What the papers say

Journalist Malachi O'Doherty takes a look at what is making the headlines in Tuesday's morning newspapers.

The daily threat of terror, the imminent firemen's strike, Paul Burrell and the Queen and the busting of an IRA spy ring - denied by Sinn Fein - this is the run of stories that engages most front pages this morning.

The Irish Times and the News Letter lead with the claims by the PSNI to have penetrated to the heart of the IRA in their operations against a spy ring.

Acting Deputy Chief Constable Alan McQuillan yesterday told a news conference at Knock HQ that the investigations into the Castlereagh break-in and the spying at Stormont had been merged into a single investigation targeting PIRA intelligence gathering.

He gave some startling figures for the scale of the investigation, like 2,500 evidential exhibits.

'End of era'

The Irish News makes this an inside page story and leads instead on the arrest of the man believed to be the current leader of the Real IRA, two of whose brothers were killed in actions by the security forces, described as "alleged shoot to kill incidents".

The Irish Independent leads on the end of an era in Irish education as religious orders give up 200 schools to be run by lay trusts.

The orders are ageing and dwindling and no longer have enough members to carry on.

If Elizabeth II had not been on the throne there would not have been a throne to sit on - this is the case made by Paul Routledge in the Mirror.

He argues that the Queen has single-handedly steered the Royal Family through a decade of scandal, intrigue, debauchery, moral bankruptcy and political chicanery.

Routledge says she is the only one of the House of Windsor to retain a genuine claim to the love and loyalty of the people of Britain.

Queen 'may be quizzed'

This in another edition packed with Paul Burrell's revelations, and including questions from another commentator on the Queen's own conduct of the scandal.

"I hesitate to contradict anything the Queen might say", writes James Whitaker, "but did she really recall her conversation with Paul just 24 hours before he was due to give evidence?"

The Mail leads with a claim that the Queen herself may be quizzed about the Paul Burrell affair and the allegations of male rape surrounding St James' Palace.

This refers to an investigation that may be ordered by Prince Charles.

The Express is dishing the dirt on Paul Burrell this morning with a scrutiny of his sex life and a claim that his head-to-head interview with Trevor McDonald on Sunday night had fewer viewers than the Antiques Roadshow.

Other headlines

"Blair's trying to help", says the Queen in a cartoon inside the Express, "but I doubt if his terror warning will keep us off the front pages".

Between the fire strikes and the fear of attack on Britain, the broadsheet front pages have no room for royal scandal.

"Fires strikes inevitable says Union", leads the Independent.

"Blair: The daily threat of Terror" - that's the Guardian.

"Monarch to Abdicate" - an inside page story in the News Letter.

But it refers to the king of Bhutan who wants his little Himalayan country to turn itself into a parliamentary democracy.