AS DRAPIER writes the votes are being counted in Northern Ireland. At this stage, Drapier is not, going to hazard any guesses. He is too weary to do so. The election was never a good idea and so far, at least, it has done no more than harden attitudes and encourage the posturings.
Maybe after the count things will quieten down and some reason will emerge, but Drapier has little cause to lose sleep while waiting for all this to happen.
The truth is the election showed a society, large parts of which don't want to be reconciled, except on their own terms. In such a situation, John Bruton and John Major, Dick Spring and Patrick Mayhew can talk and plan until the cows come home for all the difference it will make.
Drapier is clear on one thing. If the process does break down don't blame John Bruton or John Major. Politicians on both sides of the Irish Sea, and Drapier includes in this Albert Reynolds, Charlie Haughey, and Garret FitzGerald, have invested hugely in terms of effort, imagination, reputation and patience in trying to find a solution.
The fault will lie with those politicians in Northern Ireland too small to respond to the unique opportunity which has been made for them.
Drapier noted the all party solidarity at Thursday's Question Time. Only Ivor Callely tried to stir things up and Drapier doubts that he will do so again in a hurry. Ivor Callely's expertise on Northern Ireland is one of the better kept secrets in here and he waded into minefield territory too green even for Fianna Fail.
He got a quick clip on the ear from Dick Spring who referred him to the writings of de Valera while Ray Burke administered a magisterial putdown assuring the House that on this occasion it was the Tanaiste and not Master Callely who spoke for Fianna Fail.
That apart, there was little cheer from the Question Time session. There was, in fact, a sense of irrelevance, that no matter how hard we tried the real decisions would be taken elsewhere. Drapier, of course, hopes he is wrong.
So, in spite of all the honeyed words, Drapier is pessimistic. How could he be otherwise? Some of the antics in here this week didn't improve his temper either.
The week started with a wrangle between Jim Higgins and Dermot Ahern on Monday's Morning Ireland. Drapier was topping his boiled egg when it erupted and most unseemly it all was.
Drapier will freely acknowledge that Jim Higgins and Dermot Ahern are two of the best young politicians in here. But why they thought the public would be interested on a Monday morning in a row over pairs is more than he can comprehend.
Pairing is an arcane part of our parliamentary life and the public expect us to get on with it, do our business competently and not bother them with nonsense. It's bad enough on a Monday morning trying to get the kids out to school without getting additional grief.
But additional grief there was on Monday our pay claim. It wasn't handled well, but then this sort of thing never can be.
Now, of course, Drapier has a vested interest and he knows his colleagues made a good and reasoned case. The problem is that we are too easy a target, especially if one or two colleagues seek to score cheap shots by running with the media pack as, of course, happened. No great credit to them.
Not for the first time, however, Drapier felt Gay Byrne was the fairest and sanest voice on this issue, while Ruairi Quinn put the whole matter back in context yesterday morning. But only after considerable damage, self inflicted and avoidable.
Drapier will say no more on this but he has to note the general bad temper in here all week. It even spread to the Upper House on both Wednesday and Thursday and when that happens then things are really getting out of hand.
Drapier wonders if there is something in the drinking water in here which has led to such frequent outbursts these days. And truth to tell they do very little for anybody.
Take the marathon session on the extradition warrant which dominated Wednesday's Question Time and in which Bertie Ahern and company clearly invested so much political capital.
It all amounted to nothing. John Bruton clearly routed his would be tormentors and long before it was all over it was clear to any fair observer that there was less to the whole story than met the eye.
Clearly, however, the words "Attorney General" still mesmerise Fianna Fail, sending a frisson down the collective spines.
Michael Woods, for example, behaves as if by chanting the words often enough the spell will work again and the last 18 months will all have been a bad dream and Bertie will be back at the helm.
In Drapier's view it all cuts little ice.
The only thing which surprised many of us about the warrant shredding was why the Government has been so patient with the Garda.
The whole episode was unconscionable. It was as simple as that. The only conclusion Drapier can come to is that it is all in some way bound up with the Paddy Culligan succession stakes and some intricate game of political poker is taking place behind the scenes.
WHATEVER the story, the public never had Garda strong clear headed Commissioner. Yesterday's Irish Times story on IRA drugs terrorism represents a monstrous threat to the official forces of law and order.
In addition, the politicisation of sections of the Garda organisations, the open confrontations with Government and a perceived general lack of discipline within parts of the force are things Drapier hears raised time and time again by ordinary punters at party meetings and resident association meetings around his constituency.
Drapier put this to one of his older colleagues. What, he asked, was the root of the problem? The answer was clear the Department of Justice. It was just not up to the job, it was loaded with impossible demands and unable to shake off an ingrained culture of secrecy.
Didn't the late Judge Conroy say 25 years ago that there should be a separate independent police authority, away altogether from Justice? And let the buck stop there rather than expecting Nora Owen to be standing over the photocopier in Garda Headquarters.
Nobody listened, said my friend, just as nobody listened to Ken Whitaker's report on the prisons. We set up commissions of the best and the brightest to solve our problems and then we pay not a blind bit of heed to what they say. All Drapier can say is that we are past the sticking plaster stage and it is time to look seriously again at both Conroy and Whitaker. {CORRECTION} 96053100029