Northern Ireland government doesn’t know what’s going to happen

However, further complicating the conversation, it is worth noting that the DUP has been a vocal advocate of Brexit and a post-Brexit deal. And perhaps what happened could have been prevented if there was an agreement from Theresa May, which they were vocally opposed to. Clear so far?

There are other, more extreme voices in unionism and loyalty, and even louder in the never-say-never approach to anything less hardline. They are mainly represented by TUV (Traditional Unionist Voice) and Jamie Bryson, a blogger and activist who appears to have the ear of (unionist) decision-makers. He is a very modern figure, but his exact identity is unknown to most people. Who and why does he speak?

It is in this polar vortex of trapped thought that the DUP have deceived themselves. It meant that Northern Ireland’s public services began to slide off a cliff. No decisions were made and no money was moved. It is therefore very important that this situation is raised before the Government earlier this week. Because that means there will be elected decision makers, and about 2 million people will start to see improvements.

It meant that Northern Ireland had a trade advantage (and this advantage existed even during the lockout period, when identity politics were thought to be more important than reality). This means that Sinn Féin will become Northern Ireland’s first minister. This was unthinkable at the time the country was founded. This system was built to block Catholics’ rights to housing, jobs, and voting. Uprisings against this, led by giants like John Hume, inspired the civil rights movement of the late 60s.

Here’s the important part. Sinn Féin said the move meant a united Ireland was “within reach”. This frightens union supporters and threatens to create a whirlwind as negotiations continue. However, I feel that the inevitability of getting there is increasing. And given Sinn Féin’s decades of electoral success in Dublin, their long game looks like smart politics.

But…but…as of this writing, nothing has been agreed upon. Change could mark a moment of profound impact for Britain and the world, but it is now in the Schrödinger government. It exists and at the same time doesn’t really exist. It can be one or the other indefinitely, or it can be neither.

I’m glad it’s clear.

Paul McNamee is editor of The Big Issue. Read more of his columns here.follow him twitter.

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