MARTIN Luther King Jr said the measure of a man – or indeed a woman – is not where they stand in moments of comfort but "at times of challenge and controversy".
It's only a matter of weeks ago that the first and deputy first ministers – Arlene and Michelle, if you will – were being lauded for their good working relationship in the midst of a crisis.
The usual differences were set aside as the pair focused on the regional response to combating a global pandemic.
They worked in tandem, adopting an approach that contrasted with the executive's initial response to Covid-19, which had seen the DUP and Sinn Féin depart along more traditional lines - the former taking its lead from London, the latter arguing that Dublin should have more influence.
The controversy around Bobby Storey's funeral and blatant flouting of public health guidelines Michelle O'Neill herself had helped formulate and publicise fractured Stormont's concerted response.
The DUP leader subsequently felt unable to stand alongside her fellow Stormont leader in the manner she had done during previous weeks because she believed the executive's integrity had been damaged.
The rift coincided with the threat from coronavirus subsiding and some restrictions on movement being lifted yet the need for a clear, coherent public health message from the executive remained.
However, in recent weeks the waters have become muddied and the signals mixed.
It's a situation that is made doubly complex by the north's land border with the Republic and its isolation from Britain, where the spread of Covid-19 is far from uniform.
While there are undoubtedly merits in adopting a 'fortress Ireland' policy, political sensitivities warrant a delicate approach that doesn't automatically spook unionists.
Ms O'Neill's credibility is already damaged in many people's eyes and in her desire to remain in step with her party in the south, she appears to have jumped the gun.
Quarantine restrictions on people travelling from Britain may indeed be necessary in the weeks ahead but there are more diplomatic ways of raising this contentious issue.
Moreover, any such argument must be supported with strong scientific evidence.
Constitutional considerations inevitably play a role in almost every aspect of public life in Northern Ireland but sometimes the urge to make a political point should be resisted, as it can often undermine the very point you're trying to make.
