We’re in a holding pattern in more ways than one. ‘Holding pattern’ usually refers to a plane going round in circles before it can land or, as an idiom, to useless or unproductive activity. Politically, and for that matter economically, that’s what we’re engaged in.

In Britain and Ireland everyone in politics is waiting for an election. In the Republic they’ve got three elections to look forward to: council and European in June and a Dáil election, maybe October, maybe next February. In the north we conduct our own entirely separate election in parallel with a British general election, the outcome of which no-one here votes for.

Pending the Irish and British elections there will be no major developments here. Everyone waits to see if all the indications are correct and Labour will sweep to victory and inaugurate a stable, rational government after the chaos of the last decade and the austerity of the previous 14 years. Equally, people will wait to see if Sinn Féin can make good all the poll predictions and lead a government of change or if the migration crisis knocks the party sideways and the old civil war parties can block change.

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