Orginally submitted as a ‘Letter to the Editor’- Irish News.

 

It is almost two years since power-sharing collapsed in Northern Ireland. Ungoverned and directionless we continue to keep our head above water at the mercy of unelected civil servants deciding what is best for Northern Ireland.

 

The ending of this story has already been written for some time; the inevitability of political parties gathering around the Executive table in Stormont House to reignite a talks process cannot be avoided. Agreement is the only option, it has been that way since 1998.

 

Red lines will be stretched and concessions made; what were once immovable principles will in all likelihood be washed away by doublespeak and lukewarm handshakes under a Fresh Start 2.0 type agreement. Now it is simply a waiting game; waiting for the Secretary of State to shift gears and for the DUP and Sinn Féin to start posturing towards a deal post Brexit (if we ever reach that point).

 

In the interim, the all-consuming Brexit debate has put the political crisis at home on the back burner, albeit still reflected in our realpolitik, all eyes remain firmly fixed on the unprecedented Brexit upheaval ahead of next week’s meaningful vote.

 

All the while, the public, our health staff, school children, and some 150+ pieces of draft legislation which sit gathering dust on the shelves of government departments, continue to wait out this impasse. It is as predictable as it is dull.

 

As it stands, both the DUP and Sinn Féin are somewhat protected by the calamity of Brexit, but sooner or later the public discontent will (I hope) be impossible to ignore.

 

Come May 2019, the public can have their say on this prolonged period of deadlock in local council elections, or before then, in a possible general election should Theresa May fail to see her draft deal through the House of Commons.

 

One can only hope that the DUP and Sinn Féin’s abandonment of people here will be felt in their vote share, and in the words of John Hume, cast a stark reminder that in our context ‘there can be no victory for either side.’