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Wednesday, 08 September 2010

Parades Commission 'may be reappointed'

Rioting in the Ardoyne continues for a fourth night

The Parades Commission will be reappointed in January if local politicians fail to reach agreement on controversial marches, the Secretary of State has said.

Owen Paterson told a committee of MPs that a power vacuum forcing police to decide the route of some parades would be unacceptable.

Dozens of police officers were injured during three nights of rioting in north Belfast in July following a contentious Loyal Order parade through the area.

This summer the Orange Order rejected draft parades legislation and refused to take part in a consultation process.

But Mr Paterson warned the clock was ticking for local politicians to make up their minds.

"If they don't we will have to set in train actions which will reappoint a Parades Commission by January next year," he said.

The draft Public Assemblies, Parades and Protests Bill has already been consulted on and is due to go through the Northern Ireland Assembly this autumn.

It was drawn up following the report of the working group on parades set up following agreement on the devolution of policing and justice at Hillsborough.

Mr Paterson said he regretted the violence in Ardoyne which left 80 police injured in battles with suspected dissident republicans.

One policewoman had a piece of masonry dropped on her head.

But the Secretary of State added: "Most parades went off peacefully."

"Those organising must remember that there is this tiny (violent) number. Is it really worth it for those small number of parades to have that whole image of parading distorted on world television?"

"I think the Parades Commission has done a good job, it took away the difficulty of embroiling the police in difficult decisions on routing, they have resolved the vast majority of contentious parades."

"It is absolutely not an option to leave a hole."

Upper Bann Democratic DUP MP David Simpson said he was concerned by the prospect of a reconstituted commission and said it had been a "fundamental disaster".

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3 Comments

At 11:29 on 09 September 2010, Ulysses32 wrote:

Yeah, Tom, 3 - 4,000 parades a year. How constrictive and repressive of the Parades Commission. Don't equate Unionism with such a sectarian organisation as the Orange Order, by the way. I'm sure you could find a Unionist politician who is indifferent to the Orange Order's bigotted intransigence..................some where.

At 06:32 on 09 September 2010, seamas wrote:

There are 4000 Loyal Order Parades every year. The Parades Commission place restrictions on or ban about 30. That’s a staggeringly high approval rate. How on earth can anyone claim the Commission is anti parading or anti Orange? If they think that they’re simply not dealing with reality! The real significance of the Parades Commission is its very existence and the fact that Orangemen must now seek permission to march. That’s what really irks the Loyal Orders. It’s the having to ask whatever the answer turns out to be. They think they have a predestined God given right to march anywhere, anytime they like. For them that’s what being a Protestant in protestant Ulster is all about. Being able to rub your catholic neighbour’s nose in it anytime you like while he is powerless to stop it. And that’s why they rejected the alternative to the Commission. Because it still involved having to ask. Unfortunately for the Loyal Orders times have changed. The genie is out of the bottle and he’s not going back. The PC is part of a process of change to house train the Orange Order. They have to follow the same rules of society as everyone else. We don’t have a protestant Ulster anymore.

At 17:20 on 08 September 2010, Tom wrote:

David Simpson is right, as the Parades Commission must go, they do nothing for orange order parades! But I myself wonder what difference would the 6 man working group of DUP/Sinn Fein work? I fear for the Orange culture with these people pulling the strings- Drumcree was the start, and now Rasharkin/ Ardoyne will most likely change! Sad times for Unionism.