Unionists stir political calm

By Mark Devenport BBC Northern Ireland political editor

It had all been far too quiet. True, Bob McCartney had joined the Stormont talks.

But otherwise the pre-Christmas period had been shaping up to be a season of peace and relative political goodwill.

Then the Ulster Unionists decided to shake things up.

First they got angry over cross-border bodies. They accepted that the six implementation bodies, dealing with items like inland waterways and food safety, could be kept in existence.

But they did not like the way the British and Irish governments had gone about it.

David Trimble: Concerns over policing

The unionists felt that a special treaty signed by the British ambassador in Dublin had been agreed behind their backs.

It was billed as a temporary little arrangement, designed to safeguard the 700 jobs dependent on the cross-border bodies' existence. But seen through unionist eyes the treaty looked worryingly open ended.

Bob McCartney was cock-a-hoop. The UK Unionist had been the first to make a public fuss about the new cross-border bodies arrangement.

Whoever was the first to spot the potential problem, the Ulster Unionists were determined to be the ones who won a concession.

British and Irish ministers appear poised to clarify their latest treaty when they meet in Dublin next week. They hope that will be enough to assuage unionist concerns.

Policing concerns

However the cross-border row had not died down before David Trimble opened up hostilities on another front.

He used a speech to Ulster Unionist in Strabane to execute a policy U-turn over the devolution of policing and justice.

With the parties at loggerheads over so many different questions, government officials had taken heart from the belief that on this one matter the politicians saw eye to eye.

Focus has been on IRA acts of completion

But no longer - the Ulster Unionists now argue that the early devolution of such sensitive powers could lead to a crisis of confidence in their community.

Mr Trimble is not the only doubter - the Police Federation is also on record as being against the early devolution of justice.

But other political parties were left scratching their heads. Whilst the timetable was unclear, most had assumed that devolving justice in the foreseeable future would be part and parcel of any deal likely to be hatched in the spring.

Now the politicians are trying to figure out whether the new Ulster Unionist policy is a bargaining position or a more fundamental obstacle.

Until now, the focus has been on encouraging the IRA to engage in what Tony Blair has termed "acts of completion".

However, Mr Trimble used his Strabane speech to emphasise that unionists may well remain suspicious about such acts even after they have occurred.

They want republicans to continue to "behave themselves" for a considerable time.

So even after "completion", the story will not necessarily be complete.

When it comes to the peace process, a happy ending was never guaranteed. But a sequel - shall we call it "Acts of Completion 2" - seems likely.