Fairly early on in the peace process, there was a bit of stir over Sinn Fein finding the listening devices planted by the British guvmint in their cars, offices, etc.

I don't recall the institutions being suspended over that spying incident "at the highest levels".

This latest slap in the face to the republican community has nothing whatsoever to do with spying. It has very much to do with the British and British leaning politicians being bloody eejits. They don't have the support of the electorate, because they do things like suspending the government, and replacing it with so-called "home rule" (which is nothing more than a euphemism for returning to the pre-GFA British police state).

Sure, this will hurt Sinn Fein in the run up to the spring elections, won't it now?