Kevin Doyle: 'Brexit 'the new climate change' - the solution is obvious, but too difficult'

For now that might keep her in No 10 Downing Street but in the long term it's not a sustainable strategy.

With doubts growing about her ability to get a deal over the line in parliament, people are already looking to what happens next.

The prime minister has warned MPs it's her deal, no deal or no Brexit at all.

Taking the offer on the table certainly seems like the most sensible move, but there's nothing rational about what is happening in London.

The reality is that the more outlandish and damaging choices are also the more likely ones to be picked.

The UK political system seems determined to self-harm and hurt the rest of us in the process.

It's like how we all realise driving diesel cars and burning turf is slowly killing us but decide to anyway.

Many believe it's happening so slowly it's actually a problem for the next generation.

At least that's the latest analogy swirling around in Government Buildings in Dublin.

Sources are describing the Brexit issue as "the new climate change".

In other words, the experts have diagnosed the problem and know the solution - but actual efforts to solve it could be years away.

Part of the problem is the difficulty in getting people interested. And even then taking the measures to mitigate the impacts is inconvenient to daily life and tedious.

It's well over two years since the UK referendum, but we take only flashes of interest in what's actually happening with Brexit.

Every now and again the situation reaches some sort of peak and we all get very excited. Then we go back to real life, paying the bills and watching sport.

This week feels slightly different but it's possible that in a few weeks' time we'll be putting Brexit on the back burner again.

The little-talked-about 'fou-rth way' to get over the turmoil currently taking place in Westminster is to kick the can down the road.

Right now, there is no deal that would satisfy a majority of MPs in the UK parliament.

Tánaiste Simon Coveney said as much yesterday in the Dáil when he noted that people are musing there isn't "a majority for any way forward in Westminster".

The UK is due to leave the EU on March 29, 2019. That's what was agreed when Article 50 was triggered.

But if Mrs May was to write to the EU asking for an extension to that deadline, she could get one.

The remaining 27 EU member states would have to agree to it, which could be a push.

Ministers suggest Ireland would support a delaying of 'Brexit Day' rather than face the prospect of a disorderly exit.

Other countries might not be so open-minded, though. Mrs May has negotiated a deal and any attempt to reopen those talks would go down very badly across Europe.

While Brexit is top of the agenda here, France and Germany would rather put resources into resolving the migrant crisis, implementing a digital tax or setting up a European army.

In any case, an attempt to extend Article 50 might only drag out the inevitable. This time next year we could find ourselves having exactly the same debate, which is in nobody's interest.

So planning for all eventualities must continue apace.

Mr Coveney told the Irish Independent yesterday that he believes Mrs May can be "tough, resilient and persuasive" in the days ahead.

Last night, she put her best face forward to tell reporters: "Am I going to see this through? Yes."

Mr Coveney described the scenes in Westminster as "very divisive and somewhat chaotic". That was an understatement and we've probably reached our limit of hysteria.

Delaying Brexit might be the best idea - but how much more of UK politics can we take.

Irish Independent