Anyone who says that one MLA of 108 can’t make a difference should look to ex-Independent John McCallister and his success in creating the circumstances for an official opposition to scrutinise the Executive at Stormont.

With the UUP and SDLP having taken up the mantle, boasting 28 MLAs between them and sharing 10 days dedicated to ‘Opposition Business’ in the Assembly each year, Mr McCallister have may forced more than a political procedural sea change.

The first Opposition Day took place on 26 September; motions tabled by the UUP and SDLP related to restoring public confidence after the recent NAMA property deal scandal and the closure of banks in rural areas.

The next Opposition Day is to take place on 18 October; motions will focus on housing and cancer patient waiting times.

Stormont’s first Opposition Day was billed as a new dawn by the parties concerned, but governing parties – the DUP and Sinn Féin – were quick to criticise, as were commentators to question the topics of motions tabled.

The next Opposition Day is to take place on 18 October.

With NAMA, the opposition was accused of simply seeking to embarrass figures they perceive to be at the heart of the scandal. Following a Sinn Féin amendment, it passed easily.

Closures of rural bank branches is something governing parties aren’t necessarily responsible for; days beforehand, First Minister and DUP leader Arlene Foster backed a protest against the closure of a branch in her constituency in Fermanagh.

In the Assembly Sinn Féin supported, even added an amendment to the motion to include emphasis on need for improved rural broadband provision. The SDLP voted against this amendment, wanting to deal specifically with banks, but it was still carried.

It’s ‘us versus them’ like we’ve never seen it before.

The coming together of unionists and nationalists on Assembly benches, and not by mandatory legal requirement, does dawn an exciting new chapter in our politics. Yet, for an opposition in its infancy, and Opposition Days so scarce, lessons may be to keep business simple, relatable to all shades of the electorate, and tabled in anticipation of amendment or parties boasting safety in numbers stealing the show.

Appearing before the Assembly’s Finance Committee this week and denying allegations linking him to the Daithí McKay-Jamie Bryson NAMA inquiry ‘coaching’ saga, Finance Minister Máirtín Ó Muilleoir wasn’t shy stating his assertion that groups he meets on a daily basis don’t rank the matter high in their agendas.

So, if that’s what the Finance Minister thinks that they think, with just 9 Opposition Days left before the summer recess next June the opposition may heed his advice. With housing and health prioritised next time, it seems they’re getting the act together in earnest.

Opposition breeds competition, but it might also encourage greater collaboration between the two unionist-nationalist-dominated sides of the Assembly. It’s ‘us versus them’ like we’ve never seen it before.