David Trimble's speech to the Assembly yesterday underlined the fact that two battles are being waged at the same time. The first is the effort to secure what he called "a peaceful, cohesive, inclusive, prosperous, stable and fair society".
The Programme for Government, first issued in September and revised since, goes into exhaustive details on 150 or so pages on all aspects of economic and social life in Northern Ireland. The lines of type are laden with ambition, targets, plans and commitments. But written between those lines is the clue to the second battle.
Ever the master of understatement, the re-installed First Minister refers to the other great problem he and the freshly- appointed Deputy First Minister face - the ongoing concerted attempt to bring down the edifice of government as presently constituted.
While he was on his feet, Mr Peter Robinson of the DUP was being granted leave to appeal the decision of the Secretary of State not to call new Assembly elections before May 2003. At the same time, the final signatures needed to reconvene a special sitting of the ruling Ulster Unionist Council to discuss the party's stance on decommissioning were being recorded.
Throughout his speech Mr Trimble refers obliquely to such problems. Early in his speech they were described merely as "difficulties". A little later he admits that progress on delivering on the commitments contained in the first Programme for Government last year was restricted to 37 fully implemented pledges out of more than 200, yet, "rapid progress continues to be made".
He returned later to this theme, praising the Executive's achievements but confessing: "Yes we have moved forward but not as far as I had hoped when we addressed this Assembly this time last year".
He poked criticism at some. "The fact that some parties were slow to honour their responsibilities within the Belfast Agreement has come at a cost." To other opponents, presumably the DUP, he appeared unable to resist the jibe: "Last year's Programme for Government was the most tangible sign that all the major parties in this Assembly, and I mean all, wanted devolved government to work." Judging by the largely positive tone and the content of a reply made by the DUP's Rev William McCrea in his capacity as spokesman for the Assembly's environment committee, he could well be right. Mr McCrea spoke of the programme's fine words adding that they fell short of what was needed.
If the first Programme for Government, hindered as it was by "difficulties", was anything to go by Mr Trimble and Mr Durkan may have more meaty achievements to report in 12 months.
The Assembly heard of new plans for expanded higher education, of ways to extend free public transport and improve opportunities for the socially excluded, and of additions to infrastructure - not least the construction of new gas pipelines including one to the north-west and a second to Dublin. There was more about new roads and improved port facilities.
Members were informed that by next March spending on health and personal social services will have increased by £400 million sterling, a rise of 23 per cent.
Mr Trimble went on to say that much more can be achieved if certain "distractions" do not soak up as much valuable ministerial time as they have done to date.
He wound up his address by affording himself one last dig at his opponents saying: "(The programme) has been developed collectively from all departments including those headed by ministers who do not currently attend Executive meetings."
How successful the plan will prove is one battle which is out in the open. The second battle against the No lobby could rumble on a little longer yet.