First published by on Internationalist Standpoint Website, December 18th 2023

Speculation is building in Northern Ireland that devolved government will be reestablished in the coming days. The five largest political parties have been engaged in talks with the British government over the last week. A sum of £2.5 billion is reportedly on the table as part of any deal though all the parties have rejected this initial offer as too low. The money on offer is not the real deal breaker, however. The devolved Executive will only be restored if there is a resolution to the impasse which brought it down nearly two years ago.