Worried about your job? Trust Go(r)d(on).

During the summer, a church near where I live advertised its gospel mission with the slogan: "Worried about your job? Trust God."

In the midst of a recession, with anxiety high about redundacies, mortgage defaults and unpaid bills, a more cynical approach could hardly be imagined.

How depressing, therefore, to see the government try the same approach in its attempts to secure a deal on the devolution of powers on policing and criminal justice to the Northern Ireland Assembly.

The Prime Minister flies to Northern Ireland today to attempt to broker a deal with the DUP and Sinn Fein on the devolution of the powers. On the eve of his arrival, the BBC quotes Secretary of State Shaun Woodward as saying that US firms are poised to invest in Northern Ireland once a deal on justice and policing is agreed. Or to put it another way… US firms are poised not to invest if a deal isn't agreed.

There are many good arguments – such as increased local accountability – for the devolution of policing and justice powers to Northern Ireland.

"Worried about your job? Trust Go(r)d(on)" isn't one of them.