It was obvious in the Assembly yesterday that while the Belfast Agreement provides the theory for creating a harmonious society, putting that into practice will be a gargantuan task.
The emphasis in the chamber was on division, and more division. As for Pushkin? Poor old Pushkin, what did he ever do to offend the people of Northern Ireland?
At times, strange logic applied. A motion on decommissioning tabled by Ian Paisley and Peter Robinson was "pointless," said Duncan Shipley-Dalton of the Ulster Unionist Party Yes camp. Here was an Assembly member revving up for a full-throttle lecture to the Doc and his friends on the errors of their ways.
"Well, if the motion is so pointless why are you talking about it?" came the reply from the DUP benches.
Juvenile, but effective. Mr Shipley-Dalton was briefly flummoxed. One could observe him coming to terms with the cold logic of the retort.
Big guffaws from Dr Paisley and his colleagues. One up for the No side.
The Assembly was back from the Christmas hols.
Some members (most of them, it has to be said, in the DUP) were in post-vacation boisterous mood; others were irritable; more just wanted to get on with normal politics.
And there was quite an amount of honest-to-God politics yesterday. Ministers Reg Empey, Sean Farren and Nigel Dodds took questions on their respective responsibilities - the economy, higher education, and social development.
The DUP Minister, Nigel Dodds, without even batting an eyelid, answered a question from Sinn Fein MLA Alex Maskey about housing in west Belfast. There was a sting in the tail to his response however - the housing situation would be far better if so much money hadn't been spent replacing buildings wrecked by IRA bombs.
And at the prompting of Ian Paisley jnr, Mr Dodds stressed that neither he nor colleague Peter Robinson was operating in the Executive with Sinn Fein.
Again there was befuddlement as some members struggled to work out the logic of the DUP having nothing to do Sinn Fein yet taking their questions, and of not being in government although Mr Dodds and Mr Robinson are acting as ministers.
The DUP understands the logic of this position, but that doesn't apply to everybody else.
More head-scratching followed the remarks of Sinn Fein's Francie Molloy. "When decommissioning takes place it will be a voluntary act," he said. The implication here is that there would be IRA decommissioning. Certainty at last - but the riddle is, when is "when"?
Yesterday's agenda was dominated by motions from the DUP on decommissioning and flags, which served to place the spotlight on the polarisation in politics and in society generally.
The speaker, Lord Alderdice, warned the Rev Willie McCrea he might have to be booked for unparliamentary language after he suggested that Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness and Francie Molloy should be arrested for "war crimes".
The Executive, which meets today, can't be a happy place either. Health Minister Bairbre de Brun was reprimanded by unionist MLAs for banning the Union Jack from being flown from some of her departmental buildings.
Her ministerial colleague, Sam Foster of the Ulster Unionist Party, said her action was "blatant hypocrisy and crass political deceit, . . . devious, subtle and totally reprehensible." Mr Foster does not mince his words.
Members also wondered what was going on in Pomeroy, and whether Pushkin was a nationalist or a unionist. Why shouldn't the Duchess of Abercorn present school prizes? Some embarrassment here for Martin McGuinness, who wasn't in the chamber.
Seamus Mallon, too, was reprimanded by Nigel Dodds for using the term "North of Ireland". He should show "respect for this country" by calling it Northern Ireland, he complained.
Mr Mallon said he naturally used the term "North of Ireland" just as he naturally described the Republic as "the South".
Anyway, Mr Dodds should also show some "respect" by properly participating in the executive, the Deputy First Minister reciprocated.
It was that sort of day. Tetchy.
