She would not be bullied by the DUP, said Margaret Ritchie, defending her decision to stop that grant negotiated with direct rule ministers by the UDA. Lost control of herself, said Peter Robinson, DUP deputy leader. And this was a day away from their original clash in public, writes Fionnuala O Connor
The shouting matches that encounters between Northern politicians routinely turned into were part of the old stalemate. Smiling joint appearances by Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness may have irked as many as they pleased, but they lightened the atmosphere.
As in ordinary daily dealings, politeness and good temper in politics anywhere go a long way. The soft word rather than the jibe is an Ahern hallmark. Tony Blair's courtesy towards opponents in public may have been a veneer over superficiality and ruthless ambition but only towards the end did it come to be seen as part of a dislikeable smoothness. The interpersonal skills of both men contributed to today's peace.
It may be harmless fun elsewhere, even useful and necessary, to learn inconvenient truths about a public figure in the heat of a row and watch someone's true nature emerge in a stormy moment.
The House of Commons at prime minister's question-time can produce amusing lines. But as often it degenerates into brawls - "a roaring barrage of noise", the Guardian newspaper said this week - that expose the public school clubbishness which some think is Westminster's greatest weakness.
In the North, watching and listening to public figures in command of themselves is preferable to the reverse, to put it no higher. Where murderous hatred for so long has been legitimised as ideology or fomented as a form of communal vigilance, watching and listening to people who take politics calmly and behave with courtesy has a particular charm.
So although everyone knew the smiling had to stop, postponing serious disagreement and putting off the shouting at Stormont met a need. People can do with a break from belligerence, in words as well as deeds. Passion and commitment don't have to be accompanied by oafishness or bad manners. The exchanges this week on air and in the Assembly have been like salt on burned skin.
It did nobody good to see the old Peter Robinson emerge from today's groomed vision of a modern politico, to hear the old caustic style lasering through layers of image-doctoring and, presumably, of self-control.
Robinson was at pains to emphasise that his objections to Ritchie's decision owed nothing to sympathy for the UDA but were entirely to do with the way she took her decision.
But his initial magisterial "I am very disappointed in Margaret Ritchie" gave way to the old instincts. She was not entitled to "tout around" outside the executive for legal advice which would bolster her case, he told a radio interviewer.
In a society still feeling its way towards civility in politics, language matters. This early in the game, it sets teeth on edge when a senior DUP figure uses such an ugly description of a Catholic woman colleague, whatever the merits of her decision-making. Sympathies initially went towards Ritchie in Stormont, though she risked losing that first advantage by beginning to sound less than calm.
Bullying is a DUP characteristic. It was worth identifying as the tactic she faced, maybe better left without the personal testimony of "I will not be bullied".
In the predominantly male world of Northern politics, women who manage to sound cooler than the men they face in public confrontations make the most impact.
It was Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan's wry amusement about Ronnie Flanagan's emotionalism that lingered, after the then chief constable, stung by her investigation, suggested he would commit suicide in public. O'Loan (now in her last weeks in office) may not be a politician, but skill and instinct told her to underplay the moment.
Hours before Ritchie's announcement, DUP Minister Edwin Poots announced that he would not be introducing legislation to support the Irish language.
The Poots decision may be faced with a legal challenge, just as Robinson so confidently predicts for the Ritchie decision, and the SDLP's lone minister's stand against the UDA may well have more cross-community support than Poots.
But there was little enough analysis as voices rose, which might of course have been the DUP intent. Having boasted to unionists that they had negotiated a new agreement which would make it impossible for any Minister to take a decision supported by one side only - as Poots did - berating Ritchie helps confuse the issue.
It was easy to spot the dogs that failed to bark because it is becoming a pattern. Sinn Féin's senior figures were hushed, while junior figures asked the SDLP Minister niggling questions. It has been a tough week for the new political order, right across the board.