Northern Ireland's political deadlock is starting to bite

Brexit is proving such a distraction that few seem to have noticed the creeping start to direct rule in Northern Ireland. While much of the coverage in the newspapers focused on the EU withdrawal bill, the Northern Ireland Budget Act – which shifts Stormont’s most important power, the task of setting Northern Ireland’s budget, to London – tiptoed its way through parliament this week. The thing about direct rule is that once you have started, it’s hard to stop. It will also do little to heal the country’s fractured politics: the DUP will push for more; they will also seek the appointment of direct rule ministers as quickly as possible. This makes perfect sense for them, as in Westminster they now hold the balance of power, while their nationalist rivals don’t even take up their seats. Luckily for Sinn Féin, though, Brokenshire won’t do this because that would be decisive, and he isn’t. Instead, what seems inevitable is a continuation of the current vacuum, with no talks (Sinn Féin declared those over on Monday), no ministers (of either the Stormont or Direct rule flavours), and no path to Northern Ireland gaining that vital fashion accessory, a functioning government.