All over bar the shouting?

Bloomberg- Mayor for a third time?

Just back from New York and other then the TV News channels, there was not much sign of the US Presidential election. There were a couple of stalls in Time Square selling dodgy Obama fridge magnets and badges but you would have thought there would have been more on show with less than 2 weeks to go to polling day. It was only after taking the ferry to Staten Island that I saw my first election posters, two for Obama in a shop in St George on the Island.

The reason why? Obama having a double figure lead? They all now think it is a forgone collusion?

The TV and papers think it it's all over but in the bars there is still a fear that when it comes to polling day there will be many who find they can't vote for a black man. McCain has support as a war veteran he does have the respect of the electorate but it is his links to the Bush administration that hold him back more than having Palin as his running partner though she does seem to be the butt of many jokes as she is over here.

So it was strange to be close to Wall Street and still not here much talk of the election but politics was the talk of many bars but it was Mayor Bloomberg trying to push a change through City Hall that would allow him a third term that was the main political talking point. so even in New York, local issues are often more important to the electorate than national issues.

Would have been the top news story once!

Gerry Adams and his mates- now redundant?

True the arrival of the female bear hunter from Alaska is important but even if the "hockey mom" becomes vice president of the USA, it will not have that much effect on us. But Sarah Palin still is the big news story in the UK and I for one am disappointed by this. I know I may be slightly biased as an ex soldier but there are two other stories that should be above Mrs Palin on TV, the web and in our newspapers.

The announcement by the Independent Monitoring Commission that they now believe that the Provisional Irish Republican Army has relinquished the leadership and structures it used in the troubles. In simple words the Army Council no longer exists. Very soon hundreds of ex soldiers will be in London to remember those who died during Operation Banner (the Army name for operations in Northern Ireland), not sure all of those will think the war is over. I for one do believe that the IRA is not what it was but there is still a big worry about the dissident Republican groups and we have seen this with the murder of Paul Quinn in South Armagh and recent riots by gangs on nationalist estates in some of the smaller towns in the province. So many reasons why this story should be above Mrs Palin.

The other story? also about the Irish and the gun- today it has been announced that another British soldier has been killed in Afghanistan, and this time it happens to be a member of the Royal Irish Regiment. This week the papers have been reporting the success of the British Army of moving the power turbine in Helmand Province. the death today of a British soldier shows that this will be a long campaign but let us all hope that it is not as long as Operation Banner.