THE men in the sharp suits and business ties looked worried. One spoke into a mobile phone while the others looked at the assembled media looking back at them. Media events outside the House of Commons can be fraught and yesterday's circus was no exception.
Gerry Adams approached St Stephen's Gate, full of purpose for the day ahead, with Martin McGuinness close behind. They approached the first obstacle - getting past the television cameras being shoved in their faces - to shake hands with Sinn Fein supporters.
The men in the sharp suits looked worried again and guided the MPs to the steps to the House of Commons entrance, where they faced the cameras. Some may have dismissed their visit as a publicity stunt, but they were having none of it. "We were elected on a mandate which has been arrogantly set aside. We are here to challenge that," Mr Adams proclaimed.
The two men were led to the Central Lobby to meet the Sergeant at Arms, Mr Peter Jennings, to demand access to MPs' facilities and obtain their House of Commons passes.
Mr Adams and Mr McGuinness chatted "courteously" with Mr Jennings about stamps and telephones and "the claim of this parliament over the jurisdiction of Northern Ireland". The Sinn Fein aides paced the lobby until Mr Adams came out to confirm he had been "offered the courtesy" of tea with a Labour MP, Mr Tony Benn, but he hadn't had time to stop. On then to "seek some clarification" on the rules from the Clerk of the House.
In between meetings, Mr Adams and Mr McGuinness took centre stage in the lobby as American and French tourists passed by wondering what on earth was going on. The MPs had come to the Commons to challenge the "arbitrary, discriminatory, unilateral" subversion of the British constitution by the Speaker.
And so the result was that Mr Adams and Mr McGuinness would be allowed to use the Commons facilities available to all MPs. But when the clock strikes at the end of debate on Queen Elizabeth's speech today, unless they swear the oath, the passes will be revoked - but they can use the stationery.
Britain might have once "ruled the waves now it is reduced to waving the rules" Mr Adams said, "even in terms of its own democracy the British Parliament is prepared to subvert its own rules. Why can't they accept that people of Northern Ireland are prepared to vote for Sinn Fein".