Yesterday, Gordon Brown was less Macavity, more the Cheshire cat. Now both he and Blair have helped to bring a modicum of peace to Northern Ireland, and Brown was a ubiquitous, beaming presence on the TV throughout the day – jaunty not jowly. Naturally, Brown’s confidence fell victim to the absurdity that lurks behind him like some familiar. Sky Sports News asked him if he thought John Terry should retain the England captaincy. Brown pondered the question – the arguments for and against and the possibility of his bringing peace to Cobham – before conceding that the decision was entirely Capello’s. It was priceless.
To suggest that this latest Hillsborough accord is a final panacea is to tempt fortune. The British government must have learnt that nothing can be taken for granted in Northern Ireland. As Jonathan Freedland notes in today’s Guardian, this deal has delayed not decided.
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