How come the RTÉ news department missed the Paisley/McGuinness chuckles atmosphere for 22 months?

No sooner had Peter Robinson taken over from chuckles Ian and Martin than the chuckle-less scenario occurred, with stalemate on police devolution and silence on Irish language and Scots-Irish promises.

This stall was also very convenient for some people as the 40th anniversary of the civil rights march occurred in this time and the silence kept one side's blushes from showing up how their intransigence on democratic practice caused nearly 40 years of misery.

One might imagine that the RTÉ chief news correspondent Charlie Bird might have made some effort to report on this long period of non-government. However, it seems he would prefer to be up the Ganges, the Amazon or in the Arctic than Northern Ireland!

Peter Kennedy,

18 Sutton Park,

Sutton, Dublin 13