Editorial: The latest talk around all Ireland is unhelpful to politics here, and should be contradicted by the UK government

The political rhetoric is moving quickly now, but it is not clear if political events will do so too. The former Alliance Party leader Lord Alderdice has said that, in the absence of Stormont, the direction of government will be towards joint authority. Meanwhile, Gerry Adams has issued a seemingly friendly appeal to unionists over an all Ireland, but in fact said things that are more like political menace or even taunting.

The former Sinn Fein president said that of the place of unionists in a so-called 'new Ireland': "Change is happening as we speak, and more change is on its way. It is important that unionists are involved in shaping this. Let it be very clear unionists have a place of right in the new Ireland. And we want them to be part of what we collectively create."

Those remarks sound generous, but are patently are not. Mr Adams is talking in classic Sinn Fein style to make unionists feel uncomfortable by implying first an unavoidable direction of travel, and then a sense that if unionists are not included they will be bypassed. He is also presenting SF as friends of unionists, which clearly they are not and have never been. No-one in the unionist community will be fooled.

Lord Alderdice's remarks are striking because he was leader of the Alliance Party at a time when it was unequivocally pro Union and for example strongly supportive of an RUC that has since become demonised by legacy allegations against it that are repeatedly cited out of context. Lord Alderdice has further been critical of EU intransigence over Northern Ireland since 2017. His remarks on joint authority are thus unhelpful. This should show the UK government clearly why it must rule out not just joint rule with Dublin but an increased say for the latter.