Over two months since the Westminster election and it appears some deep thinking has been going on in senior conservative circles.
The project of fielding joint candidates with the Ulster Unionists party was an electoral disaster in most cases.
The sum total was no seats although a number of candidates did reasonably well.
There was an agreement for the European and general elections but it seems the Tories now believe it would be better to stand aside at the Assembly election next May.
''The project is not over and we see co-operation developing in the House of Lords and at future elections but it makes sense to stand aside at the Stormont election,'' I was told.
Whether the local conservatives decide to stand alone is a matter for another day.
Ulster Unionists believe this is a sensible move but realise they need to sort out their own leadership campaign first.
Although nominations have not officially opened the smart money says it will be a contest between Tom Elliott and Basil McCrea.
Tom Elliott believes in greater co-operation between the unionist parties and was heavily involved in arranging the agreed candidate in Fermanagh -South Tyrone.
In terms of the Tories he maintains any co-operation should start at grassroots level.
The joint unionist-conservative election ticket is dead, he believes.
Basil McCrea says the Ulster Unionist party should be independent from both the DUP and the conservatives.
It's a message he will be repeating around the halls in the leadership hustings.
For good measure Lord Bannside aka Ian Paisley told the News Letter he could not see there being one Unionist party.
If my memory serves me right the current DUP leader Peter Robinson has other ideas.
Unionism, it appears, is a coat of many colours.
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