Between war, inflation and the energy crisis, the dispute between the Northern Irish parties seems nickelly - from a Brussels as well as from a London perspective.
In vain have the Johnson, Truss and Sunak governments urged their perceived unionist DUP allies to form a government with nationalist Sinn Féin under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement - confident that London will resolve the issue of the Brexit-created "sea border" between Northern Ireland and the rest of the kingdom, whether with Brussels or against Brussels.
But from a Belfast point of view, the border issue is not irrelevant.
The DUP complains that goods from the mother country are missing or have become more expensive.
It is silent about the economic and political consequences that would ensue if the de facto external border of the EU internal market were to split up the Emerald Isle instead.
The DUP sees itself backed into a corner
The only way out of this dilemma would be to tie the Kingdom more closely to the EU internal market.
However, this is not getting any closer with the new elections that the DUP is now enforcing with its intransigence.
Would an even weaker result than in May motivate you to be more flexible?
Unlikely.
The strengthening of both the nationalist Sinn Féin and the competition in their own Unionist camp are pushing the practiced agitators into a corner.