The two sides traded blame for failing to break a stalemate that has left Northern Ireland's 1.8 million people without a functioning administration for more than a year. "We had a way forward on all the issues," said Michelle O'Neill, the party's leader in Northern Ireland. Same-sex marriage was also an obstacle to the two parties — it's illegal in Northern Ireland, but legal in the rest of the United Kingdom and in Ireland. Civil servants have run the government in Northern Ireland since the administration collapsed, with major spending and policy decisions deferred. Britain's Northern Ireland Secretary, Karen Bradley, said in the absence of a Northern Ireland administration "other challenging decisions will have to be taken by the U.K.

Source: ABC News February 14, 2018 16:39 UTC