He recognises that old certainties cannot exist when a society is in flux, no matter that elements of a divided community might prefer such a situation. That is the core message of the Belfast Agreement, signed by two governments and the pro-Agreement political parties nearly two years ago. Republicans, and particularly the IRA, have yet to fully embrace that imperative for new thinking. But for the UUP to lose its nerve and abandon the Belfast Agreement at this time would be a dreadful blunder. The Agreement has been overwhelmingly endorsed by the electorate.
Politicians have an obligation to make it work.