Decommissioning, anyone?

If, before the sun goes down tonight, I hear anyone - ANYONE, but particularly Gerry Adams or Tony Blur - use the words historic, ground-breaking or that new in-word cusp, I'm going to scream.

Look, guys, you said you were thinking of doing it, and we applauded. You said you decided to do it, and we applauded. Now it's time for you to deliver. For the first time, not the third.

We'll breathe a collective sigh of relief, yes, because a lot of people didn't think you'd do it. But we won't cheer. You murdered and terrorised for 30 years. Would anyone cheer a child molester who cut his own willy off?

Expect us, rightly, to work with you, to respect you, to share equal rights with you, to include democratically elected representatives in government and to build a new future in partnership with you. But don't expect us to cheer you, even though we're relieved and thankful.

It's time to take the press release out of Irish politics.