, let alone fight an internal election campaign on top? If so, are there implications not just for Mr Hain, but also for Des Browne in Scotland?
I'm 
