Precious little sense of foreboding as Assembly carries on regardless

Time dragged at Stormont, waiting for the General. In the Assembly rooms and lengthy corridors of Parliament Buildings, Stormont and down in the catacombs where the press room is located rumours abounded.

Gen John de Chastelain would be positive, he would be negative, the British and Irish governments were arm-twisting Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, David Trimble would go, David Trimble would stay, the decommissioning report was imminent, the report would be delayed until today.

The dread R-word was also mentioned. Another review? "If George Mitchell has any sense he'll be heading for the hills, and changing his telephone numbers," was the advice from Stormont.

In the meantime, Assembly politics continued regardless. The general analysis was that there was no last-second magic formula to ensure the continuation of the institutions of the Belfast Agreement.

But that sense of foreboding was hard to discern in the Assembly. The talk was of lions, Dobermans, drugs, babies, and all the bills that would be discussed and enacted in the weeks and months ahead. Now there's confidence.

Oliver Gibson of the DUP urged the First Minister, David Trimble, to update the legislation on wild animals because "a person can walk in Omagh town with a lion on a piece of binder twine". Mr Trimble agreed that this indeed was a serious issue.

However, he made no mention in the Assembly of the even more serious issue of whether he and his ministerial colleagues would all lose their jobs and the opportunity to safeguard the people of Northern Ireland from peril.

If the Executive is suspended one disappointed man will be Martin McGuinness. Taking questions on education yesterday he gave the appearance of a Minister delighted with his brief. Sammy Wilson of the DUP, however, complained of an absence of detail in his responses. "I would remind the Minister he is in Stormont and not Castlereagh [RUC interrogation centre], and he is permitted to answer questions."

Sammy tends to irk the Minister. His sally provided Mr McGuinness with the opportunity to inflict verbal revenge for a previous dig from the DUP man. "Sammy Wilson said some time ago he would be a Doberman at my heels. Well, I would remind him that the place of the Doberman is at the heels of the master."

Sammy and his DUP colleagues in turn were infuriated by the second Sinn Fein Minister, Bairbre de Brun - or "Barbara Brown" as Ian Paisley and some other unionists called her - who took questions on health issues.

She had to field some tough questions on Union flags flying over hospitals (or more accurately not flying, on her instructions), and on whether she would allow her department co-operate with the RUC in tackling drugs abuse.

At times she appeared hesitant and uncomfortable. This was explained by the Speaker, Lord Alderdice, who told the Assembly that initially she cried off question time due to illness, but that she had gamely gone ahead, and allowance should be made for that.

Ill or not, they didn't let up on Ms de Brun. Both Paisley father and son said she showed nothing but contempt for the Assembly. "She should resign, and resign today," demanded Ian, the son.

The way it was looking last night that call could prove entirely academic.