Angry unionist MPs protested in the House of Commons last night as the British government proceeded to carry the remaining stages of the Northern Ireland Bill by way of a guillotine motion, restricting to just four hours a debate on House of Lords amendments.
The Rev Ian Paisley and Mr Robert McCartney led the unionist assault at the beginning of the 45-minute debate on the British government's guillotine motion. Mr McCartney described the guillotine motion as "a democratic and constitutional disgrace".
But the unionist protests were quashed when the government carried its guillotine motion by 290 votes to six against.
At the start of a debate on what Mr McCartney described as "probably the most important piece of constitutional legislation affecting Northern Ireland for 80 years" there were just 22 MPs in the Commons chamber.
As the MPs prepared their four-hour consideration of some 420 amendments to the Bill, described largely as technical and housekeeping in nature, neither the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Dr Mo Mowlam, or the Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary, Mr Andrew Mackay, were in their place.
Absent also for the guillotine debate were Mr David Trimble, the First Minister-designate, and the Deputy First Minister, Mr Seamus Mallon.
With the parliamentary session ending today, the Northern Ireland Bill, which established the Assembly and provides for the other institutional arrangements of the Belfast Agreement, is expected to receive the royal assent within the next few days.