Despite Peter Robinson's determination not to re-form the Chuckle Brothers, the DUP leader continued to reveal his hidden comic talent this week.

Proving that economics is not necessarily a boring subject, he cracked no less than four jokes in a speech on the economy. The First Minister told a bankers' conference that few people had heard of struggling US financial institutions Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac until recently.

"There was speculation that, Angelina and Brad, on hearing that they were in trouble, offered to adopt them," he said.

The East Belfast MP drew inspiration from the former Soviet Union to poke fun at the slow moving machinery of government. Then the former Finance Minister also had a pop at financial experts: "There are some economists who have predicted six of the last two recessions."

Later he reached for poetry to make his point: "As someone, adjusting the words of Kipling recently pointed out, 'If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, then perhaps you have not grasped the seriousness of the situation!'"

His partners in government might have enjoyed that one.

(c) 2008 Belfast Telegraph. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.