As expected, Mr David Trimble received the endorsement of a large majority of the 110-member Ulster Unionist Council on Saturday to put his name forward for re-election as First Minister of the Northern Ireland Executive next Friday. In the wake of the IRA's unprecedented move in putting a significant - as yet unspecified - quantity of its weaponry verifiably beyond use, Mr Trimble won the support of 80 per cent of the party's ruling body to lead his Ministers back into government with Sinn FΘin. At long last, there is the real prospect that politics can be put back on track.
After the mould-breaking events of last week, however, it is disquieting that it was necessary to back up the decision with a motion calling on all 28 Assembly members of the Ulster Unionist Party to vote for Mr Trimble's re-instatement. The two Progressive Unionist Party members, Mr Billy Hutchinson and Mr David Ervine, are expected to support him. But, his re-election cannot be guaranteed. He will be defeated if two rebel Assembly members, Ms Pauline Armitage and Mr Peter Weir, vote against his nomination.
Despite the uncertainty, however, Mr Trimble was wise at the weekend to rule out the prospect of smaller parties of the middle-ground, the Women's Coalition in particular, re-designating themselves in order to manufacture a majority. "We are going into this hoping to be elected, expecting to be elected, on unionist votes", he said. He is bidding for the leader ship of unionism as First Minister, a concept which is rooted in the consent of over 50 per cent cross-community support on both sides.
For all of that, it would be inconceivable to think that Mr Trimble could fail at this hurdle on his own side now. He, more than any other party leader, pushed the political process to breaking point in pur- suit of an act of IRA decommissioning. He can claim just credit for the progress that has now been achieved. The broker of the Belfast Agreement, Senator George Mitchell, hoped yesterday that all those on the unionist side who had been critical of Mr Trimble's leadership "will now recognise that he has been right all along". The Senator also opined that there was now "no theoretical or other argument in the way of going forward".
There is a real opportunity now to take the threat out of politics in Northern Ireland. The inclusive power-sharing government can be restored with Mr Trimble's re-election next Friday.
There will be a new Deputy First Minister in the SDLP's leader-in-waiting, Mr Mark Durcan. The RUC will be consigned to history two days later, November 4th, when the new Police Service of Northern Ireland comes into being. The demand for a gesture on IRA arms has been pursued by unionists since the Washington 3-test was first mooted in the mid-90s. It has been delivered.
The imperative now is to get on with the job.