To think Northern Ireland is never coming back from this.

[Bishbashbosh101]

I live in Northern Ireland where our politicians are so useless you'd nearly ban them.

Our council meetings consist of politicians voting in a partisan block, regardless of the issue, sometimes voting to agree that other party representatives will not be allowed to speak for the rest of the meeting. No Jackie Weaver in sight.

Then Brexit. Ever the agents of our own downfall, we helped to bring in the NI Protocol by kicking out every suggestion until only Boris and the Protocol were left.

I can't buy many items because they either don't deliver to NI anymore or aren't on the shelves. Cannot import large items without paying hundreds more. Businesses are stretching and buckling. It's not practical and I don't have a better idea. We're still discovering the ways we're going to be fleeced and inconvenienced in the years to come. The paperwork is unreal.

There is no way back from this, is there. Northern Irish political folk do not give up. They have successfully spent years bickering over something very minor to do with the Irish language, to the point that there hasn't been a functioning executive for years. They grind so small it's a kind of insanity, like immobility as a form of transport.

Now we have a proper subject to argue about which has, as befits any Northern Irish argument, no possibility of ever being solved. As usual, it's not entirely our fault, either. To all who voted Brexit, we couldn't have done it without you.

Border posts, endless haggling over details, coded encouragement to violent paramilitaries followed by pseudo exhortations for peace after the inevitable riots, cosy craft evenings in the garage making "Ulster says no to Irish Sea border" signs for the local roundabouts. This is exactly the sort of thing we like and we don't stop when people get hurt. Everyone takes tragedy as a signal to sanctimoniously double down.

I thought we were good at tangling ourselves up but this is on another level entirely.

There's no resolution.

That's kind re22 but our own politicians has such a hand in it that we can't complain.

At one point it was hinted that the food supply to the republic could be used as leverage by the British government and I did find that an unbelievably sinister suggestion, given what has happened in the past. They don't care, not for Ireland, not for the north, not even for their own poor, much.

It seems like we'll stumble through decades of bloodshed and increasing instability.

I'm from the republic and honestly feel the people in the north have been well and truly shafted in all this. Only visited for the first time just before covid and loved it up there its an odd mix of the republic and england, which I think it's part of the issue. I think it would be great if you could as a country carve out an identity of your own. I'm fully aware the difficulties involved in this due to the ongoing split in beliefs . I know so many people who long for a united ireland but personally I long for a united northern Ireland. Brexit has undone so much progress up there though.

@rc22 I recall it as hardly being even an issue during the 2016 referendum campaign. Then when the confidence and supply arrangement with the DUP came about, the views held by the DUP on social issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage saw them characterised as bigots. So remaining in the customs union which would have avoided most of the issues in Northern Ireland never really got a look in as an option.

I think what we all can do is educate our children in integrated schools and hope that there will be change in generations to come.I met a student recently whose parent is a leading light in our political situation and I've never felt sorrier for a young person.Their name and geography identifies them immediately and the hatred they receive is horrific. My brother in law once stood as a councillor and the majority of my sister's colleagues haven't spoken to her since.He wasn't standing for any extreme party and I think this tells you why we're not getting high quality leaders.
I look at both our first ministers and know that they're only puppets who can't ever express their true opinions.

Your post is so on point Bishbashbosh101, I had to laugh my head off reading it. Seriously, looking at any other country that's had the same level of conflict you'll see that change is a long time coming. A lot has moved on since 1998 but I agree that Brexit has removed the big tent that everyone had in common.

It's not clear what happens next. I share your fears thar not enough has changed to forge a different position based on non-tribal parties. NI was screwed the second a Norway style deal was off the table. But yeah, yet again English people vote without understanding or caring about the stakes for the other members of the union.

@CuthbertDibbleandGrubb My dad's retired and obsessed with politics. He watches and reads stuff about politics all day every day!! He told me that Brexit could have catastrophic consequences for Northern Ireland early on although you're right i don't think this was made public. I had conversations with friends who had voted for Brexit later on when issues were becoming more apparent with NI who still really didn't care.