News organisations from all over the world are in Belfast today to see the formal installation at the Stormont of an administration headed by Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness (First Minister and Deputy First Minister, respectively). Both men had been working together since a ground breaking agreement in March.

DUP ministers will head the departments of finance, the economy, the environment, and culture and leisure. Sinn Fein will have education, agriculture and regional development while smaller parties will handle employment, health and social development. An intricate array of checks and balances has been built into the new system. In addition, the work of each department will be scrutinised by a committee headed by Assembly members from parties different to that of the ministers. Powers over policing have yet to be transferred to Belfast, but may follow in the next few years.

Mr Paisley attempted to step up pressure on Gordon Brown to supply more money. He said in an interview: "There's no use having a nice vehicle sitting in your driveway if you haven't the fuel to put into it. It will not move an inch. It might be nicely polished. It might be beautiful looking but it is not going to do anything."

But using a notably constructive tone, he declared: "I would like to see a good hard-working parliament here, with good speeches and people dedicated to do what they have been sent here to do. There is talent in the Assembly and I want to see the talent of everybody used to the maximum for the good of Northern Ireland and all of its people."

Gerry Adams said: "There is huge goodwill for the return of the power sharing institutions in the North and growing support for our proposals to build an Ireland of equals."

Paisley, McGuiness and cricket

On Thursday Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness sent a joint invitation has been sent to the Irish World Cup cricket team asking them to attend a reception at Parliament Buildings to mark their success in the Caribbean. Mr Paisley will become Northern Ireland’s First Minister, Mr McGuinness is set to take over as Deputy First Minister in May.

In the letter to the Irish World Cup cricket team Mr Paisley described their success as "a marvellous achievement". "I warmly congratulate the team and pay particular tribute to the Northern Ireland players and their manager, Ulsterman, Roy Torrens," he said. "They have put local cricket on the map. Qualifying for the tournament itself was tremendous, but making the Super Eight stage was nothing short of remarkable.”

Ireland provided some of the biggest shocks of the tournament by beating Test playing nations Pakistan and Bangladesh. Their achievements saw the side reach full one-day international status. Mr McGuinness , (surprisingly) an avid cricket fan,echoed Mr Paisley's praise.

An editorial in yesterday’s Irish Independent reminds us that even couple of months ago a joint communique of any sort would have been unthinkable. Perhaps the next step WILL be for Mr Paisley to throw in the sliothar (the ball used in hurling) on All Ireland Final day in Croke Park!

I have never had time for ether Paisley or McGuiness. I would much rather have seen neither of them taking the First Minister and Deputy posts but the people of Northern Ireland made their choice. However, I have been astonished at the way they appear to have resolved huge differences and gotten down to the business or government. As for the Irish cricket team success, perhaps it was even more unthinkable than Paisley and McGuiness working together. Hold on, Martin McGuiness an avid cricket fan. I would never had guessed that!