What the papers say

Journalist Keith Baker takes a look at what is making the headlines in Monday's morning papers.

Contrasting images on the front pages show the big military parade in Belfast on Sunday.

"A homecoming fit for heroes" is the News Letter's headline over a full-page picture of the march.

The paper's coverage of this and other parades takes up no fewer than nine pages.

The front page of the Irish News shows loyalist protestors being held back by police.

The Belfast Telegraph carries the headline: "The relief of Belfast".

'Relief'

It says people were able to breathe again when predictions that the city would become a battleground failed to come about.

There is plenty of leader comment and the views of some observers.

The Mirror says it was "one heck of a day". It says we may be enjoying peace but "there is no hiding the cracks that divide the communities".

Dan Keenan in the Irish Times describes the loyalist protest as "the type of ugly, spitting behaviour that powered long years of physical violence and political turmoil".

The Telegraph says the dispute over the parade "underlines the extent to which Belfast remains divided".

It says it also reflects the situation at Stormont which has left us "in the ridiculous situation of being ruled by a Government which isn't meeting".

The Irish News says the "bitter arguments" over the parade were an unwelcome reminder of the failures of the past... and a bleak vision of what could lie ahead on a regular basis if our politicians don't reach a consensus within the Assembly in the near future.

Columnist Maurice Hayes in the Irish Independent says it is a sad commentary on "how little the parties have learned that expressions of cultural identity or allegiance by one side are met by instant protests or violent action by the other".

He says they have become "so accustomed to needling each other that they find it hard to break the habit".

As for the parade itself, the News Letter says it was "a triumph". It says the men and women on parade were "given the welcome they so richly deserve".

'Last lap'

Elsewhere, Lewis Hamilton features on most of the front pages.

"Last lap Lewis, the £100m British hero" is what the Mail calls him.

Another last lap, of course... the race for the White House.

The Irish Times' main headlines talk of a confident Obama. The Times says they may be dancing and cheering, but Obama's army is "sick with anxiety".

The Daily Telegraph talks of a "whirlwind final push" and says John McCain is in no mood for quitting. It quotes him saying: "The pundits have written us off before but, my friends, the Mac is back."

Meanwhile, several papers report on how Sarah Palin found herself the victim of a prank call... a Montreal comedian rang and pretended to be Nicolas Sarkozy.

Prank

The Guardian says maybe she could have caught on when he said he could see Belgium from the Elysée Palace.

And maybe they would all like to reflect on the shelf life of the politician... as revealed in Monday's Irish News.

It has a list of political memoirs and biographies being sold on Amazon.

You can get John Hume's biography for 1p and Gerry Adams' memoirs for 54p.

Then you go up through Alex Maskey at £2, David Trimble at £3.50 and top of the charts... Gerry Fitt at £12.

One publisher tells the paper that, in general, people have become less interested in books about politicians. He says the Americans have switched off completely.

This brings us to the Irish Times which reports that they will be switching on the Christmas tree lights in Dublin next Sunday.

And not just any old tree... this one is made entirely of 100,000 energy-saving light bulbs and it will take three days to assemble.

Dublin's Lord Mayor says people should demonstrate civic patriotism by doing at least some of their shopping in the city centre instead of going to New York instead.