What the papers say

Journalist Paul Moore reviews Thursday's morning newspapers

Most of the papers speculate about the impact of an "eleventh hour" statement from the IRA, but the consensus would appear to be that, as the headline in the Irish News proclaims, there is 'little hope of progress'.

The Guardian says the IRA looks set to make a "ground-shifting" move on arms, but recognises that a mood of gloom had descended on the province on Wednesday.

The Newsletter maintains that the blame game between the parties will continue with Gerry Adams accusing David Trimble of creating the problems surrounding the process.

Jeffrey Donaldson is quoted as saying that "If Mr Adams is looking for someone to blame, then he need look no further than the nearest mirror".

'Cold storage'

The Independent says that given the gap between the republican and unionist positions, the paper sees no alternative to suspension or some form of "cold storage" for the executive.

In its editorial, the Irish Times sees the situation as a crisis not a catastrophe, arguing that while the suspension of the executive is a dismaying prospect, if the IRA process gets under way swiftly, the case for Mr Trimble "re-entering the scene as first minister would be unanswerable".

Both the Newsletter and the Irish News examine the issue of police station closures after the announcement that 25 police stations are to be closed across Northern Ireland.

The Irish News reports the insistence of the Police Authority that the decision to close the stations was driven by financial and not political pressures, but highlights the concerns expressed by Jeffrey Donaldson and David Burnside in relation to increasing criminality.

'Surplus to requirements'

The editorial in the paper also examines the status of some of the stations in line for closure, arguing that many of those on the list had been announced a year ago, and others are ageing or "surplus to requirements".

The Newsletter examines the issue from the viewpoint of residents living in the vicinity of stations in Dunmurry and Bessbrook, where those interviewed argued that more police, not less were required, and that although stations are sometimes small they are a big comfort to law-abiding citizens living in their vicinity.

The Daily Telegraph leads with an examination of a report into spending in Britain, focusing on the fact that British households have run up a record £691bn pounds in debt, the fear being that some people are over-extending themselves by buying expensive houses and splashing out with their credit cards.

The paper says that the borrowing binge goes some way to explain the so-called two-speed economy in which consumers are spending freely while manufacturers are reporting a recession.

The Independent analyses what it calls the the real story of the global drugs industry, offering profiles of drug barons, smugglers and pushers and the politicians who have to address the problem.

Finally, the Guardian features Lady the dalmatian who has just had ten golf balls removed from inside her. It is assumed she swallowed them while walking on Crewe golf club. I assume the ten golfers can stop looking now!