Listening to Radio 4, a song came on by the late, great Derry singer Josef Locke.

It made me laugh, as it kind of sums up how Stormont operates – or doesn’t.

It was called ‘Blaze Away’ and the lyrics say: “We’ll make a bonfire of our troubles. And we will watch them blaze away. And when they have all gone up in smoke clouds, we’ll never worry should they come another day.

“Here we are, there’s work to do. Don’t let troubles trouble you. Bring them along and we will stir them up. Bring them along and we’ll burn them up.”

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Sinn Féin and the DUP have been the biggest parties in charge of the Executive for more than 15 years – and each time they hit a wall, they bought time.

Now usefully propped up by Alliance and the UUP, the governing on the never-never has come to a reckoning. No more tick from the UK tick man.

Stormont simply does not work. The system of governance is not competent. It mitigates against good government.

As an edifice,........

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