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
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