Just when you think the flag issue has been done and dusted for another year, here it is back again – thanks to a Belfast City Council motion from the Alliance Party.
The motion emerged at committee level at Belfast City Council and called for a public consultation on the flags.
The flags issue has been predictably toxic this year, and has been marked by fairly dogmatic positions from a number of local parties.
I took note of the Alliance Party press release on the matter which signals a climb down from their earlier call for the removal of all flags on publicly owned land. Specifically:
“Flags are often displayed as symbols of marking territory in the community, intimidating residents and visitors, and can even impact businesses’ ability to trade. However, a shared future does not mean a neutral, nondescript future. The right to display legal emblems and flags in a safe and respectful manner is a legitimate way to express your culture.”
I welcome the shift from Alliance and the acknowledgment that a shared space doesn’t mean a neutral space.
Cllr Mc Donough Brown in July talked about the election of Union flags in South Belfast as “wrong.” Alliance’s move away from this simplistic rhetoric can only be good for community cohesion across our city.
The Green Party voted for the removal of paramilitary flags but we didn’t support Alliance’s call for the removal of all flags. This is because we believe that a shared space doesn’t mean a neutral space.
Politics is about making positive change rather than peddling populist, unworkable ideas. I want to make positive change and I want to see that change happen in the communities that need it the most.
The working class communities of our city have carried the weight of the flags issue across the years. When we are talking about flags and emblems we often taking about communities facing serious socio economic challenges.
Many people within these communities feel left behind – ignored, abandoned and held to hostage by paramilitary criminals masquerading as community representatives.
We failed the people of the New Lodge and Lower East Belfast this summer and the reality for some across this city is that the threat of violence isn’t far from their doorstep. If we are to be serious about peace building and giving people hope, then it’s time for the Twitter populism to be set aside.
Constantly shouting no at each other, has gotten us nowhere to this point and in some cases, has made divisions worse. ‘No’ is a cop out, a comfort blanket and political cowardice.
If this flags consultation is to work, then it needs to be more than a tick box exercise, it needs to reach out right across this city and engage all corners. The replies may be uncomfortable listening for some, but we can’t attempt to bypass people, just because we don’t like what they’ve got to say.
Progressive parties need to come up with progressive solutions, and these solutions may challenge us and push our preconceived ideas to the limit. But to sit on our arses and twiddle our thumbs is to do a massive disservice to the citizens of this city.
Image licensed by Flickr.
Brian Smyth is a Councillor from the Green Party, representing Lisnasaharragh DEA, Belfast City Council. Tweets at @briansmyth99
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