Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has accused the Alliance Party and Ulster Unionists of wishing to see the Executive fall apart.
Taking questions in the Assembly yesterday from Alliance MLA Stephen Farry, Mr McGuinness claimed he was "fed up coming in week after week after week and there is a constant nark from the Alliance Party, there is a constant nark from the Ulster Unionists" about the operation of the Executive.
He said it grated on both parties that after six months the Executive parties were co-operating for the benefit of all. Pointing to the Executive's draft programme for government, draft budget and draft investment strategy, he said people had the power to amend the plans.
"Hopefully when we come back in January we will get final agreement on all of that and we will move forward to provide the better future that people deserve," he said. "Naturally there are financial difficulties. We are working to a very, very tight budget and all government departments are under considerable pressure."
Accusing Alliance, he said: "It almost holds out the view that some people in here would like to see the DUP and Sinn Féin collapsing in a heap. I don't think that is going to happen."
Alliance leader David Ford also questioned the Deputy First Minister on his willingness to listen to the arguments of his party as well as those of the Ulster Unionists and the SDLP.
"He has made it very clear in his earlier answers he takes no notice of what is said by my party or other backbenchers at this end of the chamber," Mr Ford said. "Is he now saying he has no respect for the opinion of Ministers outside the two parties?"
Mr McGuinness said he was not interested in "playing wee games" with the Alliance Party.
Taking a question from Ulster Unionist deputy leader Danny Kennedy, he accused other parties of being "in denial" about the realities of the new political arrangement at Stormont.
"The electorate were fed a diet that this would never work, that there would never be an agreement," he said. "Now we are not hearing that anymore. What we are now hearing from both the Alliance Party and the Ulster Unionist Party is that it is only a matter of time before it all collapses. There again, I think we would hope to confound all of you."
For the SDLP, Declan O'Loan suggested sarcastically that members should go easy on the Deputy First Minister. "Would he simply acknowledge that the draft budget fails to provide the adequate budget for a shared future?" he asked. Members passed a motion "noting" the Executive's legislative programme and investment strategy.