Now should be the time to rejoice and celebrate a new birth of democracy. The people of Northern Ireland have brought into being an assembly which is democratic, representative of the community in all its shades and variations and which is set to give it extensive control of its own affairs on a basis of shared authority. There are obstacles to be overcome and there are large and legitimate currents of dissent. But these will be addressed within the institutional framework which has been adopted at referendum by more than 70 per cent of the population. The Assembly will stand at the centre of Northern Ireland's political future and it will work.
Circumstances, regrettably, do not allow much time for positive reflection, much less for celebration. The election results have brought the tensions within unionism to a head and Mr David Trimble faces a struggle to maintain his authority within the broader unionist family. And the counting of Thursday's votes has taken place against a background of rising tension over the coming marching season. Weekend disturbances on the Springfield Road in Belfast gave an unwelcome reminder of the elemental forces which operate at street-level. Today the Independent Parades Commission is expected to deliver its adjudication on the Drumcree march through the nationalist Garvaghy Road, due to take place next Sunday.
There have been extensive behind-the-scenes contacts in an effort to avoid confrontation on the Garvaghy Road. It has been widely speculated that Mr John Hume and Mr David Trimble between them can and should broker some sort of compromise. Others believe that Sinn Fein could persuade the Garvaghy Road residents to allow the parade through. There has also been a good deal of malevolent conditioning as reckless elements in both nationalist and unionist communities stoke up anger with predictions of what may or may not be decided. It would be appalling if the progress to civilised consensus which is represented by the election of the Assembly were to be marred by tribal hostilities at Drumcree.
Whatever expectations there may have been of Mr Trimble's role as intermediary before the election, it seems certain that he can have limited influence at this point. This is not the time - even if he were of a mind to do so - for him to try to persuade the Portadown Orangemen to yield ground. His earlier call to Sinn Fein to "call off its dogs" on the Garvaghy Road reflected a position which if anything will have hardened in recent days.
The extent to which Sinn Fein can or cannot influence events on the Garvaghy Road is open to debate. There is an indigenous anger among the residents. But that Sinn Fein and the IRA reaped the propaganda benefits of the confrontation in previous years is not in doubt. That they also tacitly supported the residents in their protests is well-known. It must be the case that Sinn Fein can play at very least a significant role in determining the outcome of events next weekend. If there are protests they do not necessarily have to be confrontational and all public representatives have a role to play in ensuring it.
The new Assembly will meet on Wednesday and the first steps will be taken towards establishing parliamentary procedures and towards the establishment of an executive. Those who have been elected to participate in these processes have no need for private armies or for street-movements for they are now part of a functioning democracy. The Independent Parades Commission is also part of that functioning democracy and its decision - whatever it may be and however unpalatable it is to either side - should be respected and supported by all.