An excellent evening this evening with the Brussels and Luxembourg Lib Dems hosting a dinner with John Alderdice. JA very much feeling at home among Lib Dems of a European bent. He completely won the hearts of those present. I remembered just how exciting it was to work with this man in the mid-1990s. Which makes me realise that it’s over five years now since I left Belfast, and despite the occasional desperate call from University Street I am really not plugged in there any more. When I talked with John Cushnahan the other week about the relative fortunes of SF vs SDLP, he (having left NI in 1989) was sure that Mark Durkan could pull the SDLP round. I (having left in 1997) think they probably can’t. John Alderdice (still living there) is sure they can’t.

The Montenegrin talks troggle on, and I am ready to give an optimistic spin to the final settlement if it deserves it. I emailed Paddy Ashdown, newly appointed High Rep for BiH, about organising a seminar for him at CEPS in the near future; he gave a 70% positive response. Meanwhile I got a distressing email from the Macedonian President asking if I could come to the seminar scheduled in Skopje for 23 March, but on 6 April instead. Since that is the day of Julie and Garth’s wedding I told them I couldn’t. A humble email came back asking if the first or the second weekend in May would suit. Since the Romania conference I thought I was going to this weekend is actually the first weekend of May, I opted for the second.