Stormont’s scrutiny committees are important, but they are also a bit of game.

Each committee has MLAs from every main party holding a minister from one of those parties to account.

Restraint and a degree of cosiness is required to stop meetings turning into shouting matches and keep the system from falling apart.

While this is true of most parliaments, power-sharing increases the need to be careful, as committees underscore how almost everyone at Stormont is eternally in government and opposition at the same time.

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Timothy Gaston, the TUV’s only MLA, has refused to play the game since being co-opted into the assembly 19 months ago.

He has not been excessively combative at the Executive Office committee, which scrutinises the first ministers. But he has been more combative than it knows how to deal with this has caused chaos, which came to a head last week when he was suspended from the assembly for two days for telling the committee chair to “breathe”.

Mr Gaston accepted his remark was condescending and apologised at the time. However, he has been the subject of repeated condescension at the committee.

If he needs to be less argumentative, others need to learn how to tolerate a more robust style of questioning.

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The Executive is delivering practical improvements in people’s lives while having no more arguments than should be expected, according to Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly.

The first ministers made these claims in articles and interviews to mark the second anniversary of the restoration of devolution.

Their message was somewhat undermined by the absence of any joint statement or appearance, unlike the first anniversary.

Ms Little-Pengelly did say, when asked, that she and Ms O’Neill have a “professional and constructive” relationship. Ms O’Neill offered fewer........

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