Okay UCUNF, let's see what you can do now

The Tayto-ites have spoken, and given a resounding “Nah” to our unbeloved First Minister, the Tory-UUP hybrid, and the Traditional Unionist Rant. The Shinners experienced neither a surge nor a backlash, and the apportionment of the nationalist vote between the two parties looks set to be virtually permanent fixture from now until the end of time. Michelle Gildernew's remarkable electoral fortune continues, and the exact extent to which my eyebrows were raised is, for legal reasons, a closely guarded secret.

Once the surreal feelgood factor of a having an Alliance MP subsided, I started pondering on what it all means. Not a lot, probably. Both forms of old-fashioned unionism (the integrationist and no-surrender schools) have had the life support plug unceremoniously ripped from the wall, and the unionist electorate has coalesced around orange-tinged Ulster Nationalism of the DUP. The real story is that an unlikely combination of angry Athenians and famed loser John Redwood is about to bring about the end of life as you know it.

So far, so what? The price of peace is Clientelism, with everyone permanently in power, with a cosy cross-community consensus based on extorting money from the Brits. The house price boom will be back any day now, and we can all sit around and merrily enrich ourselves with the spoils of peace, a big fat cheque every year forever. Everyone's happy, right?

Meanwhile, the birthplace of democracy is providing us with some pretty interesting ideas on where democracy may be headed. Greece could be likened to a bigger version of Northern Ireland, with nicer beaches and more, um, Acropolises. They have their very own version of the Brits, the Germans. Like us, they are very much in favour of a big public sector, with all the nice and fluffy things that go along with it. I'm sure they have their own version of Anti-Discrimination Equal Opportunity Living Benefit officers. They are also very much in favour of the Germans picking up the bill. Unlike us, however, more than half the economy is in the private sector.

Meanwhile, the inconclusive general election has led to the (albeit unlikely) possibility of a Labour/Lib Dem/SNP/SDLP/PC/Alliance/Sylvia Hermon coalition. This would almost certainly mean shedloads of goodies for us Celtic Fringers, and swingeing cuts elsewhere. The Tories' wet dream in some respects, but more interesting is former nemesis of John Major and old-school Tory John Redwood making public noises about this being “time to speak for England”. What he is getting at English Nationalism, and if this notion takes hold there could be lean times ahead for all you fans of the block grant.

The advantages of both forms of union, the EU and the UK, are now seriously being questioned by politicians and the media in the economic powerhouses of each, being Germany and England. This was unthinkable even six months ago. As times get leaner, the cost/benefit of having an empire, even fluffy friendly empires such as the EU or the UK, start tilting towards the costly side of the ledger. The Greeks have had brutal austerity measures forced upon them in exchange for a bailout, and their economy is better shape than ours.

Perhaps we should start to think about how me might pay our own way whilst we have the luxury of time?