In an honest acknowledgement of his dubious past, Sinn Fein President and new Irish Premier elect Martin McGuiness suggested a ground breaking new political move today that if successful would involve him swapping jobs with recently disposed Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi.
'It's the only rational conclusion' said McGuinnes outside the Irish Parliament Buildings at Stormont Caslte this morning. 'Although i'd be honoured to be the President of Ireland, I realise that i've made a lot of people unhappy over the years with my involvement with the IRA so with this in my mind I would still like to take up my ambition to lead but in a country where I haven't pissed anybody off yet. This I believe I can do by swapping with somebody who has also been unpopular with the people of his country and I can't think of a better candidate to do this with than Colonnel Gaddafi of Libya'.
McGuinness's idea would involve bringing the former Libyan leader over to Ireland to run the country instead of himself which would give the ex-dictator a fresh start in the world politics as it would himself in Libya.
'Like myself, Muammar has done a lot of regretable things in his own country in the name of politics. To give ourselves the clean break that we need from our own respective pasts then a job swap could be the obvious way forward'.
So far Gaddafi has been unavailable for comment on the McGuninness plan but some political commentators have suggested he would find the idea very appealing.
'Last I heard he was digging a fox hole somewhere north of Tripoli' said middle eastern political commentator Al y'msad shei. 'Just for the sake of having to avoid spending six months hiding in a hole growing a beard i'd say that he'd except a job swap with the president elect of the Isle of Wight at the moment ' finished y'msad shei.