IT is a rare day when I find myself congratulating a British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and even rarer moment when that office holder is a Tory.
We have had a recent stream of Conservative secretaries of state ranging from the downright stupid to the inept and from the most partisan to the invisible.
Julian Smith has proved to be both dogged and determined and, alongside the statesmanlike Simon Coveney, he has put it up to the Northern Ireland politicians by concluding a deal.
Yes, their outline paper is high on aspiration and low on financial detail; and, yes, it contains pain and rewards in equal measure for the major parties, but at the very least it offers a new start. We should grab it with both hands.
Northern Ireland has been slowly edging towards a political abyss. The past three years have witnessed democratic stagnation and community polarisation.
Finally the penny dropped with a deeply frustrated public that they could actually punish politicians at the polls.
The subsequent electoral wins by Alliance and the SDLP were not signs of seismic shifts in tribal voting patterns but they were significant enough to spook the DUP and Sinn Féin back into meaningful talks.
The Secretary of State and the Tánaiste wasted no time in adding to the pressure and in doing so became champions for change.
That said, it is wrong - as some are claiming - that this new accord is being foisted on political parties with undue haste.
We have had three years of political foot-dragging. Remember too that both Sinn Féin and DUP negotiating teams were close to a deal in 2018, only for the DUP to back away because of shrill noises from the loyalist fringes.
It is also worth pointing out that there has been nine months of political talks reinforced with cross-party working groups on the shape, format and operation of any restored Assembly and Executive.
There are few, if any, real surprises for the local political parties in the New Decade, New Approach document.
Of course, there are elements of the document which will make for uncomfortable reading in some quarters. It's called compromise.
The real challenge for the political parties will be in re-establishing trust amongst themselves.
The last Executive was rife with low standards in high places. Some DUP ministerial special advisers were a law unto themselves and Sinn Féin's habit of running everything through Connolly House was hardly confidence inspiring.
If parties return to government with the same shoddy practices this Executive will be built on sand.
Obviously, the two governments would like to see a five party coalition return to Stormont but accountability and transparency are important in any democracy.
So, should one or two of the local parties agree to be the official opposition, it may improve, not diminish, standards of accountability in public office.
The commitments to spending in the New Decade, New Approach document do need nailed down.
Water infrastructure requires over £1 billion of investment for Belfast alone. Roads and schools probably would account for more than that.
The health service will require an £800k injection just to clear up waiting lists.
Fantasy projects like a bridge to Scotland cannot come before the upgrading of the A5, the York Street junction and a high speed link to Dublin.
Action on climate change is both an economic and environmental priority.
The political parties are right to focus on the financial sustainability of any future devolution.
On a morning when hope glimpsed through the dark clouds of winter, it was disappointing for the so-called biggest show in the country to appear to challenge the very existence of the new deal.
This was both unnecessary and crude. At times even the media needs to examine its role in stirring up division.
The rest of us should at least give the politicians and the deal one last chance.
