diff --git a/virtManager/details.py b/virtManager/details.py
index 742448dde..71ba39d8d 100644
--- a/virtManager/details.py
+++ b/virtManager/details.py
@@ -356,7 +356,6 @@ class vmmDetails(vmmGObjectUI):
         self.media_choosers = {"cdrom": None, "floppy": None}
         self.storage_browser = None
 
-        self.ignorePause = False
         self.ignoreDetails = False
 
         from .console import vmmConsolePages
@@ -1393,22 +1392,22 @@ class vmmDetails(vmmGObjectUI):
             return
         self.remove_device(devobj)
 
-    def set_pause_state(self, paused):
-        # Set pause widget states
+    def set_pause_state(self, state):
+        src = self.widget("control-pause")
         try:
-            self.ignorePause = True
-            self.widget("control-pause").set_property("active", paused)
+            src.handler_block_by_func(self.control_vm_pause)
+            src.set_active(state)
         finally:
-            self.ignorePause = False
+            src.handler_unblock_by_func(self.control_vm_pause)
 
     def control_vm_pause(self, src):
-        if self.ignorePause:
-            return
+        do_pause = src.get_active()
 
-        # Let state handler listener change things if nec.
-        self.set_pause_state(not src.get_active())
+        # Set button state back to original value: just let the status
+        # update function fix things for us
+        self.set_pause_state(not do_pause)
 
-        if not self.vm.is_paused():
+        if do_pause:
             self.emit("action-suspend-domain",
                       self.vm.conn.get_uri(),
                       self.vm.get_connkey())
diff --git a/virtManager/manager.py b/virtManager/manager.py
index 309a10cfa..79cf0c517 100644
--- a/virtManager/manager.py
+++ b/virtManager/manager.py
@@ -113,8 +113,6 @@ class vmmManager(vmmGObjectUI):
     def __init__(self):
         vmmGObjectUI.__init__(self, "manager.ui", "vmm-manager")
 
-        self.ignore_pause = False
-
         # Mapping of rowkey -> tree model rows to
         # allow O(1) access instead of O(n)
         self.rows = {}
@@ -521,15 +519,12 @@ class vmmManager(vmmGObjectUI):
     def set_pause_state(self, state):
         src = self.widget("vm-pause")
         try:
-            self.ignore_pause = True
+            src.handler_block_by_func(self.pause_vm_button)
             src.set_active(state)
         finally:
-            self.ignore_pause = False
+            src.handler_unblock_by_func(self.pause_vm_button)
 
     def pause_vm_button(self, src):
-        if self.ignore_pause:
-            return
-
         do_pause = src.get_active()
 
         # Set button state back to original value: just let the status