IRELAND north and south is facing its most serious political crisis for a decade with tensions ratcheted up by Brexit and the acrimonious fall-out from the Stormont deadlock.
The prospects of an early restoration of devolution and agreement on a post-Brexit border are looking increasingly remote.
With direct rule looming and a likely stand-off between the British government and EU leaders including Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, relations both within Northern Ireland and across the Irish Sea are at a low point.
A series of developments yesterday only served to fuel the growing sense of crisis:
- Sinn Féin ruled out a return to talks with the DUP
- The Republic's foreign minister Simon Coveney said Brexit trade negotiations cannot start unless Britain gives further assurances about the Irish border
- Labour unionist Kate Hoey called on the Irish government to pay for new border infrastructure
- Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil continued talks aimed at averting a Christmas election in the midst of the Brexit crisis.
The 'perfect storm' of events in Ireland and across Europe are expected to further destabilise the political situation in the north, leaving devolution facing its gravest crisis since being restored a decade ago in the aftermath of the St Andrews Agreement.
