A lot at stake

It is more than unfortunate that Taoiseach Enda Kenny and British Prime Minister David Cameron yesterday morning felt they had no option but to leave the struggling Northern talks after the parties failed to agree a range of issues such as the past, flags and parades.

Whether this gesture is intended as a reality check to the parties unable to reach agreement or a withdrawal from the process for the foreseeable future seems almost irrelevant.

What is most striking about the impasse is the inflexibility of all parties involved. It seems that the prize, a stable and ever more normalised society, is a prize worth making concessions to secure.