Sinn Féin showed itself to be a single-minded, efficient and determined organisation at its weekend ardfheis in Dublin.
Delegates basked in the realisation that they had become the largest nationalist party in Northern Ireland before turning their attention to the forthcoming local authority and European Parliament elections in the Republic. A guarantee of jobs and houses, with better health and education services - and no mention of taxation - were on offer to uncommitted voters here, while the promise of a united Ireland represented the holy grail for the party faithful.
It was a heady mix of political aspiration and nationalist fervour. And the Sinn Féin president, Mr Gerry Adams, made the most of a televised debate in selling the message. Sinn Féin would, he insisted, set its own agenda. And with the tunnel vision that has become a trademark of republicanism, he ignored the Belfast incident involving Mr Bobby Tohill last week, and various illegal activities in clear breach of the IRA's ceasefire. Others, including the Government, were to blame for the suspension of political institutions in Northern Ireland. And those who suggested the activities of the IRA and its failure to engage in "acts of completion" were a primary problem, had "an agenda". Republicans were still the victims of state collusion and repression.
For a decade and more, Sinn Féin has been treated with enormous leniency by the political establishments in Ireland, Britain and the United States in an attempt to wean republicans away from the use of physical force. Instead of being isolated and shunned as the political wing of a terrorist organisation - as happened in the past - Sinn Féin was welcomed into dialogue and involvement at the highest level. Implicit in that recognition was a requirement to end the campaign of violence and to participate fully in the democratic process.
There has been substantial progress. And both Mr Adams and Mr Martin McGuinness contributed to it. An IRA ceasefire has been in place for seven years. But unfortunately, paramilitary activity has continued. And the Provisional IRA army council remains the primary authority within the republican movement. It is an unsustainable position.
Criticism of Sinn Féin by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and by the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, was portrayed at its ardfheis as arising from fear of its electoral success. That is only part of the reason. The Sinn Féin leadership was offered special encouragement and political tolerance because of a need to prove to its physical force wing that politics can work. It is now the largest nationalist party in Northern Ireland and it has serious political ambitions in this State. The message being sent to it by the Irish and British governments and by the unionist parties in Northern Ireland is that the time has finally come to choose between democratic politics and paramilitary activity. The need for that decision will not go away.