A frosty reception once lay in store for non-politicians in Northern Ireland who attempted to make their voices heard by the North's elected representatives. This has changed, according to representatives of business, trade unions and the voluntary sector, who today are vocal about their yearning for political stability and progress.
The two governments' most recent blueprint for political progress, the Way Forward document, has been broadly welcomed. "Politicians did not expect business people or people in private life to speak loudly but that has changed," says Dr Chris Gibson, chairman of the Confederation of British Industry. "They welcome comment and indeed there is a good dialogue opening up on is sues. That's what we need, because it represents the workings of a normal society."
The CBI is a member of the Group of 7, a conglomerate of economic interests in Northern Ireland which applies pressure for political stability to allow the North's economy to grow. "This needs to be got on with. On the other hand, we can give it a few days and even weeks before we get these issues sorted but sorted they must be," he says.
Ms Mary Clark Glass, a member of the Commission for Racial Equality in Northern Ireland and the North's probation board, warns against simplifying the situation into an attempt to force Ulster Unionists to swallow the bitter pill of setting up a government before an arms handover.
"I live in a strongly unionist area and people are concerned and a bit scared. There is a wish to move on but without wanting their noses rubbed in it. They don't like being preached at or told `this is your last chance'. "
A lot depends upon the success of the proposals and the imminent formation of the power-sharing administration, she adds. "There are a whole lot of structures waiting to be set up, the new departments, the equality commission. There is a lot hanging on this and from my perspective, working in the field of rights, things seem to be frozen. There has been a freeze frame on decision-making."
Mr Frank Bunting, the Northern secretary of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation, highlights the need for power to be transferred to a local administration so the process of decision-making can begin. Problems are lining up to be addressed and members are "keen and anxious" to get involved in dialogue with the new minister for education.
"The sooner we can start doing that, the sooner we can start building our society from the bottom up." He says the joint declaration offers "the best way forward" and urges all the parties to take the process forward. "Now is the time for the politicians to lean on the rest of civil society and say `we are prepared to take this chance'. We will certainly give whatever support we can to anybody who is prepared to do that."
Formerly employed by the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action, and fresh from his involvement with the Yes campaign for the Belfast Agreement last year, Mr Quintin Oliver has launched his own lobbying company, Stratagem. He is perplexed that there is no political lobbying structure.
"My reaction to the joint declaration was `well done' for achieving the commitment to total de commissioning, that was some thing we did not previously have. If it means waiting for a month in government to test it, then it's a small price to pay. But the traditional class of unionism saw it as a letdown, a breach of the principle of `no guns, no government'."
The voters do not want to see a fudge on the arms issue, they do have principles, Mr Oliver says, but they are ahead of the politicians in terms of when to modify those principles to allow for progress. Party leaders should listen to the public and fashion their negotiating position with the certainty of a result. "Otherwise, the alienation with the political process will increase and the excitement and engagement from people that we saw last year with the massive turnout for the referendum vote could turn to dust." Mr Eric Cairns, an estate agent from Co Down and chairman of Co-operation North, foresees huge gains for the North if political stability is achieved. There has already been a huge strengthening of the property market as people with high expectations of peace return in droves to live in Northern Ireland, he says.
Despite uncertainties in the political process in recent weeks, a return to violence is no longer seen as a realistic outcome. "The men of violence, wherever they come from, are being margina lised, and for the right reasons, because of the political process," says Mr Cairns.