To the wire

Some say if the extremes do well, at the expense of the middle ground, then talks to restore devolution and power-sharing could be months, if not years away. Others say, more hopefully, that once politics has crystallized, both parties will be more prepared to take risks.
It’s conceivable that the Ulster Unionist leader, David Trimble, and the SDLP leader, Mark Durkan, will fail to get elected in this week’s poll.
Polling takes place tomorrow and first results should be known by Friday afternoon, New York time.
The Sinn F