IT appears that the closer we get to March 29 the further we move away from a resolution to the Brexit deadlock.
The same options remain on the table, from no deal right through to a second referendum, but if we are ever to be released from this incessant and corrosive cycle of high drama at Westminster then sooner or later they need to be whittled down to a binary choice that enables MPs to give the British government a clear and unambiguous mandate to somehow move forward.
Yet the varying tribes' allegiances have so far prevented such an outcome.
Any belief that this week's series of votes would bring greater clarity to the situation has so far proved misplaced, with each faction claiming their cause has been validated.
The process is effectively now at five minutes to midnight but rather than the clock going forward as it ordinarily does in springtime, more time may be bought in the days ahead.
To some observers an extension to Article 50 signals a greater likelihood of a soft landing or no Brexit at all. MPs' support for taking no deal off the table may only be indicative but here's hoping it provides a safety net of sorts that should ensure the UK doesn't crash out and those cobbled-together trade arrangements outlined earlier this week remain a bad dream only, best forgotten.
But without any consensus, a disruptive Brexit in just over a fortnight's time remains a real possibility.
The belligerent wing of the DUP continues to cry "Bring it on!", apparently unmoved by the concerns voiced by business and farming groups about the impact of hard border.
It's been suggested that Sammy Wilson is now simply manoeuvring himself into a position where he and his fellow MPs can blame the EU for imposing checks on goods moving south, while Britain makes tariff concessions on goods going the opposite way.
At the same time, there's a school of thought claiming there's a pragmatic element in the DUP – who knew? – which privately realises there are dangers, both for the party and the Union, in leaving the EU without a deal.
It's suggested that the meetings with Attorney General Geoffrey Cox over recent days have been about finding a climbdown route for the DUP and subsequently the European Research Group – the so-called Jacob's ladder.
These conflicting narratives about the DUP's true intentions are characteristic of the current circumstances, the party could jump either way depending on what best serves its interests. Meanwhile, the public longs for an end to the endless recrimination but whenever the opportunity for a breakthrough arises we merely emerge into more chaos and uncertainty.
