The province's Protestant unionists, as a condition for their return to government, are demanding that the I.R.A. move to disband.
A photograph of that, in the evening newspaper, was already enraging Protestant unionists.
The Protestant unionists proposed a new elected assembly and a committee system for sharing executive power, a concept likely to be found inadequate by Catholics.
After today's meeting, Mr. Brooke said the Protestant unionists were now prepared to work broadly with the procedures he had outlined to keep the talks going.
Residential areas are more segregated between Catholic nationalists and Protestant unionists than ever.
Following independence, southern Protestant unionists accepted the new reality and worked with the new Free State from its difficult start in 1922-23.
Protestant unionists, who want to remain part of Britain, say it must start very soon.
Rupert Murdoch's Sunday Times , on the other hand, described divisions among the Protestant unionists as the main threat to peace.
The remaining 13 are held by Protestant unionists.
For the British Government, and for the Protestant unionists who want Ulster to remain part of Britain, this was not quite enough.