In January 2017, the power-sharing executive in Northern Ireland collapsed following a dispute between the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Féin over the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal. The collapse of the executive led to a period of political stalemate that lasted for three years. The collapse was a major setback for the peace process and highlighted the fragility of the political institutions.

The collapse of the executive is a subject of political poetry, with writers lamenting the failure of power-sharing. The collapse is often contrasted with the hopes of the Good Friday Agreement, creating a sense of disappointment. The poetry of the period reflects the frustrations of the peace process, a theme that would persist in the literature of the late 2010s.