The British felt the issue of Northern Ireland, was settled, but Brexit reopened it. Since 2007, Northern Ireland has been jointly controlled by the two historic enemies, the DUP and Sinn Féin who cooperated smoothly under the 1998 power-sharing agreement. The UK favoured Brexit because of the English vote, in which Irish issues were rarely discussed. The decision for Brexit which upset a delicate balance and focused attention on the century-old partition of Ireland. The snap general election called by Prime Minister Theresa May in 2017 gave the DUP--the party founded by hard-liner Protestant Ian Paisley--a decisive role. The role of the 10 Unionist Democratic MPs opposing any differential treatment for Northern Ireland blocked the implementation of Brexit and provoked another snap election in 2019. Memory mattered as people recalled the unpleasantries of the past such as the bloody Irish War of Independence and the 50th anniversary of the civil rights movement and the outbreak of the Troubles. Nevertheless observers reported a growing element of people from Northern Ireland are seeking to escape the traditional dichotomy between orange and green.