By now, the majority of those who intend to vote in Northern Ireland on Thursday in the Westminster and local elections have made up their minds about what parties they will support. And the conventional wisdom is that the Democratic Unionist Party will make further advances at the expense of the Ulster Unionist Party, while Sinn Féin will take seats from the SDLP.
There is also a belief that apathy will keep many voters at home. That would be a retrograde development at a time when maximum participation is required from both communities in order to develop an inclusive political process.
It is vitally necessary that the middle ground is properly represented in Northern politics if the kind of compromises that will be required to create a normal, functioning democracy are to be achieved. Flexibility, risk-taking and political imagination gave us the Belfast Agreement and the bones of a long-term political settlement. And the parties that contributed most to that process were the UUP and the SDLP. Their input, as moderating forces between the extremes of the DUP and Sinn Féin, is still critical if we are to avoid what the SDLP's Seamus Mallon described as the "Balkanisation" of Northern Ireland politics.
Otherwise, the ghoulish humour of the DUP leader, Ian Paisley, who spoke of UUP leader David Trimble being prepared for the electric chair and the rope, may provide a taste of the alternative approach.
Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams still maintains that his call on the IRA to abandon the armed struggle and embrace democratic means was not an election gimmick. But carefully choreographed announcements from both the IRA and Mr Adams during the campaign would suggest the opposite.
That does not mean the Sinn Féin leader's initiative was not genuine. He may simply have made a virtue out of long-term necessity by calling on the IRA to disarm at this time. Whatever the reason, the issue is being milked for every possible vote as Sinn Féin attempts to distance itself from the criminal actions of its senior partner.
Those nationalists who voted for Sinn Féin in 2002, as an encouragement to put an end to all paramilitary activity, should take careful note of the Taoiseach's view that re-establishment of the Executive will take a considerable time. And the statement of the PSNI chief constable Hugh Orde, last Thursday, that the IRA is still active and recruiting new members should give them pause before they again reward a party that has not delivered.
Inclusive politics will be required to build upon the progress already made. In that regard, the SDLP and the UUP have important roles to play as moderating influences within their communities. And until Sinn Féin can bring itself to publicly support the PSNI, rather than paramilitary bullyboys, nationalist voters would be well advised to put their trust in the SDLP.