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‘Parades must be resolved before justice devolved’
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
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First Minister Peter Robinson last night told MPs of the “political imperative” to resolve issues of parading in the province before policing and justice powers are devolved.
The DUP leader said that “community confidence” was a necessary requirement for the transfer of such powers.
Last week the Prime Minister unveiled a plan of almost £1 billion to devolve policing and justice powers to the Assembly, promising further aid if paramilitary violence erupts.
Gordon Brown has held lengthy talks with Mr Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness on a deal to see unionists and republicans share responsibility for Northern Ireland's justice system.
But last night Mr Robinson warned that issues of parading needed to be resolved before this could take place.
In a DUP-led debate in the Commons, he said: “To leave these issues unresolved and to devolve powers of policing and justice would plant a seed at the heart of government in Northern Ireland which I believe would be corrosive and divisive and which ultimately could in fact be the straw that breaks the camel's back.”
The First Minister also called for abolition of the Parades Commission. Mr Robinson said the commission was “not a solution to problems but part of the problem itself”.
Northern Ireland Minister Paul Goggins said the debate demonstrated there were issues that remained to be resolved.
He told MPs: “Difficulties surrounding parading can only and will only be resolved when there is engagement at political and local level, when there is understanding of and respect of different opinions and when we move away from thinking in terms of winners or losers.”
SDLP spokesman Eddie McGrady said the Parades Commission had done some good work, pointing to the fact that this summer's marching season had seen little violence.
“If we are going to fix this thing that is failing,” he said, “all communities want to know how you are going to do it as a betterment, not simply at the behest of one party's demand or justification for the devolution of policing and justice.”
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Comments
37 Comments
mark "Sectarianism must not be allowed to masquerade as culture
any longer, future generations deserve better!"
It's the intolerance of bigots like you mark, which hammers yet more nails into the oft peddled myth "Ireland of Equals". Keep up the good work. Doing more damage to 'uniting Ireland' than you could ever imagine.....
Posted by Mc | 29.10.09, 19:13 GMT
John you said - "Why can the people who oppose these parades not look back at the time when they sat on the sidewalk and enjoyed the parades. It wasn't until SF decided to use them as a political football that this problem raised it ugly head."
How old do you think we are? Did a time ever exist that Nationalists weren't opposed to the Orange DisOrder marching in their areas? Not in my 30 years of life, in the hundred years before? I doubt it......
Take off those rose coloured glasses!!!
Posted by NonRevisionist | 29.10.09, 18:36 GMT
I don't think the forum about this article should be about parades being desirable or not. It should be about: what is the logic (if there is any!) behind mr. Robinsons idea and why is he erecting just another stumbling block.
Grow up all of you and adress the real issue!
Posted by Jan | 29.10.09, 17:38 GMT
The parades of Ulster are nothing but a movement of one color propaganda forced on all colors of Ulster.
Posted by phl | 29.10.09, 16:25 GMT
its obvious the nationlists and unionists are basically the same they both wont bend an inch ,therefore there will never be peace here ,dissidents you might as well stop ,southern ireland could not cope with a lot of reluctant unionists in united ireland and they look on northern catholics as troublemakers which is why sinn fein always does bad ,also there are a terrible lot of wasters ,think the world owes them a living they would be the same down south malcontents
Posted by w. gould | 29.10.09, 16:04 GMT
Des - I have no idea what your question implies. My point was simply that the Parades Commission has been instrumental in calming the parades issue, and that I find it difficult to understand why Peter Robinson now feels parading issues require a 'political imperative'.
Posted by Bongo | 29.10.09, 10:58 GMT
now why are you upsetting gerry for gods sake. didnt he just say in this very paper that orange parades will be welcome in the south. even he can see how important they will be. not only that but they actually won something. am sure he is fed up parading for lost causes and would love to be out there toe tapping as the flutes bands pass by.
Posted by billy | 28.10.09, 22:43 GMT
There is a saying, bigotry breeds bigotry, and this forum is a breeding ground.
Such simplistic and one sided bigoted veiws about parades; where is the tolerance and understanding, the equality of cultures, the respect for others???
Was it not this sort of nasty colonial thinking by the British that caused so much hurt in Ireland over the past 800 years by trying to banish everything Irish from Ireland, from the language, to sports, to culture.
Is trying to repeat that by wiping out everything British, protestant or unionist really the way forward? What some of the people posting here fail to realise is that your bigoted attitudes are what force many people to vote for the DUP in the first place.
Posted by Steven73 | 28.10.09, 20:43 GMT
Bongo
I wonder how many millions it cost for 30years of IRA violence?
Posted by Des | 28.10.09, 20:05 GMT
A lovely bit of reading!
Bring back the snakes and rid Ireland of christians!
Stephen
Posted by Stephen | 28.10.09, 20:00 GMT
Drive past Ardoyne shops on a Saturday morning at 8:00 am and the area is deserted.
Except when a parade is scheduled of course. In this case the local fascists are joined by other bully boys from all over our wee Province to attempt to prevent a lawful parade.
There's no live and let live with the greenshirt fascist thugs.
Posted by Perry | 28.10.09, 18:55 GMT
Traditions, blah. The whole violent and bigoted element has to be removed. Notice picture 34, "Taking a break" at Barnett's Demense. That drum has UFF on it. I assume that is not for Ulster Family Friendly? Unless I am mistaking this for some other three letter acronym, these people clearly support murdering thugs. Get rid of that element and maybe normal people would be more accepting. "Orangefest" indeed. It is just a whitewash until the rotten core is removed.
Posted by JLM | 28.10.09, 17:15 GMT
The First Minister also called for abolition of the Parades Commission. Mr Robinson said the commission was “not a solution to problems but part of the problem itself”.
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Having this guy deal with the "parades" issue is like asking Dracula for advice when developing a blood bank program.
Mr. Robinson, one last time, the way to solve this divisive "parades" issue to abolish them, at least on public streets!
The rest of the civilized world is watching and laughing and the N.Ireland is the joke!
Posted by Edward | 28.10.09, 17:06 GMT
Lets just ban everything, freedom in particular, today you can't say a thing without being Sectarian, Racist, Homophobic......
Why can the people who oppose these parades not look back at the time when they sat on the sidewalk and enjoyed the parades. It wasn't until SF decided to use them as a political football that this problem raised it ugly head.
So let's ban everything and stone anyone who opens there mouth.
Posted by John | 28.10.09, 16:56 GMT
If I were a member of the wider Unionist community I'd feel pretty aggravated at the constant pandering to a subsect of 40-odd thousand extremists, and how this dictated almost every single act taken by my elected representatives.
Posted by Scamallach | 28.10.09, 16:52 GMT
Maybe all parades should be allowed to go ahead. I am sure Mr. Robinson would welcome Sinn Fein commemorating the hunger strikes by parading through his neck of the woods. He is a big hearted fellow after all!
Posted by Jimbo | 28.10.09, 16:42 GMT
Rather like foxhunting, Orange marches (unless they are rebranded and modernised to be all-inclusive) are participated in by mostly bigots who see the writing on the wall. Robinson giving bread and circuses to the fools who he uses.
Posted by matt | 28.10.09, 16:18 GMT
All "political" parades should be banned for ten years then people from all stripes will say why did we have them in the first place.
Posted by James Doyle | 28.10.09, 15:58 GMT
As a distant onlooker to all of the parading and violence associated with it over the summer it makes one wonder why are there so many parades and why do these orangemen insist on parading in Catholic neighborhoods? It appears that these people are drawing a line in the sand and since there is still animosity below the surface it doesn't take much to set off an incident. No one has anything against parading to celebrate a victory but why for 3 months?
Posted by Robbie C | 28.10.09, 15:52 GMT
Mickey/MC/Mick-y
Ever heard of rememberance Sunday? Or maybe you prefer to 'honour' the dead of 2 world wars by drinking out of bags with knuckle dragging thugs whilst charging through areas chosen to maximise intimidation whilst waving sectarian flags/banners and 'singing' sectarian songs! All in the name of 'culture'.......................A genuine credit to the dead of 2 world wars? A genuine piece of 'half wittery' even by your standards
Face facts Mick, Ireland is moving on and leaving you behind! The vast majority of protestants can't abide these disgraceful tribal shows. They are widely viewed as an embarrassment to ALL of us in the North. Sectarianism must not be allowed to masquerade as culture any longer, future generations deserve better!
Posted by mark | 28.10.09, 15:14 GMT
37 Comments