David McNarry used the H-word yesterday. "At 3 o'clock [today] David Trimble will either be history . . . or he will go on to make history," said this senior Orangeman and Ulster Unionist Council member on BBC Radio Ulster's Talkback programme.

As the day progressed the BBC, UTV and Downtown Radio tried to tease out which way history will go today.

Mr McNarry was on Talkback ostensibly to comment on a report that the Ulster Unionist Party may try to break its "historic" link with the Orange Order - a story which prompted an annoyed Banbridge woman to observe: "A bowler hat never killed anyone except in a James Bond movie."

Mr McNarry made the point that the order may have 120 votes at the UUC meeting today but not all those votes would be against Mr Trimble. Mr McNarry would be voting Yes.

Some Orangemen, including the party's secretary, George Patton, insisted that the 120 votes should all be thumbs-down to the deal. "George Patton should speak for himself," said Bill Martin, an Orange Order member for over 62 years.

This short, sharp week-long campaign has caused great division and aroused strong passions within unionism. It has also caused some people to lose their sense of perspective. Yesterday this column reported how Bill Beatty Smith, suffering from cancer, contacted Talkback urging a Yes vote.

A caller named Trevor rang Talkback to complain. How come, he very seriously inquired, there was no anti-deal caller suffering from a serious illness on the programme yesterday to provide balance to Bill? You could hear the weary anger in presenter David Dunseith's voice.

Then there was Taylor the Tease. On BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme, David Trimble, his voice becoming progressively hoarser, was still confidently talking of a UUC endorsement of the Mitchell review package. But what will John Taylor do?

"No doubt John will enjoy teasing you a little longer," Mr Trimble told GMU's Seamus McKee. The UUP leader, however he truly feels about Mr Taylor's teasing (or should that be tormenting?), was careful at this late stage not to antagonise a potentially vital, if tardy, ally.

The political correspondents are very edgy about forecasting. Stephen Grimason, the BBC's political editor, called it one-third for, one-third against and one-third undecided.

UTV's Ken Reid commented that Mr Trimble's performance today would tell a lot.

Eamon Mallie, Downtown Radio political editor, at least was certain where he stood - in the middle. "I just can't call it," he admitted.