Is this a record for begrudgery?
Every political party in the north and in Britain welcomed the prospect of the political deal likely to emerge from the talks at St Andrews. Naturally, so did Fianna Fail and the PDs, since they were instrumental in the outcome.
Odd men out were the current double act in the Republic's politics, Enda Kenny and Pat Rabbitte.
Rabbitte said the result was "somewhat disappointing" given the expectations raised by both governments in advance, thereby demonstrating once again his unrivalled ability to misread northern politics.
In fact neither government had raised anybody's expectations. On the contrary, they had been threatening the parties here with confiscating all their toys if they didn't play properly.
Not to be outdone the Tweedledum of the act, Enda Kenny, threw in his tuppenceworth.
At a Fine Gael dinner on Saturday night he said he would oppose any attempt by the government to hold a referendum on the St Andrews agreement. Could that perhaps be because Bertie Ahern had indicated a few hours earlier that he would prefer a referendum next March?
Just pure bad grace. Sour grapes from the pair of them.
Admittedly they had suffered a body blow the day before when an opinion poll showed that after three weeks' battering away at Bertie in the Dail, on TV and radio and in the press, about his mysterious cash gifts and eccentric house-buying practices, he had emerged six per cent up and they were both down.
The really terrible news was that despite, or perhaps because of traipsing the country joined at the hip, even doing a double act at each others' party conferences, Fianna Fail and the PDs would still come in ahead of the combined Fine Gael/Labour total in an election.
Despite the hopeless performance of Mary Harney at health and open disagreements between Michael McDowell and Fianna Fail ministers about taxation, the poll confirmed that voters wouldn't trust Kenny and Rabbitte with managing the economy.
No wonder our two chums were reeling. Six months of joint campaigning and all they have to show for it is a heap of ashes in front of them. Their personal attacks on the leadership of both coalition partners had rebounded on them.
Then, horror or horrors, out comes Bertie to stand beside Tony Blair and announce another triumph against all the odds, for – make no mistake – until lunchtime on Friday, no-one was betting on a deal at St Andrews.
That's why Rabbitte's shamelessly cynical comments smack of desperation. He went on to compound his mistake by adding: "It is essential that whatever form of 'electoral endorsement' is now sought should not lead to further strengthening of the political extremes at the expense of the more moderate parties who have done so much to bring about an end to violence to bring Northern Ireland to the position where it is today."
Could one of those 'more moderate parties' he was referring to perhaps be Reg Empey's UUP which has done precisely nothing to bring about an end to violence?
Just what sort of political interference is he advocating to shore up parties like the UUP? Maybe avoiding an election? There's a real democrat for you.
Yet his partner in begrudgery, Enda Kenny, doesn't want a referendum. Does that mean he does want an election here?
We know why Kenny doesn't want a referendum. He's scared stiff it will enhance Bertie's reputation and act as a springboard for Fianna Fail in the Republic's general election in June.
In a referendum both Kenny and Rabbitte would have to support the government's position.
Let's face it, who is going to vote agin the St Andrews Agreement apart from Bob McCartney and the Real IRA?
The truth is that both Kenny and Rabbitte were shocked by the success at St Andrews because it put the tin lid on an awful couple of days for them. It drove their prospects of winning the next election out of sight.
However, what their reaction confirmed once again is that while the Republic's voters may not trust them with the economy, they would be an absolute disaster if they ever got their hands on the north's political process.
