A decision by the UDA leadership to declare that its war is over and to "stand down" the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) is a significant development in the normalisation of society within Northern Ireland.
It would be easy to minimise its importance on the basis that arms decommissioning has not yet been agreed, but such developments take time as was evident from the protracted exercise involving the Provisional IRA. What is noteworthy about this event is the instruction to members not to become involved in criminality; the putting beyond use of UFF weaponry and recognition of the primacy of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) within loyalist communities.
There is, clearly, a long way to go. As the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) reported last week, the UDA is not centrally structured, is riven by internal feuding and is limited in its capacity to deliver change quickly. Earlier this year, members engaged in drug dealing, loan sharking and the sale of counterfeit goods and were also involved in public disturbances and rioting. Given the scale of such criminal behaviour, some elements of the organisation may be unwilling to change.
The determination of the UDA leadership to move forward is not in doubt. Its south Belfast "brigadier" Jackie McDonald said at the weekend that giving information to the PSNI about drug dealing in loyalist areas was not informing because "it's our kids who are suffering". His comments echoed the death of a young man who had been supplied with drugs by UDA members. And, by linking the ending of its war to Poppy Day wreath-laying ceremonies, the development was given a particular resonance.
Looking back, the pace of change within the past year has been exceptional. A new Northern Ireland Assembly was elected and a power-sharing Executive established by the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin. Those events were complemented by Sinn Féin's formal recognition and support for the PSNI and endorsement of the criminal justice system. At the same time, the Ulster Volunteer Force announced it had put its weapons beyond reach and would embark on a process to civilise itself. Now the UDA is going down the same road. But unlike Sinn Féin and republicans it has no immediate prospect of a place in government.
A delicate balancing act is required. The governments decided that in order to wean paramilitary organisations away from violence and criminality, they should be provided with alternatives. But loyalists feel neglected and their districts are socially deprived. Public investment and new conflict transformation initiatives will be required to rebuild confidence and prosperity in those communities. The UDA has a role to play. But its commitment to law and order, just like that of the IRA, should be carefully monitored. The IMC concluded the pace of change is too slow and the organisation should be judged on what it does, rather than on what it says.