 leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has opted for the political grind, giving up his summer holidays in the hope of avoiding the nuclear option for Stormont. Already the intrigue is starting to build as the DUP leader this week faced down his critics who he accused of trying to damage the party. It was just one line in an email to members about wider unionist unity but a line which shone a light on old wounds clearly not yet healed. Sir Jeffrey was not available to be questioned about the email; it was, for him, an internal party matter. But that left the space free for those same critics he called out to give their take on the leader's swipe. Opinions ranged from Sir Jeffrey is feeling the heat, getting frustrated and now biting back, to questions about his judgement, putting the focus back on party in-fighting and away from the government talks on the protocol. But there was no sense of any push against the leader. Maybe, said one Sir Jeffrey critic, too much is being made of the email at a time when there is little else on the political front to report. But the timing cannot be ignored. The email landed with members after a week in which the party leadership poured over and debated the government's response to the DUP's protocol demands. It was signed off before the prime minister left for California, but it offered very little new, according to one senior DUP source. "We are not into window dressing or comfort words, we need to see real meaningful change to restore Northern Irelan){kind=link}
It is the big summer dilemma which continues to divide cinema goers.
Getting immersed in fantasy with a guaranteed happy-ever-after ending or toiling through a long, drawn-out grind full of political intrigue.
Decisions, decisions.
You could say Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has taken the first option and gone to his happy place.
He is currently in California where he first met his wife and where he is treating his daughters to the delights of Disneyland.