Some say it's self-induced amnesia but the stunned populace of poor unfortunate Neverneverland is trying to think about Christmas and blank out the memory of black Friday, or the election which went terribly wrong.
Nobody wants to talk about it... like 'the night of the big wind' last century it has left a devastated countryside, old oaks felled and scattered little parties of hopeful men and women.
The big wind this time was induced by political flatulence or accumulated poison gas over many months.
What now? Nobody has a clue, the big house on the hill – the Stormont Palace where devolution came and went – fades away like a mirage.
When will the highly paid unemployed members elected to the shadow assembly come together? Will it be months or years as the doleful old caper 'talks-about talks' grinds on into the new year?
Secretary of State Paul Murphy listens once more to the same old spiel, hoping against hope for something new preliminary to more of the same later at 10 Downing Street.
The grand wizard of the DUP, Ian Paisley, is to appear in the unaccustomed role as a negotiator when he confronts Prime Minister Tony Blair... recalling Dev and Collins, he can't trust his top men who have been warned that they will get the sack if they dare to talk to Sinn Féin.
Will it be a shouting and bawling match? Strangely, when President Bush's emissary Dr Haass was talking to Peter Robinson, the DUP boss was pouring abuse on the head of the distinguished visitor smearing him as an IRA sympathiser.
The two faces of the DUP? How long before the split as the ranters face reality and backtrack?
As the two extremes who came out tops in this weird election face each other from their dug outs across a First World War Somme-like wilderness or no-man's land all we hear from either side is guff about future elections, Europe, Westminster and the Dail.
No thought in the intervening years for the real problems on the ground of the Ulster colony that lost its head and all sense about its future, its economy, frightening crime, transport chaos, policing, rampaging paramilitary drug gangs and the shocking statistics of thousands of homeless families and under-25s sleeping rough for weeks in the dead of winter.
Politics in the sick counties, a new definition – the science of the impossible or elections on the brain?
Both the DUP and Sinn Féin are good at the election game, the Paisley family party augmenting its numbers at the expense of Trimble's Unionists by dragging in two wives and the son of the chief.
Sinn Féin even penetrated Belfast's upper class Malone Road with the South Belfast victory of ex-Lord Mayor Alex Maskey.
The news reached a wit from Belfast now producing a local paper in Australia – his comical reaction was to rewrite Sinn Féin's famous slogan – Tiocfaidh ar La-di-dah!
Meantime, the television inquests on the election – confined to under stappers – have thrown no light on the disaster.
Nobody mentions the astonishing own goal of the SDLP in withdrawing from the contest the big hitters, John Hume, Seamus Mallon, Eddie McGrady, and Brid Rogers.
Down south the various pundits went berserk. Cruise O'Brien insists that if he had his way he would still ban Sinn Féin from television!
Joseph O'Malley, the Sunday Independent political correspondent, says the election was a victory for the untouchables and a nightmare prospect for Dublin political parties of a confrontation in the European and local elections next year against "a paramilitary party, committed at best to an armed peace".
Eoghan Harris in the same paper is disgusted with West Belfast and adds "from now on I suspect many in the Republic will simply say to northern nationalists: 'You made your bed, now lie in it'..."
Sad? But all is not lost.
Surprise, surprise! Lord Kilclooney, Unionist peer – better remembered as John Taylor, one time Stormont minister – in a friendly cross-border 'raid' has bought four weekly newspapers in the midlands including the Longford News formerly owned by ex-taoiseach Albert Reynolds.
The editors have been assured of no change in their policies.
Wonders will never cease in the island of Ireland! Congratulations John. Is this punt Robinson's ill-fated Clontibret raid in reverse?
