Northern Ireland Faces Second Vote in Six Months

Facts

Following a failed meeting between Northern Irish (NI) political parties on Thursday, the NI secretary is set to call an assembly election. Politicians have failed to form a devolved government amid a boycott by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
This comes six months after the party first refused to form a government with Sinn Féin — a nationalist party that achieved a historic victory when it won the largest number of seats in the Stormont (NI parliament) election.
The DUP is forcing further ballots as part of a continuing stalemate over Britain's trade agreements with the EU.
DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has also called on Downing Street to resolve issues surrounding the NI protocol (the term referring to compromises over trade between the UK, the Republic of Ireland, and the EU), "once and for all." However, his statements come just two days after Rishi Sunak became the UK's Prime Minister.
Negotiations concerning the Northern Irish border are complex and politicians in Westminster are continuing to work to devise a deal. However, this could be weeks or even months away.
Obstructions and closures of Northern Irelands's devolved government since the assembly's formation have prompted scrutiny of the terms of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement — a peace deal that ended years of sectarian violence known as "The Troubles."

Narrative A, as provided by Irish Times. Sunak's appointment is good news for the Northern Ireland protocol. Having been appointed a leader to clear up the economic mess left by Liz Truss, the new Prime Minister will likely seek positive diplomatic relations with the EU and a rapid resolution to issues of trade across the Northern Ireland border. Hopefully, his approach will offer hope to the DUP and accelerate a return to normality in Northern Ireland's devolved government.
Narrative B, as provided by The Telegraph. Westminster has been pandering to Sinn Féin and the EU at the cost of the union of the United Kingdom itself. The next few months will be Sunak's greatest challenge — he should take the proper course and end the application of EU law and accompanying jurisdiction of the European Court in Britain, which has already voted to leave the bloc. The new PM must protect Northern Ireland's constitutional sovereignty over the short-term goal of restoring power-sharing in Stormont.