Who would deny that the logic of a republican transition from terror to democracy is IRA members, albeit without convictions, one day patrolling in the PSNI green uniform? Presumably not the DUP who remained studiously silent on that point when Millar's book was first published in November.

Do the DUP understand this logic, and was their silence perhaps due to the fact that they went much further on policing in their negotiation with Sinn Fein than did Trimble by agreeing that the modalities for the devolution of policing and justice powers would be sorted by the end of February?