Supporters and opponents of the devolution/decommissioning deal both seemed disappointed as they left the UUC meeting on Saturday afternoon.
While opponents of the deal said the UUP was breaking its pledge of "no guns, no government" by allowing Sinn Fein into the executive this week, supporters of the package said they had hoped for a much larger majority in favour of it.
Mr William King, a delegate from Coleraine, had hoped for a much stronger Yes vote. "Of course, in a democracy, 58 per cent is enough, but in the real world, this result will be questioned by all sorts of individuals."
He said there had been a very strong emphasis on democracy during the debate - a fact that left him hopeful for the future. "We have had a lot of talking today about democracy. Democracy is prevailing at this moment in time and I am hoping it will continue to prevail. We call ourselves democrats, so everybody should respect the decision."
There would be no split in the Ulster Unionist Party, Mr King said. "For 30 years there has been talk of splits and of the demise of the Unionist Party, but we have always talked among ourselves and settled our disagreements that way. Let's hope those who disagreed today will come on board eventually."
He said he would have been happier if Mr Trimble had not proposed another meeting for February. "I don't think we should have gone into a situation where we have to go through all this again in a few months' time. I am equally unhappy that Mr Trimble has offered his resignation if decommissioning does not occur. This is wholly unnecessary."
A delegate from Mr Trimble's Upper Bann constituency, Mr Roy Lackey, said he was "extremely disappointed" at the outcome of the vote. "I am a Trimbleite. I would have hoped for a vote well over 60 per cent. In fact, I think a result of 70 per cent plus would have been necessary for the leadership to be home and dry."
Ms Esther Andrews, from Roslea, Co Fermanagh, who voted against the deal, said the party would have a difficult job selling it, and she predicted Mr Trimble's political demise in the process.
"I think that Mr Trimble will have his work cut out. I don't think that 58 per cent is a ringing endorsement at all."
She said that coming from an area in which over 60 people were killed by republican paramilitaries over the years, she could "not countenance Sinn Fein in government under any circumstances". She added: "I don't think that the IRA is going to decommission, so come February, Mr Trimble probably won't be leader any more."
The prospect of another UUC meeting in February made no difference, Ms Andrews said. "The February meeting might have swayed a good few people to vote Yes today, but not me."
Mr Richard Holmes, from east Derry, also predicted a very difficult time for the UUP leader. "The majority won, but I doubt whether it will be enough. It is going to be very difficult, but David Trimble will go ahead and take a majority of the party with him. I voted against today's motion as I voted against the agreement last year. I do not want to see terrorists or their spokespeople in government."
Another delegate, Ms Anne Lyttle, from Co Derry, said she felt she had witnessed the death of democracy.
"We have witnessed the death of democracy in Northern Ireland today, allowing armed terrorists into government, in defiance of our party manifesto policy of `no guns, no government'. I don't think 58 per cent is a sufficiently large majority. If it had not been for the promise to convene another meeting in February, it would have been an even bigger vote against the motion. If I were the party leader, I would be very unhappy."
Asked about a possible split in the UUP, Ms Lyttle said: "The party is split already, as 58 per cent of delegates have now backed a breach of the party manifesto. I don't know how the party can go in front of the electorate in a year or two if it can't keep its own manifesto promises."
While most delegates seemed to agree that the meeting had been civilised, polite and conducted in a good atmosphere, Mr Gordon Lucy, a UUC delegate and historian from Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, said he was disappointed by the debate. "I am happy with the result, but disappointed with the level of debate. The UUC is one of the most apolitical groupings you can imagine. There are more politically-minded people in the Women's Institute."