Trimble feels political heat

By Mark Simpson BBC NI political correspondent

The sun has barely shone but it has already been a long, hot summer for David Trimble.

His struggle to keep his cool on last week's BBC Hearts and Minds programme was a sign that the Ulster Unionist leader may be starting to feel the political heat.

And oh how his critics enjoyed it.

Anti-Agreement unionists rubbed their hands as Mr Trimble appeared to lose his head.

David Trimble feeling political heat

Within the yes camp, Mr Trimble was not exactly Mr Popular last week either.

His non-appearance at the pro-Agreement talks at Hillsborough on Wednesday did not go down well.

All the other party leaders were there - plus Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid and the Irish Foreign Minister, Brian Cowen.

So why did Mr Trimble by-pass Hillsborough and instead spend the day in London?

Take your pick from the following theories.

Explanation One:

Wednesday is the day the UUP leader meets his parliamentary party in London and that was more important than the Hillsborough meeting, which was merely a 'warm-up' session before this week's discussions with the Prime Minister Tony Blair and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

Explanation Two:

Mr Trimble was deliberately snubbing the talks and sending out a tough message to the governments, that he was not prepared to be pushed around and that the current problems were so serious that only the prime ministers could fix them.

'Strained relationship

Whatever the truth about Mr Trimble's absence, the relationship between the British Government and the Ulster Unionist Party is at a low ebb.

What is more, there are whispers of a particularly strained relationship between Mr Trimble and the secretary of state.

But this is all part of the rough and tumble of politics. Clashes behind-the-scenes, or on TV, are inevitable.

US President Harry Truman once said: "If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen."

But in Northern Ireland politics, the kitchen is always hot. The difficult bit is ensuring that none of the heat escapes onto the streets.

That is one the big challenges facing politicians here as July begins.

Deputy first minister moved in fire alarm

Speaking of kitchens and over-heating, the fire alarm in the Press Bar at Stormont went off last week causing a full evacuation of the building.

It was a toasted turkey sandwich which caused this "unsavoury" incident.

Presumably it was smoked turkey, because the fumes started bells ringing all over Parliament Buildings.

More than 300 people - including Deputy First Minister Mark Durkan - stood on the front lawn of Stormont for 20 minutes waiting to be allowed to go back in.

Many people appreciated the chance to get a breath of fresh air.

But given the disruption to assembly business, the person in charge of the turkey toasties is likely to face a grilling.