CRITICS would say it was typical of John Major's political judgment that his Belfast walkabout took place in a street that was being dug up.
Donegall Place is being repaved at the moment, which added greatly to the discomfort of cameramen covering yesterday's event. Many of these carry stepladders as well as cameras and their work, especially on whistlestop tours by prime ministers, involves a lot of walking backwards at Major, on the other hand, was walking forwards, albeit mostly with more sudden changes of direction than Tony Blair's policy unit. So unlike the streets, his surface remained largely unruffled during the short but manic tour of the city centre.
Which is something you could not say for the RUC. As the procession gathered pace the cordon took on the appearance of a pack of New Zealand rugby forwards on a rolling maul. They swept forward relentlessly, pushing the back pedalling camera crews before them without mercy and sweeping protests aside.
"The Prime Minister has to walk. It's a walkabout," explained one gruffly.
When it came to entering shops, Mr Major first chose the Disney store. This seemed like a spectacular misjudgment on his part, begging headlines involving the words "Mickey" and "Mouse". But the real shopping honours went to Tesco nearby.
Here Mr Major was led around by a woman who carefully explained the store's policies. "Yes ... hmm ... yes," answered Mr Major politely, with all the interest in Tesco policies of a man in an alligator tank.
Whenever he saw a friendly looking customer he stopped saying yes and seized its hand enthusiastically. But he made a mistake with a friendly looking old man who had the bad taste to bring up the subject of low pensions.
Mr Major has long experience of touring supermarkets, however, and the pensioner was quickly discarded, like a milk carton with a leak.
The choice of street finally took its tell, when a cameraman fell off a pillar of paving stones that had given him a temporary vantage point. He brought most of the paving stones with him, inconveniencing a woman shopper who called him an "ignorant slabber".
Mr Major was poised to get back into his car when the Northern Secretary, Sir Patrick Mayhew, muttered: "Stay there until we find Norma." So her husband remained poised at the car door, smiling furiously.
Finally, Norma was located. And in a flash the entourage was gone, bound for other whistlestops in Cardiff, Edinburgh and London.
