Irish Examiner view: Same old story in the North

Stormont Economy Minister Diane Dodds.

Brexit was a great defeat for moderation and collegiality.  Anyone who might challenge that assertion need only look northward, where the complexities of the divorce and the ambiguity and flexibility needed to sustain trade and relationships, have been replaced by the old toxic tribalism. 

A newly-formed Ards and North Down Unionist Loyalist Collective has warned that "no form of Irish Sea border will ever be tolerated". 

Those sentiments were echoed by Stormont Economy Minister, the DUP's Diane Dodds who rejected suggestions that her party’s refusal to engage with this Republic over the NI Protocol were “political stunts”. The DUP said it wants to send a “strong signal” by stopping North-South activities related to the protocol.

In response, Foreign Minister Simon Coveney called for a pragmatic and flexible approach but warned that the protocol was here to stay.

It would be of course wrong to cower every time a Lambeg drum is rattled but this episode shows how premature and dangerous calls for a border poll are.

One step forwards, two steps backward indeed.