The de-othering of Northern Ireland happening in the rest of the UK (and the rest of Ireland - see increased Varadkar engagement) is a good thing in the long term. But it will be bumpy (1/)
the reason NI is the central dilemma in Brexit is because it is a contested space in which the UK has consented to a slight smudging of sovereignty to accommodate its unique connection to another EU member state... (2/)
the irony was that a settlement designed to highlight connections to both the UK and Ireland had the effect of reinforcing NI's separateness from both. Brexit, and the myriad consequences (including DUP C&S) has drawn attention to this in a way that is uncomfortable... (3)
And will get more uncomfortable if establishments (and media) in Dublin and London confront some of the excesses of what became a near-client state run by SF and the DUP... (end)
