Although we are due to go to the polls less than five weeks from today (Monday) in a contest which could have a crucial impact on the entire political process, it is hard to detect the slightest sense of election fever in the air.
There is not a poster to be seen, canvassers have yet to appear on the doorsteps, few speeches have been delivered and exchanges between candidates are remarkably polite.
The reason for all this unusual reticence is the belief in some quarters that we are involved in a phony campaign for an assembly election which may not take place.
Tony Blair has had a number of opportunities to dispel all the speculation and announce
an absolute commitment to the scheduled date of May 29 but has so far managed to avoid doing so.
It seems clear that he is facing a dilemma of serious proportions but the expectation is that a decision on the elections is imminent.
While Mr Blair has been desperately hoping that some form of consensus would emerge on the restoration of devolved structures, this has yet to materialise.
Criticism can be levelled at all sides but it has been obvious for some time that without a decisive initiative by the republican movement the assembly and executive will not be returning.
At Stormont yesterday Gerry Adams went a considerable way towards responding to the three key questions asked of the IRA by Tony Blair last week.
Mr Adams indicated a willingness on the part of the IRA to put all arms beyond use and to confirm the complete and final closure of all conflict.
On the issue of continuing IRA exercises which were inconsistent with the Good Friday Agreement, he said that the logic of the latest republican statement was that "there should be no activities" of this kind.
British government officials indicated that if Mr Adams was able to say, speaking with the support of the IRA, that such activities – which include targeting, the continuing procurement of weapons and paramilitary beatings – would definitely not happen, then a solution was within reach.
So little now separates these two positions that Mr Adams is fully capable of producing a form of words which will conclusively bridge the gap.
With time running out, Ulster Unionists have increasingly put forward the suggestion that staging elections for bodies which effectively do not exist cannot be justified.
There is some strength in their argument but it is greatly outweighed by the dangers of tampering with the most basic requirement of a democracy.
It has been fully five years since the last assembly election and, even if it is only for the purpose of further negotiations, the mandates of the main parties need to be renewed.
The British and Irish governments may find the challenges they face increased or reduced when the results are declared but this is something they should be prepared to take on the chin.
Delaying the election may have certain short-term advantages but would ultimately damage the credibility of all our political leaders and should not be regarded as a viable option.
