Don't say that, Maggie Ritchie

I'm disappointed in the SDLP. Well no, not the SDLP - more Maggie Ritchie. She's on record in the Irish Times this morning as being cheesed off with the 'sham focus' on whether Martin McGuinness could become First Minister after the May Assembly elections. I always thought Maggie wanted to form closer links with her unionist fellow-citizens, yes indeed on South Down vote-getting grounds but also on principle, because as John Hume said so often, it's our divided people we need to be concerned about, not our divided country. Then here comes Maggie this morning, attacking the ordinary unionist voter. At least that's the case if we're to believe Peter Robinson.

The First Minister says that the spectre of Martin McGuinness as First Minister is a real concern the DUP hear expressed on the doorstep as they canvass. Sinn Féin say it's not an issue of concern to them. In fact if by some remote chance Martin McGuinness were to become First Minister, he would promptly create TWO First Ministers, so emphasising their co-equal status. I'm assuming the SDLP aren't creating a sham fuss about the issue and I know the Alliance Party wouldn't dream of such a thing; so that leaves the ordinary DUP voter BEING DENOUNCED BY MAGGIE! Not nice, Ms Ritchie. It could also become a political banana-skin, if enough unionist voters take the hump at what you said.

By the way, who came up with this two-First=Ministers idea originally? Maggie is putting it forward as a new idea this morning; I seem to remember Martin McGuinness floating the idea several months ago. So who's responsible?