SO after the snap general election, a hung parliament result few expected, and a delayed Queen’s Speech we appear to have some certainty.

On Monday the long-awaited DUP deal was finally announced, securing a majority on key Commons votes in Parliament for Prime Minister Theresa May’s government.

There are concerns people have raised about this deal, not least where this leaves the power-sharing government in Northern Ireland.

That is crucial as the deadline for the Stormont talks ends this Thursday.

If the parties involved cannot reach agreement direct rule could follow in Northern Ireland, and a fear of a return to the Troubles.

Conservative MPs have made it clear they believe it won’t damage these talks. But perception is often key in politics, and images of DUP MPs standing next to the PM are not helpful for talks in which the British government is meant to be neutral.

Added to this is the row over the money involved in the deal, £1 billion extra cash being promised to Northern Ireland in the next two years.

Many have argued they are not opposed to extra cash and investment, but the key is will there be fairness in the funding for the rest of the UK? The PM also spoke of a “coalition of chaos” throughout her election campaign, while other Tories warned that the SNP would hold Labour to ransom over extra cash for Scotland in exchange for votes if there was a minority Labour government.

It remains to be seen whether the PM and the government as a whole will be damaged in the long term by this deal, but I have my doubts anyway that this minority government can last until 2022.

As I wrote last week, Labour’s minority government of 1974 lasted only a few months before a second election was called later that year.

It will only take a few backbench Tory MPs to rebel, or DUP support pulled to cause a crisis. That moment could be a catalyst to the PM being forced out and a Conservative leadership contest, and potentially lead to another general election.

All this could be going on just as Brexit talks reach critical points too.

I started this column by referring to the certainty this announcement has created but the more I think about it, the more I wonder how much certainty there really is right now.