The Foreign Secretary might be inclined to roll over, as he is on the British Indian Ocean Territory, but he can’t order Stormont back to its feet.
It was made at the same time that the police were opening a fraud investigation into the party over alleged misuse of its referendum fighting fund.
A recent brawl at the National Party conference highlights how totally marginalised it remains in Dublin politics.
Chris Heaton-Harris will probably call elections sooner rather than later, but another share of his department’s dwindling stock of credibility is lost.
Why has neither he nor Heaton-Harris pushed back against Sinn Fein’s nonsensical claims about ‘joint authority’ with Dublin?
As Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil prepare for an unprecedented game of musical chairs, the republicans are riding high in the polls.
The Government could dangle before the EU another gain it wants in order to win a revised Protocol.
A party which can’t even bear to say ‘Northern Ireland’ will never make Irish Brits feel welcome in an all-island state.
It is worth remembering that the current backlash would be much worse had the Government not subsequently acted to unilaterally extend ‘grace periods’.
Meanwhile observers are already speculating about whether today’s performance will cost Douglas Ross his job.
Also: it looks like it will be a good day for Labour in both Wales and Scotland as Douglas Ross struggles to make headway.
Our columnist provides the second piece in our series this week about Brexit – almost a year since the end of transition.
Even if they don’t, the issue will certainly dominate the coming Assembly campaign unless Truss scores a real win.
Never before had British and Irish representatives put their names to a formal agreement of this kind as complete equals.
Among those who are set to vote for a party in the Assembly elections, we find Sinn Féin in the lead.