Britain | Northern Ireland

Political dysfunction in Northern Ireland is the new normal

Civil servants, not politicians, have to run things

A no-access sign in front of the Stormont building, Belfast.
Image: Getty Images
|Belfast

When Northern Ireland’s government previously collapsed, it took three long years for it to return. The restoration came in January 2020, but it tumbled again just over two years later. A year and a half after that fall, the prospects for devolved government coming back in the province are remote.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “The new abnormal”

From the September 2nd 2023 edition

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