On the longest day of the year throughout the UK, although we still have most of the Summer ahead of us, we all know that from this evening, the nights will begin to get longer. That is as true throughout Ireland as it is on the mainland. On a political level the impact of  the false promises in recent weeks by both the Tories and the DUP is beginning to show on the day selected for the Queens speech. This speech is being promoted as the Westminster agenda for the next two years, not one, even though it is clear we will have an election within 3-18 months, just as soon as the Tories have found a successor to Theresa May and judge they stand a chance of increasing the number of seats they currently have. The voters of Northern Ireland gave the DUP a clear mandate and part of that mandate as this poster shows was to ensure that they offer an alternative to the Tories. That an agreement is still unresolved is hardly a surprise given the rumours of demands over additional money for the region and marching agreements. These both indicate why such a deal would be toxic for the Tories, even though it might make their electoral calculations a bit easier. A further complication is the idea that was expressed very clearly by the Conservatives throughout the campaign and by the Government of Southern Ireland, that they would keep the border between Northern Ireland and Eire open and clear. This is a key element of the Good Friday agreement which granted rights to all residents of the Ireland to Irish citizenship. The first days negotiation with the EU gave a clear signal that they will not tolerate such a grey area in an final agreement. If they agree to a soft border in Ireland it will then become even harder to address border issues in mainland Europe which lie at the heart of the reasons why some people in the UK voted to leave the EU. We cannot seriously expect Europe to open its borders just to give us a good settlement or to protect the Good Friday agreement. Those are our areas of responsibility, not theirs.