No late tremble from Mr Trimble

David Trimble and Jeffrey Donaldson appeared separately on the main evening news on BBC Northern Ireland and UTV to make their final pitches to the Ulster Unionist Council delegates, who after a week of blitzkrieg canvassing must be burnt out, if not bewildered.

UTV's anchor man, Mike Nesbitt, as he said himself, was working from the Jeremy Paxman tough cop school of interviewing. "Will you resign if you lose the vote?" Mike asked. "I expect to succeed," said Mr Trimble.

Mr Nesbitt repeated the question, again and again, observing the dictum that repetition is the mother of incensing politicians. Eventually, Mr Trimble cut in: "The reason I am not answering the question is because I don't want to wake up tomorrow morning with headlines declaring, `Trimble Says Back me or Sack Me'. I am not going in for that emotional blackmail."

So keep it steady, whatever we do at this stage let's make no major blunders, was the eve-of-battle plan from Mr Trimble and his team. Up to last night it was working well. All this week Mr Trimble has kept his cool, no hot flushes or skittishness.

Jeffrey, with his butter-wouldn't-melt-in-his-mouth mien, finally came up with his alternative yesterday. When it was parsed and analysed it was distilled to that familiar potion, no guns, no government. "Republicans want their places in the government of Northern Ireland and they want to hold on to their arms. Well, they can't hold on to their arms," he told the BBC interviewer, Noel Thompson.

"Thanks, but no thanks," a senior unnamed Ulster Unionist said to BBC's political correspondent Mark Simpson. Mr Trimble was more diplomatic with Noel Thompson, but his response was the same: it didn't work then, it's not going to work now; it's not an alternative.

Noel Thompson mentioned the menacing C-word. Would Mr Trimble impose conditions today such as deadlines for disarmament or threats to walk away from government? Mr Trimble cryptically talked about "procedures", but indicated he was aware he has more than just the UUC to keep on board. "I am nothing if not realistic," he said.