The DUP has a right to be difficult over the Northern Ireland Protocol

It’s easy to take an unsympathetic view of the Democratic Unionist Party. For many, its politicians are caricatures of the dour Ulsterman come to life; flinty types with an antediluvian outlook. An unfortunate reminder – for a certain type of Englishman – of all that ‘Irish stuff’ they would rather not have to deal with. 

The back and forth over the Northern Ireland Protocol has seen this sentiment ratcheted up. Jeffrey Donaldson’s standpoint – no return to devolution without his party’s tests being met – is engendering incredible frustration among government ministers and a press tired of having to surrender column inches to this intractable tale. 

One-time Brexit hardman Steve Baker, now a Northern Ireland Office minister, recently tweeted his approval for a spiky interview by BBC Northern Ireland’s Mark Carruthers, who did a passable Paxman impression when interviewing the DUP’s Paul Givan about the impact of his party’s absence from Stormont. A Times leader column urged