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Saturday's guest on Inside Politics was the DUP leader in waiting Peter Robinson. We discussed his future style of leadership, relations with Sinn Fein and the Ulster Unionists (he is proposing greater electoral cooperation), devolving criminal justice, academic selection, the Victims Commission Bill and the proposed Maze stadium.

I conducted the interview in his constituency office, across a table bedecked with a rather imposing looking chess set made up of historical characters (I think the King was Napoleon). I'd like to report that we played chess in between questions, but I'm afraid that was well beyond my powers of concentration.

I had intended to publish this entry on Friday but fell foul of the new blogging system. If you want to listen to our conversational gambits, the programme is on ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio Ulster's Listen Again site here

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Observers of the Mahon tribunal will know that Bertie Ahern is well acquainted with the concept of a "dig out". He had come by large sums of cash, he explained, because his friends had been keen to dig him out when he hit marital and financial difficulties.

So it's good to see that Bertie is ready to do a similar favour. He appeared at an SDLP business breakfast at the Carrickdale hotel this morning speaking on the topic of an all Ireland economy.

But with the tables costing 600 euros, my spies tell me that some of the proceeds will go towards the "SDLP 5", Newry councillors fined after blocking victims campaigner Willie Frazer from using a council run community centre in Newtownhamilton. The actions of 17 SDLP and Sinn Fein councillors drew fire from the local government auditor. But at least some of them got a good breakfast this morning.

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