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Mediator appointed to Northern Ireland Parades Commission
Thursday, 23 July 2009
A community worker and mediator was appointed to the Parades Commission in Northern Ireland today.
Edwin Graham takes up post on August 1 and will help adjudicate on controversial marches.
An upsurge in violence on July 13 saw dozens of police officers injured in clashes with republicans in Ardoyne, north Belfast, following an Orange Order parade through the area.
Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward said: "The Parades Commission plays an important role in our society and Mr Graham's experience and perspective will be a welcome addition to the organisation.
"Mr Graham is well qualified for the post and I am confident that he will make a valuable contribution to the work of the team.
"The Parades Commission continues its important work and remains the final arbiter in parades matters. I encourage all communities in Northern Ireland to engage openly with the Commission."
Mr Graham spent his career as a community worker and is involved with all sections of society. He has several roles in the public and voluntary sectors and had worked as an authorised officer for the Commission to try to understand grassroots concerns and find a consensus.
He will be employed at the Commission until December 2009 and earn £19,000 a year for two days a week.
Rena Shepherd replaced Roger Poole as chairman of the Commission on July 20.
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Grow up you bigots. You're in the minority and depend on fear and violence to achieve your goals. The majority of decent people don't mind parades of any shade. Rather than always whinging about the problem, get involved at the local level and come up with positive solutions. Live in the present, not the past.
As a catholic, I ask you to think about all the illegal republican monuments intentionaly located to cause intimidation, fear and ethnic cleansing. If you expect equality and respect, show some for God sake.
Good luck Edwin
Posted by Francis | 07.08.09, 15:49 GMT
The very fact that a Parades Comission is needed in the first place says that there is something wrong with the parades.
Posted by Fred | 24.07.09, 16:13 GMT
Where's the scope for mediation?
These parades are about the unionist/loyalist compulsion to force sectarian marches through nationalist areas.
Its 2009. If your 'culture' necessitates coat trailing displays of bigotry through communities where great offence is caused. You have more problems that parades
Posted by gearoid | 23.07.09, 23:48 GMT
We need to disband this arbitrary body asap.
British subjects (regardless of political affiliation) have the right to demonstrate on any British road system...end of argument.
Posted by tommy hall | 23.07.09, 21:27 GMT
Belfast is a capital city in the UK so we're afforded the same equal rights as other UK citizens and that is the right to free assembly,thats what makes our country so great.
Your reference to the Boyne smacks of ignorance,the term loyalist refers to our loyalty to the crown so obviously we celebrate all victories by our crown forces from 1690 and beyond to present day Afghanistan
The rioting on the 13th july was a blatant racist sectarian attack on a peaceful dignified lawful parade passing a row of closed shops at 730pm on a bank holiday on a main arterial route and despite the blinkered views of some,there are still 1000s of protestants livin in Ardoyne and we deserve the right to return home without being attacked by bigots who enjoy the same rights to peaceful protest but cant control their hatred of all things Protestant and British
Posted by cally | 23.07.09, 20:50 GMT
Does anyone know who is in the Parades Commision?. How many people are there and how much are they paid. Sounds like a secret society to me. Also Mr Graham takes up his post in August 2009 and is employed until December 2009 according to the article. It does not look like he will be overworked.
Posted by Trevor | 23.07.09, 19:29 GMT
Let them keep their bigoted marches in their own areas. That way they can celebrate the triumph of some king (a foreign Dutch king over a native English one at that, how's that for Loyalism) over another some 400 odd years ago in a wet field in county Meath and not disturbe other (sane) members of society.
Posted by Maynooth | 23.07.09, 16:13 GMT