diff --git a/src/frontends/controllers/ControlParagraph.cpp b/src/frontends/controllers/ControlParagraph.cpp
index 4df90883d0..9480c9d112 100644
--- a/src/frontends/controllers/ControlParagraph.cpp
+++ b/src/frontends/controllers/ControlParagraph.cpp
@@ -31,106 +31,26 @@ namespace lyx {
 namespace frontend {
 
 ControlParagraph::ControlParagraph(Dialog & parent)
-	: Controller(parent), ininset_(false)
+	: Controller(parent)
 {}
 
 
-bool ControlParagraph::initialiseParams(string const & data)
+ParagraphParameters & ControlParagraph::params()
 {
-	istringstream is(data);
-	Lexer lex(0,0);
-	lex.setStream(is);
-
-	// Set tri-state flag:
-	// action == 0: show dialog
-	// action == 1: update dialog, accept changes
-	// action == 2: update dialog, do not accept changes
-	int action = 0;
-
-	if (lex.isOK()) {
-		lex.next();
-		string const token = lex.getString();
-
-		if (token == "show") {
-			action = 0;
-		} else if (token == "update") {
-			lex.next();
-			bool const accept = lex.getBool();
-			if (lex) {
-				action = accept ? 1 : 2;
-			} else {
-				// Unrecognised update option
-				return false;
-			}
-		} else if (!token.empty()) {
-			// Unrecognised token
-			return false;
-		}
-	}
-
-	ParagraphParameters tmp;
-	tmp.read(lex);
-
-	// For now, only reset the params on "show".
-	// Don't bother checking if the params are different on "update"
-	if (action == 0)
-		params_ = tmp;
-
-	// Read the rest of the data irrespective of "show" or "update"
-	int nset = 0;
-	while (lex.isOK()) {
-		lex.next();
-		string const token = lex.getString();
-
-		if (token.empty())
-			continue;
-
-		int Int = 0;
-		if (token == "\\alignpossible" ||
-		    token == "\\aligndefault" ||
-		    token == "\\ininset") {
-			lex.next();
-			Int = lex.getInteger();
-		} else {
-			// Unrecognised token
-			return false;
-		}
-
-		++nset;
-
-		if (token == "\\alignpossible") {
-			alignpossible_ = static_cast<LyXAlignment>(Int);
-		} else if (token == "\\aligndefault") {
-			aligndefault_ = static_cast<LyXAlignment>(Int);
-		} else {
-			ininset_ = Int;
-		}
-	}
-	if (nset != 3) {
-		return false;
-	}
-
-	// If "update", then set the activation status of the button controller
-	if (action > 0) {
-		bool const accept = action == 1;
-		dialog().setButtonsValid(accept);
-	}
-	return true;
+	return bufferview()->cursor().paragraph().params();
 }
 
 
-void ControlParagraph::clearParams()
+ParagraphParameters const & ControlParagraph::params() const
 {
-	params_ = ParagraphParameters();
+	return bufferview()->cursor().paragraph().params();
 }
 
 
 void ControlParagraph::dispatchParams()
 {
-	ostringstream data;
-	params().write(data);
-	FuncRequest const fr(LFUN_PARAGRAPH_PARAMS_APPLY, data.str());
-	dispatch(fr);
+	bufferview()->updateMetrics(false);
+	bufferview()->buffer().changed();
 }
 
 
@@ -150,13 +70,13 @@ bool ControlParagraph::canIndent() const
 
 LyXAlignment ControlParagraph::alignPossible() const
 {
-	return alignpossible_;
+	return bufferview()->cursor().paragraph().layout()->alignpossible;
 }
 
 
 LyXAlignment ControlParagraph::alignDefault() const
 {
-	return aligndefault_;
+	return bufferview()->cursor().paragraph().layout()->align;
 }
 
 } // namespace frontend
diff --git a/src/frontends/controllers/ControlParagraph.h b/src/frontends/controllers/ControlParagraph.h
index d396771094..1abf56f0e5 100644
--- a/src/frontends/controllers/ControlParagraph.h
+++ b/src/frontends/controllers/ControlParagraph.h
@@ -25,37 +25,25 @@ public:
 	///
 	ControlParagraph(Dialog &);
 	///
-	virtual bool initialiseParams(std::string const & data);
+	virtual bool initialiseParams(std::string const & data) { return true; }
 	/// clean-up on hide.
-	virtual void clearParams();
+	virtual void clearParams() {}
 	///
 	virtual void dispatchParams();
 	///
 	virtual bool isBufferDependent() const { return true; }
 	///
-	ParagraphParameters & params() { return params_; }
+	ParagraphParameters & params();
 	///
-	ParagraphParameters const & params() const { return params_; }
+	ParagraphParameters const & params() const;
 	///
 	bool haveMulitParSelection();
 	///
-	bool inInset() const { return ininset_; }
-	///
 	bool canIndent() const;
 	///
 	LyXAlignment alignPossible() const;
 	///
 	LyXAlignment alignDefault() const;
-
-private:
-	///
-	ParagraphParameters params_;
-	///
-	bool ininset_;
-	///
-	LyXAlignment alignpossible_;
-	///
-	LyXAlignment aligndefault_;
 };
 
 } // namespace frontend
diff --git a/src/frontends/qt4/GuiParagraph.cpp b/src/frontends/qt4/GuiParagraph.cpp
index 0606fca896..11c4393477 100644
--- a/src/frontends/qt4/GuiParagraph.cpp
+++ b/src/frontends/qt4/GuiParagraph.cpp
@@ -166,6 +166,11 @@ LyXAlignment GuiParagraphDialog::getAlignmentFromDialog()
 
 void GuiParagraphDialog::applyView()
 {
+	// FIXME: We should not access params() at all!
+	// we should just pass the relevant GUI information
+	// and let the controller do the rest.
+	// With this architecture, only current parent paragraph will be
+	// modified when we have a multi-paragraph selection.
 	ParagraphParameters & params = controller().params();
 
 	params.align(getAlignmentFromDialog());