Today marks David Trimble¿s ninth appearance in the dock of the UUC. What in any other grouping would be seen as a human rights abuse is seen in the UUP as just something their leader has to go through.
Today therefore Mr Trimble will undoubtedly utter many phrases he has used before and so will his opponents. There is such a sense of déjà vuabout these meetings that even jokes about groundhog day aren't funny any more but this one is genuinely different.
As he arrived this morning Mr Trimble will have known that this time, it's the election stupid. Wheras on most previous occasions he knew there was a block of fifty per cent of delegates whose support he could count on and concentrate on convincing a further five per cent of the waverers, this time it wont be enough.
Many of those who would wish to support him see the long shadow of Ian paisley's DUP looming over the proceedings and they are afraid. So whatever comes out from the banqueting hall at the Ramada this afternoon, it will be a harder line.
If Mr Trimble is to survive he will have to adopt a harder line and as he has done more than once steal some of his opponents clothes.
Even this may not be enough however, in the past the party leader had merely to survive a vote; not now. Few party leaders going into an election can consider the support of only 55 per cent as acceptable and such a vote could wound this one irrevocably.
Mr Trimble's opposition is also is different this time. In the past few have been prepared to take him on directly, with Jeffrey Donaldson in particular giving a wonderful performance of hamlet for over five years.
The proximity of the election means though that this could be Mr Donaldson's best and last chance to take over a party and gain from it; he knows it, the reporters here know it, Trimble knows it. Nine times.
Mr Trimble has landed on his feet in truly cat like style on eight previous occasions but even if he has one life left, he may not be allowed to use it.