How else could one explain the blazing row between new Environment Minister Sammy Wilson and Mr Woodward at a session of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee at Westminster. Mr Wilson has never been a man to mince his words and he certainly did not hold back in his heated exchange with Mr Woodward.

He accused the Secretary of State of "talking like a Sinn Fein spokesman " and of interfering in matters devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly in a way that would not be tolerated by the devolved administration in Scotland. It was a stinging rebuke to the man whose office called all the shots in Northern Ireland affairs.

A number of issues drew Mr Wilson's ire. One was the £6m promised by the Prime Minister to the Irish Language Broadcast Fund. Another was the Secretary of State's call to the Executive to resolve the dispute over the siting of a new national sports stadium in Northern Ireland, preferably by building it on the vacant Maze site.

The DUP is sensitive on these two subjects as it holds the Ministerial post responsible for Irish language issues and for deciding on where, or if, to build a new stadium. It doesn't help that Sinn Fein is keen for the Maze site to be developed and for the introduction of an Irish Language Act. For Mr Woodward to appear to be siding with Sinn Fein is bound to provoke the DUP.

The party is also perceived to be stalling on the devolution of policing and justice to the new administration. The problem in this case is that Sinn Fein could well be in charge of such devolved powers, making this a politically-charged issue. The DUP's standard response is that greater public confidence is needed before policing and justice powers can be devolved. The party does not take kindly to anyone cheerleading for a quick resolution of this issue.

Mr Wilson made a valid point on the integrity of the new power-sharing administration. It should be the sole decision-making body on matters which have been devolved to it. And he is correct to warn Mr Woodward that the administration will not countenance any outside interference in its own affairs, just as Scotland is keen to demonstrate its independence from Westminster on devolved matters.

For many years there was a demand for local politicians in Northern Ireland to be given greater day-to-day control over issues such as health, education, culture, sport, the environment, roads and transport. It took a lot of hard negotiating to arrive at the situation where former political foes found sufficient common ground to enter a power-sharing administration and there should not be any interference with that process.

However, Mr Woodward's comments on outstanding issues will have struck a chord with many voters. The new administration has been in operation for more than a year and, to date, has hardly set the province on fire with the speed of its decision-making. While local politicians are right to defend themselves from interference, that does not excuse them for prevaricating on important issues.