evidence: Much of the wrangling and negotiating that followed—including the much-publicized disputes over the so-called backstop and the Northern Ireland Protocol, both of which established trade barriers in the Irish Sea—were aimed at mollifying nationalist concerns. [...] In a last-ditch effort to reform the protocol and secure Northern Ireland’s place inside the United Kingdom, the DUP—Northern Ireland’s largest pro-Union political grouping—withdrew from the region’s governing bodies, refusing to reengage until substantive changes were made to the Protocol. Although the DUP’s boycott has come under intense criticism from nationalist politicians, it’s extremely popular among unionists. According to one poll from LucidTalk, nearly two-thirds of unionists believe their politicians should refuse to reenter the regional executive until the protocol is either changed or scrapped entirely.