I found myself reading CS Lewis at the weekend and thought Narnia and Northern Ireland have much in common.
CS Lewis was quite perceptive – he could even have enjoyed covering the elections and the political process.
In the Magician's Nephew, he says: "There is not much point in finding a magic ring that lets you into other worlds, if you are afraid to look at them when you get there."
We were given the chance of a 'magic ring' when we accepted the Good Friday Agreement but we too were afraid to look into the other worlds when we got there.
However, it is pointless looking back – we have to move on.
So where to next? We could wake up in the next few weeks and find that the IRA has gone away. I would not bet on it but if it happened it could transform the political outlook considerably.
For the IRA to be sure about the Adams electoral strategy taking off where the armed struggle left off, the SDLP were supposed to be routed and as we know that did not happen.
The seduction powers of the ageing Ayatollah Adams are unlikely to find much favour with Mark Durkan.
Back in 1992, Adams was shattered to lose his seat to Joe Hendron. It mucked up the strategy. Though not given enough credit, Hendron's victory forced a major rethink within the political division of the Provisional movement.
To please the hard men who sat licking their wounds in City Hall on the night Dr Joe won, Adams resolved to go on an all-out offensive to wipe out the SDLP from the constituency. He has nearly succeeded.
Part two was to wipe the SDLP from the country.
This time, he assured the backwoodsmen that one final push at the ballot box and the SDLP would be stuffed and the armalites could go the attic.
Oh, the plans of mice and men!
It's likely we will have to settle for the surrender of some weapons with the accompanying Polaroids. With Paisley acting as if his lotto numbers have come up, he is unlikely to move towards government with what he will regard as a minimalist gesture from his separated brethren.
The DUP will now face a tough test as, throughout the north, the AGM of every district council comes up at the end of the month.
How will Castlereagh, Ballymena and other DUP-dominated areas treat nationalist representatives in the sharing out of the key posts?
Any prospect of a voluntary coalition will depend heavily on their approach to power sharing. If they want any reciprocation, then they better start practising what they preach.
The Ulster Unionists are in disarray and the public recriminations among party members are not helping.
Their leadership options are quite limited. If there is a dream team, it must be Sir Reg Empey and Lady Hermon, as on age alone it is difficult to see some of the other would-be contenders making the grade.
A leader from the House of Lords, no matter how good he is, would be beyond the reach of the electorate and present the DUP with the equivalent of a penalty kick.
In the absence of the assembly, if a party leader is to have any credibility, he or she really has to be a member of some functioning elected body. Imagine if Mark Durkan had lost Foyle or if Adams lost West Belfast? How long would they have lasted as leaders?
So, with no immediate prospect of a restoration of devolution, the UUP are going to be somewhat rudderless at home. As they are going to be so preoccupied with their own survival, it's doubtful if they will worry too much about wider political developments.
The SDLP now need to take stock. They should not be drawn on questions not yet asked of them. If they want to keep the Provisional movement on its toes, they should rule nothing in and certainly nothing out.
Yet already some members are boxing themselves in politically and we are only five days after an election for the survival of the party.
Northern Ireland traps politicians both physically and mentally. Geographically small and numerically not that significant, it limits our imagination and stifles our potential.
Perhaps CS Lewis summed us up better when he wrote: "Their prison is only in their own minds, yet they are in that prison and so afraid of being taken in that they cannot be taken out."
Funny to think that he was writing for children.
