With David Trimble and Seamus Mallon announcing names and details of the 60-member Northern Ireland Civic Forum, yet another plank of the Belfast Agreement was put in place yesterday. But if this was a cause for celebration, it wasn't noticeable at Stormont.
The Assembly chamber and the restaurant in Parliament Buildings conveyed two moods: gloom and dejection from the pro-agreement bloc, particularly from the Ulster Unionist Party; joy unconfined from the No politicians, particularly from the DUP and Mid-Ulster MLA and South Antrim MP William McCrea.
Mr Trimble and Mr Mallon got on with the business in hand yesterday, against a background of barracking and insults from the DUP. Mr Mallon, always the politician for the impressive phrase, described the forum as "one more step in the realisation of the vision of the Good Friday agreement Civic Forum".
The Civic Forum comprises 60 members from the business, trade union and voluntary sectors. Its chairman is Mr Chris Gibson, who has also been involved in the Confederation of British Industry and the Industrial Development Board. It will meet for the first time next month and its remit is to consult with the Assembly on social, economic and cultural matters.
Business, agriculture, trade unions, the churches, victims, community and other sectors were each allowed allocate a specific number of members to the Civic Forum.
The announcement of members such as Everest climber Dawson Stelfox, former Derry GAA footballer Jim McKeever and ICTU president Inez McCormack caused little controversy. Neither did the selection of Paddy Joe McClean of the former Democratic Left or Duane Farrell, who promotes gay rights, cause any stir.
The names of the two victims' representatives - Alan McBride, whose wife and father-in-law died in the IRA Shankill bombing, and Patricia MacBride, manager of the Bloody Sunday Centre - were generally welcomed.
Some unionists criticised the appointment of Donncha Mac Niallais of the Bogside Residents' Group. He was nominated from the culture section of the forum for his involvement in Irish-language promotion.
Mr Mallon and Mr Trimble were each allowed three appointments. Mr Mallon's nominees were non-controversial but it was probably in keeping with Mr Trimble's political fortunes these days that he appointed Ulster Democratic Party leader Mr Gary McMichael and Mr Richard Monteith, prominent member of the Orange Order in Portadown.
As the UDA-UVF feud rumbles on, it was inevitable that Mr McMichael's name on the list of 60 should trigger protests because of his party's links with the UDA. Mr Monteith was fined £250 last year for his involvement in a Drumcree protest in 1998.
The UDP failed to win seats in the Assembly, unlike the Progressive Unionist Party, which is linked to the UVF, and won two seats. There was therefore no real surprise that Mr McMichael should be granted membership of the forum to reflect his party's opinion, and by extension the opinion of the UDA.
Equally, it made sense that Mr Monteith should be appointed. While the Orange Order is opposed in principle to the agreement, Mr Monteith is the solicitor for the Portadown Orangemen, providing the order with some second-hand influence on the new body.
These appointments provided further ammunition to the already cock-a-hoop DUP with which to attack Mr Trimble. "A cronies' forum," said Ian Paisley jnr and "a comfort blanket for the pro-agreement parties".
But the reaction to the Civic Forum was a minor irritation compared to the bigger problems of Mr Trimble who, on the fringes of the North-South Council meeting in Dublin today, will be lobbying the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, for assistance in trying to prop up the shaky structure of the Belfast Agreement.