A Chara,- Despite the best efforts of Lord Frost and the Tory party, there are growing signs that Northern Ireland is rejecting their polemics about the Protocol and coming to live with it as a fact of post-Brexit life. Although no one is happy with increased customs checks between Britain and Northern Ireland, there is a growing realization that Northern Ireland's unfettered access to the Single Market offers it a unique opportunity within the UK to mitigate the worst effects of Brexit.

Northern Ireland hasn't suffered the goods shortages seen in Britain, trade between Northern Ireland and Ireland is booming, and British statistics have now belatedly confirmed that the Northern Ireland economy is recovering faster than Scotland or Wales. But the most remarkable change is the U-Turn currently being performed by DUP Leader, Jeffrey Donaldson as noted by your columnist, Newton Emerson. (DUP making absurd U-turn towards NI protocol landing zone, Opinion, December 2nd.)

The DUP has marched its supporters up the hill demanding the Protocol's elimination only to have to march it down again, and in the process lost 10% of its projected vote since the last Assembly elections according to the latest Lucidtalk poll. Sometimes "Ulster says NO" is not always the final answer.

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