This is D-day for the Belfast Agreement and the hopes and aspirations of the majorities of voters in both parts of this island who - in good times and bad - have supported it. Delivery day has come. The Taoiseach and the British Prime Minister return to the negotiating table at Weston Park in Shropshire this afternoon hoping to do a deal. Otherwise, they would not be going back. Expectations may be mixed, at the time of writing, but it is painfully obvious to all that there can be no soft landing this time.
This judgment is borne out by Mr Blair's words to the participants as they departed on Wednesday before the celebrations of The Twelfth. Clearly frustrated by the number of occasions he has been called upon to visit the inter-twined issues of demilitarisation, policing, decommissioning and the stability of the institutions, Mr Blair gave a blunt warning: "It will be the last time we will be taking this risk. This is it."
Reports suggest that most of the negotiations this week have centred around the question of how the Police Service of Northern Ireland with or without amending legislation - can more closely resemble the recommendations of the Patten Report. There is an apparent willingness to meet the genuine concerns of nationalists. The two governments gave a synopsis of their position to the parties on Wednesday. There was some movement.
The same cannot be said for the inter-linked issues of decommissioning and demilitarisation. It is clear that movement on one is exclusively dependent on movement on the other. But there is no sign, so far, that Sinn FΘin will offer an advance on the IRA's statement of fourteen months ago that it will put arms independently and verifiably beyond use in the context of the full implementation of the Belfast Agreement. That position is untenable in the present circumstances where all other pro-agreement parties are willing to work for a compromise.
This is make-or-break time. The seventh summer at Drumcree seemed to suggest the first stirrings of normality in Northern Ireland. The twelfth parades passed off peacefully enough during the day until the worst nationalist rioting in years broke out in the Ardoyne area late last night. Water cannons and plastic bullets were fired by the RUC in response to attacks with a pick axe handle, petrol and acid bombs.
The renewed outbreak of violence is a potent reminder of a futile past in Northern Ireland. There are only two choices to be made today. The supporters of the Belfast Agreement can stare into the abyss - the unknown outcome of elections or suspension of all political institutions - or they can look at the mountain and climb it. There is a compelling case for a deal.