A tough leadership challenge was always to be expected for Sir Jeffrey Donaldson in his efforts to bring the DUP back to Stormont, which must surely be the party's eventual destination.
He may well reflect that he should by now have spoken more positively about the Windsor Framework. By not doing so, negative voices ranging from the sceptical and mischievous to the hostile and sinister have gained momentum.
It is regrettable that these have been given more weight and prominence than they deserve, including on BBC entertainment programmes.
Among these is the Centre for the Union. Founded by 20-year-old Ethan Thoburn, it counts among its team Jamie Bryson and Ian Paisley, who is the group's parliamentary chairman.
It sought legal advice from John Larkin KC on the EU-UK deal. This was appended to a self-aggrandising report in which the "Windsor Framework analysis committee sub-group" concluded that the revised NI Protocol "has not gone far enough" in restoring "Northern Ireland's place in the union".
The enterprise has unfortunate echoes of the wholly crushing judgment delivered only last month when the justices of the Supreme Court ruled that the Protocol was lawful. Mr Larkin acted on behalf of assorted unionists in that case.
Though it is entirely unclear if the parliamentary dimension of the Centre for the Union extends beyond a single figure, Mr Paisley's involvement is an added hurdle for Sir Jeffrey if he is to build support for the deal within the DUP.
More worrying, though also bizarre, was the pronouncement of the Loyalist Communities Council – which represents loyalist paramilitaries – that it was also seeking legal advice on the framework, as if it were somehow a respectable commercial or political organisation rather than one which should be firmly off the stage.
Charlatan former prime minister Boris Johnson, who signed the original NI Protocol and was facilitated into Downing Street by the DUP, has also spoken about the Windsor Framework. He said he would find it hard to vote for, though also seemed to accept he had made mistakes with his own 'oven ready' deal.
It's the sort of intervention that encapsulates the fantastical thinking at the heart of the Brexit delusion.
Sir Jeffrey was a prime mover in the Leave campaign but if power-sharing is to return for the common good of all our communities, he must now be prepared to face down his critics, including the fringe and extreme elements which have long been a feature of unionism.
