Now that an overdue official opposition, initially involving the Ulster Unionists and the SDLP, is finally in place at Stormont, the spotlight has firmly shifted to the appointment of our new ministers in general and the justice portfolio in particular.
It needs to be stressed from the start of the debate that the DUP and Sinn Féin were handed the two strongest mandates in this month’s elections by a considerable distance, and therefore to the winners go the spoils.
They are fully entitled to divide up most of the executive seats under the prevailing D’Hondt system and may even end up in what is effectively a two-party coalition for the next five years.
However, what should have been a relatively straightforward negotiation over the allocation of the briefs has been thrown into confusion over the justice post, which has been held by the Alliance leader David Ford since its creation six years ago.
Mr Ford’s confirmation that he did not want another term was followed two days ago by an announcement from Alliance that it was disappointed with the attitude of the two largest parties and had decided against making a further nomination for the vacancy.
The enormous problem is that, in a clear error of judgment, the DUP leader Arlene Foster is on record as ruling out any possibility that the justice ministry could go to Sinn Féin .
It is difficult to see how she could maintain such a stance while sharing power with the same party and facilitating Sinn Féin control of any combination of the health, education and economic departments.
Alliance may have to be tempted back with a generous and possibly destablising wider deal, as the Ulster Unionists and the SDLP are out of the equation and offering the justice role to either the Green Party or the independent unionist Claire Sugden, who has been an MLA for barely two years, would smack of desperation.
Alternatively, Sinn Féin representatives could call Mrs Foster’s bluff, agree to a DUP justice minister and in return demand a compelling package of their own which might well include a long-awaited Irish language act among other measures.
Our devolved administration has often veered between dullness and intransigence over recent years, in a way which has contributed to a sense of either apathy or cynicism in many sections of the electorate.
Politics has suddenly become interesting again for ordinary people and the intense manoeuvring which will have to take place before Wednesday’s deadline should provide an intriguing spectacle.
