David Trimble looks set to become a life peer along with 3 DUP members set to become the party's first representatives in the House of Lords. The peerages are expected to go to Ian Paisley's wife Eileen, Belfast Lord Mayor Wallace Brown and party chairman Maurice Morrow.

Not everyone's happy but personally I think Trimble deserves it. He's one of the few local politicians to ever stick his neck on the line for something greater than himself.

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A wall on the Shankill Road which used to display a large UDA slogan has been painted over with more colourful "graffiti art" entitled Hidden Treasures. The imagery celebrates "the best bits of past and present Belfast life." Shankill community worker William Smith told the BBC that this was important in order to change young people's attitudes, because they were being conditioned day and daily by paramilitary murals.

Last month the UFF mural of a soldier with a skull for a head was painted over with a tribute to James Magennis to mark the 60th anniversary of VE Day. James Magennis was the only Northern Irish man awarded the Victoria Cross (the highest British decoration) during World War 2. As a Catholic from the Falls Road however, he got a lukewarm reception at best on his return, with Belfast Corporation refusing to give him the freedom of the city.

Paramilitary murals are eyesores and blights on communities and Mr Smith may have a point about them conditioning Northern Ireland's youngsters into accepting paramilitaries as a "normal" part of life. Repainting them all may be a slow process, but long may it continue.

In an effort to enhance his credibility with the wider community in Northern Ireland, yer man who was the Catholic priest witness to IRA decommissioning (Father Alec Reid) has decided that Unionists are all Nazis. During a heated debate, he told an audience at Fitzroy Presbyterian Church last night that "The nationalist community in Northern Ireland were treated like animals by the unionist community. They were not treated like human beings. It was like the Nazis' treatment of the Jews."

You see we're all aware discrimination happened in Northern Ireland under the old Stormont government, but what most of you probably didn't realise was that large numbers of poor ordinary decent nationalists were rounded up and forced to work as slaves in 'labour camps' while others were mass-marched into gas chambers and executed.

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Smokefree NI ("a coalition of 41 statutory, private and voluntary organisations" according to the BBC) and the Monica McWilliams from the NI Human Rights Commission have declared that bar workers have a 'human right' not to be forced to suffer the ill effects of 2nd hand smoke at work. Normally I cringe at the words "human rights" or "discrimination" but in this case it's hard to find fault.

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I decided to pop along to the Empire's comedy night last night and, as I'd been told, it was really quite funny. There were 3 blokes on including the host-type bloke and all three were pretty much hilarious. Great stuff.

That said, I need to vent. There were 2 mexicans and an Australian on. I could grin and bare my way through questions like "Who's from the North but not from Belfast?" and "Who's not from Ireland at all?" (I know that shouldn't bother me but I'm not comfortable with it still).

What really pissed me off was this Australian bloke who, despite being very funny about it, droned on and on about George Bush and the Iraq war. I did ponder the irony of a crowd of drunken morons hollaring like a Jerry Springer audience, laughing at George W Bush for being a moron, but it seems like comedians like an easy target. That wasn't what annoyed me though. The guy (Steve Hughes? Something Hughes anyway) declared "I love you guys, you don't get involved in anything."

"Really?" I thought, "Try telling that to Tim Collins."

I wouldn't let it ruin a good night, I know if I let little things like that wind me up completely, life wouldn't be much fun; I just thought I needed to vent. Now I'm happy again.

On the same day as Asda opens its first Ulster store, the first member of the PSNI to switch forces to the Republic's police on a temporary placement have packed their bags and headed south. At the same time, a Garda is reciprocating by undertaking a placement with the PSNI.

If I read the report right, there are two aspects of the scheme. The ones beginning today were placements, which last up to a year. In these, the officers are still responsible to their own force's cheif constable, and won't exercise police powers in the foreign jurisdiction.

Also beginning soon will be secondments, where PSNI officers will wear the Garda uniform, operate with the same powers as the Garda officers and report to the Garda Commissioner - and vice versa. The secondments can last up to 3 years.

More lowlives attacking the police in west Belfast on Friday night. These people truly are the dregs of society.

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The usual suspects have been having a whinge at Slugger (and I'm sure on plenty of Celtic supporters websites too) about how "sectarian" Northern Ireland fans are after yesterday's match with Wales. Perhaps they prefer to focus on Northern Ireland's match because the Republic's victory over Cyprus was (apparently) so unconvincing - anyway: I can't help but wonder about something.

What evidence have they for accusations that Northern Ireland fans are anti-catholic? Well.. erm... some of them booed the Welsh anthem (legitimately IMHO) in retaliation for Welsh booing over God Save the Queen in Cardiff. Oh and they booed John Hartson, a man who has been described as "A thug masquerading as a footballer," and who gets booed in many more grounds than just Windsor Park for just that reason.

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Northern Ireland are set to play Wales at Windsor Park tomorrow and the fans are planning on taking a convoy of open-top buses from the city centre up to the ground. The buses will set off from Custom House Square at 12:45 and travel past the City Hall, along the Dublin Road, past Shaftsbury Square and up the Lisburn Road to the ground.

It all sounds like great crack and hopefully I won't miss it (don't ask - fascist slavedrivers at work). If I catch it I'll be sure to post photos here.

The match starts at 2:00pm with coverage on BBC Northern Ireland. If Northern Ireland somehow win both their remaining games (the other is Austria on Wednesday) they could finish 3rd in the group.

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The golden rule of politics in Northern Ireland seems to be 'never miss an opportunity for a good MOPE'. Following this rule seems to have become second nature to one Gerry Adams. Following yesterday's ARA raids in Manchester he claimed that the head of the ARA was anti-republican.

He may well be. "Republican" in Northern Ireland generally means one who supports a united Ireland at all costs, but who seems predisposed to have a love of violence and crime. Equally, Loyalists would be their opponents on the Protestant side of the fence.

Given this - yes, the ARA most certainly is anti-Republican. It's also anti-Loyalist. That's their f**king job!

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