Actor Liam Neeson has issued a blunt message to Northern Ireland politicians to get back to work.
The Co Antrim-born Hollywood star expressed frustration at the Stormont impasse over post-Brexit trading arrangements.
The devolved powersharing institutions collapsed more than a year ago over the DUP’s opposition to the Northern Ireland protocol.
The EU and UK recently agreed a deal to address issues with the post-Brexit protocol trading arrangements, but the DUP has yet to sign up to the new Windsor Framework agreement and Stormont remains down.
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The framework would reduce checks on Northern Ireland destined goods arriving from Britain with the creation of a green lane, with products set for onward transit into the Republic entering via a red lane.
In an interview on RTÉ’s Late Late Show, New York-based Neeson (70), was asked whether he keeps up to date with political developments back home.
“I try to,” he said.
“Certainly, with the whole [Northern Ireland] protocol and stuff there’s a part of you wants to say ‘come on for God’s sake, we are talking about sausages here and the sh*t that’s going on in the Middle East and Ukraine of course’.
“But they’re working their way through it and, you know, there’s no border and there’s going to be a green lane and a red lane.
“How many months did that take to think ‘hey, let’s think of a green lane and a red lane’?
“And get back to work for God’s sake. You are drawing a salary. Get back to work, represent the people, all the people.”
Neeson currently stars in Marlowe, which will be his 100th film, and tells the story of a brooding, down on his luck detective hired to find the ex-lover of a glamorous heiress in Los Angeles.
His role of detective Phillip Marlowe is based on the character created by author Raymond Chandler.