NorthernEditor Suzanne Breen gets the inside track from "rst minister IanPaisley INless than 48 hours they'll be running the North together but old habits die hard for the Rev Ian Paisley. "Yes, I have respect for Mr McGuinness, my deputy. I am prepared to incarcerate him any day soon!"

says the DUP leader before bursting into a fit of laughter.

The First Minister-in-waiting is in robust humour and can't wait to take the reins of power: "I'm not particularly looking forward to Tuesday. It will be very theatrical. What I'm looking forward to is the important bit, the challenge of the days ahead.

"I don't think I will be constantly at loggerheads with Mr McGuinness. We will have a working arrangement. There will be certain things I won't do and places I won't go, and it will be the same for him.

"There is a long hard road ahead.

We're not in paradise yet. But I believe we can build a better Northern Ireland which has a place for everyone who abides by the rule of law."

Indeed, Paisley thinks the Republic's politicians should pay heed to what's happening across the border: "They're tearing strips of each other down there, " he says (with obvious delight). "They should learn to love one another, to copy the example of the hate-mongers in Northern Ireland!"

He is relishing his visit to the Republic this week: "The Taoiseach has invited me to plant a tree in the Boyne. I never thought something like that would happen, though I'd rather have been down there 300 years ago giving a helping hand to a certain Dutch duke!"

Bertie Ahern must also be relishing the visit, given the little local difficulty he is encountering. It says something both about the Taoiseach's current problems and the huge strides that have been made in the peace process that Northern matters can now be viewed as an escape for Ahern. Struggling in the opinion polls and under intense pressure to answer questions about his personal finances, the upcoming events give the Taoiseach an opportunity to present himself to the voters in statesman mode.

There will be no prying questions from the media about his finances. It will be purely a good news day.

Despite a hectic diary, Paisley has just spent his lunchtime preaching to the faithful, and anybody else who will listen, outside Belfast City Hall: "I received a tremendous reception. There were people from Africa, Egypt and Norway coming over to shake my hand."

The way Paisley has embraced his new political responsibilities has surprised many observers. It was expected he'd serve a token six months as First Minister, then hand over to Peter Robinson. Not a chance.

"I am thoroughly enjoying myself and I have no intention of handing over to anybody else. I will see out my term of office. I was elected for four years, not a few months. I am in the best of health.

I might be 81 but I look like a young fellow of 50!"

His only complaint is that family life has suffered in recent weeks: "I hardly see Eileen at all. I'm out with the girlfriend, Miss Work, all the time and she's a terror, a real slave driver. I will be glad to get back to the soft, tender embrace of Eileen when things settle down."

But first, there is Tuesday. Up at Stormont, officials proudly declare it will be the biggest and most momentous event they've ever hosted. More journalists and international political figures will fly in to see Sinn Fein and the DUP form a government than have been present at any other occasion in Parliament Buildings.

The atmosphere on the streets mightn't be euphoric but it is upbeat . . . no mean achievement by Northern standards. IRA victims' campaigner Willie Frazer will be one of the few voices raised in protest on Tuesday.

"There will be about 50 of us. Even if they don't let us past the gates at Stormont, I've a very big loud-speaker. It might even be powerful enough to drown out Dr Paisley. And Tony Blair better watch his helicopter. Last time he was over, it was left unguarded. I nearly made it into the cockpit to start her up."

On a serious note, Frazer complains that many victims feel let down: "There is huge pressure on us, especially from the media, to say the 'right things', to fit in with this new lovey-dovey atmosphere."

Anti-Iraq war campaigners might also be protesting at Stormont. George Bush's envoy to Northern Ireland, Paula Dobriansky, is on the Parliament Buildings' guest list, along with other US political figures. There's a rumour that Bill Clinton just might show up too. Sinn Fein is said to have invited ANC, Palestinian and Basque supporters. Dermot Ahern and Michael McDowell are scheduled to accompany the Taoiseach. Those plans could change, of course.

It will be a busy few days for Ahern.

Three days after Stormont, the Taoiseach will host Paisley at the Battle of the Boyne site. And the following Tuesday will arguably be the proudest day of his entire political career when he becomes the first taoiseach to address a joint sitting of the House of Commons and House of Lords. As of now, it's hard to know whether the occasion will help propel Ahern towards an historic third term in government or mark a fleeting final high in a political career drawing rapidly to a close. Coming just nine days before the election, the feel-good factor surrounding the address should be an enormous advantage to Fianna Fail, but if the party endures another week like the one just gone, the whole occasion might be swamped by the Taoiseach's domestic difficulties.

Another prime minister under pressure, Tony Blair, will milk the pomp and prestige of Tuesday for all it's worth. Better to be remembered for bringing peace to Belfast than butchery to Baghdad.

Sources say he will announce the details of his departure from Downing Street within 48 hours of the Stormont gig and its accompanying blaze of publicity, ensuring he leaves office on a high.

Ironically Blair owes much to two former revolutionaries. Under the leadership of Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, the IRA has been neutralised and traditional republican principles binned and trimmed. A dangerous guerrilla organisation dedicated to smashing the state has become essentially reformist. There has been undeniable advancement in many areas for Catholics in the North, but within existing constitutional arrangements.

There is no reason to believe NorthSouth institutions will end partition any more than the Border Commission did.

Despite its continuing verbal commitment to Irish unity, Sinn Fein . . . like Fianna Fail before it . . . will learn to live with the status quo.

The endless political crisis in the North seems, by and large, over. From now on, it's down to the nitty-gritty of everyday issues.

Ulster Unionist health minister Michael McGimpsey says his challenge is to improve the 'Cinderella service' in mental health-care and to tackle the growing problem of obesity leading to diabetes.

DUP industry minister Nigel Dodds will be chasing the Celtic Tiger, trying to attract investment. The North has a higher percentage of economically-inactive citizens than any part of Britain and Dodds will want to reverse that.

He'll need to tackle the skills and education deficit in subjects such as physics and chemistry, which has a significant effect on the economy.

"In China, a whole university is dedicated to creating more engineers and scientists. We've got to up our game here, " he says.

The big issue for SDLP social development minister Margaret Ritchie is housing. More than 36,000 people are on the social housing waiting list but only 610 new houses are due to be built in the sector this year. Ritchie will be hoping at least to treble this number.

Sinn Fein regional development minister Conor Murphy will want to improve the roads between Derry and Belfast and Derry and Dublin. There is also the huge issue of water charges.

DUP environment minister Arlene Foster will be considering a new environmental protection agency and ways to improve road safety: the latest statistics show accidents resulting in death or serious injury are 10% higher than this time last year. DUP culture minister Edwin Poots will walk a tightrope between nationalists and unionists with Irish language legislation. He is also expected to announce that the North's new sports' stadium will be located at the Maze and not in Belfast.

After a bitter, bloody conflict, Northern Ireland is set to become normal, even boring. The sad part is that a very similar deal to this one, which was on the table at Sunningdale in 1974, was rejected by the IRA and loyalist politicians and paramilitaries. In the intervening years, 2,000 people were killed. It must be asked, 'whatever for'?