Seamus Mallon says that the left jab of John Prescott has restored his faith in New Labour. In contrast to Britain, however, nobody - at least nobody we are aware of - has been decked in the Northern Ireland election to date.
Figuratively speaking, though, this is a bruising campaign, and there will be little surprise if between now and polling day some infuriated or exhausted candidate emulates the British Deputy Prime Minister.
Week one was fought at a frantic pace. There were allegations of smears. The verbal battle between Ulster Unionists and the DUP sometimes borders on incitement to violence. It doesn't measure up to the bitterness of the Yes and No unionist divisions, but there is also strong antagonism between Sinn Fein and the SDLP.
Even the normally placid Alliance candidates are fuming about John Hume, and in particular David Trimble, over their refusal to forge a proagreement pact in relation to marginal seats. Discussions continue between Alliance and the UUP.
The DUP is absolutely unremitting in its attack on David Trimble, accusing him of cosying up to the IRA, of "surrender", of "betrayal", of incompetence. At press conferences and in interviews the attacks on him are direct and personal. Its party political broadcasts are the same: "David Trimble may have surrendered but we have not."
There is no doubt that the DUP sees great gains in portraying this as a pro versus anti-Belfast Agreement contest. It wants to take UUP scalps in North Belfast, where the campaign of the unfortunate Ulster Unionist Cecil Walker appears to be imploding, and in Strangford. It contends, not quite as confidently, that it can take William Ross's seat in East Derry, Roy Beggs's seat in East Antrim, and even embarrass Mr Trimble in his Upper Bann constituency.
It wants to keep William McCrea's seat in South Antrim and would love to see UK Unionist Robert McCartney withstand the challenge from Lady Sylvia Hermon in North Down. It wants to pulverise Ulster Unionists in the local elections. It would love to re-enact the election of 1974 when official unionism caved in on itself in the face of the anti-Sunningdale unionist challenge.
And to that goal it relentlessly depicts Mr Trimble as a weak leader.
It's very difficult to fathom the overall unionist mood but there is an element of risk in this tactic. When you go for the man and not the ball public opinion can swing in favour of the victim. Moreover, in this instance, every punch thrown by Peter Robinson or Nigel Dodds is met with counter deliveries from the Ulster Unionist leader and his colleagues.
Mr Trimble points to his playing hardball with republicans through his decommissioning ultimatum and accuses the DUP of hypocrisy and inconsistency by claiming it opposes the agreement but yet works the agreement.
There have been mutterings within the UUP that the draft party manifesto, due to be published next week, doesn't go far enough for the likes of MPs Jeffrey Donaldson and Martin Smyth and William Thompson in terms of "no guns, no government". A close eye will be kept on whether Mr Trimble can hold the relatively solid party unity he has maintained, a little surprisingly, to date.
No opportunity is missed for electoral gain. After the Rev Ian Paisley's warning that those engaging in line-dancing were in danger of eternal damnation, South Antrim Ulster Unionist candidate David Burnside called on all line-dancers to say No to his Free Presbyterian cleric opponent, the Rev William McCrea. Wars have been won and lost on less.
Within nationalism, the concentration is on West Tyrone. Sinn Fein and the SDLP are wearing themselves out trying to persuade journalists that their respective candidates, Pat Doherty and Brid Rodgers, have the only chance of unseating anti-agreement Ulster Unionist William Thompson.
The same spin meisters are earnestly hoping that "will he, won't he?" DUP minister Maurice Morrow re-enters the race for Fermanagh/South Tyrone. A four-cornered contest here would give Michelle Gildernew and Tommy Gallagher a chance of taking the seat against the challenge of UUP man James Cooper and Mr Morrow.
Enniskillen bomb victim Jim Dixon, who this week alleged an unspecified smear campaign against him by "fellow unionists", will decide on Monday whether he will run. This is pro ving a difficult issue for the DUP. Should Mr Morrow run and Ms Gildernew win the seat it would carry the blame for "handing the seat to a Shinner".