Dan O’Brien: No good options for Ireland as Brexit nightmare goes from bad to worse

Even if the British government backs down on its threat to ditch the protocol, prospects for a calming of tensions in Northern Ireland are bleak

Anti-Brexit protesters in London: London is relentlessly pushing back on the Northern Ireland protocol which was agreed two years ago between the EU and the British government. Picture: Rob Pinney/Getty

Ireland's Brexit nightmare is going from bad to worse. The downward dynamic towards a no-deal outcome that has haunted the negotiation process since the British referendum on EU membership more than five years ago looks as powerful as it has ever been.

Any unilateral action by London will be followed by retaliation by Brussels, and that could mean more barriers to trade for Ireland. If your business trades with Britain, or if you use British-sourced ...