Flags report: Author insists ‘progress’ has been made

By The Newsroom
Published 1st Dec 2021, 22:51 BST
Updated 1st Dec 2021, 23:04 BST
Dr Dominic Bryan from the Queen’s University’s Institute of Irish Studies at the The Union Flag: Change and Diversity exhibition in the Naughton Gallery at Queen’s. The exhibition, which features almost 40 versions of the Union Flag, will run at the Naughton Gallery until 10 June 2012 (Tuesday-Sunday, 11am-4pm). Admission is free.Dr Dominic Bryan from the Queen’s University’s Institute of Irish Studies at the The Union Flag: Change and Diversity exhibition in the Naughton Gallery at Queen’s. The exhibition, which features almost 40 versions of the Union Flag, will run at the Naughton Gallery until 10 June 2012 (Tuesday-Sunday, 11am-4pm). Admission is free.
Dr Dominic Bryan from the Queen’s University’s Institute of Irish Studies at the The Union Flag: Change and Diversity exhibition in the Naughton Gallery at Queen’s. The exhibition, which features almost 40 versions of the Union Flag, will run at the Naughton Gallery until 10 June 2012 (Tuesday-Sunday, 11am-4pm). Admission is free.
One of the academics behind the new report on flags, identity and cultural traditions has insisted “progress” has been made on the issues covered with “consensus” on a number of divisive topics.

Dr Dominic Bryan, one of the chairs of the commission responsible for the report, made the comments in a radio interview yesterday in advance of its publication.

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster, Dr Bryan said: “I think we’ve moved forward in significant ways and I hope when people read it they feel this real positive stuff about what we can do in a diverse society.”

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He continued: “As has already been reported we haven’t got agreement on some things but I think it’s important to remember we’ve got five political parties who have given us consensus on – I’m told – 44 recommendations.

“I hope people will be pleased that all of our main political parties have found consensus on ways of talking about cultural rights, for instance. We got agreement through all the political parties on these issues.”

On the failure of Stormont’s Executive Office to publish the report until now, Dr Bryan said: “I can’t speak for why the Executive Office haven’t been able to get it through but there are quite a lot of complexities going on here around the cultural area – including two new language commissions being set up, the setting up of an office of identity and cultural expression which was in the New Deal New Approach, and all of this stuff has been going forward.

“And all of this is in the mix so, in fairness to them [the Executive Office], there are quite a lot of complexities into how you move this forward.”

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Dr Bryan also said the report had sought to find ways to enable, rather than restrict, “cultural practice”.

“If you look at bonfires, for example, they are surrounded by a whole lot of legislation which is really nothing to do with the celebrations and commemorations which bonfires are part of,” he said. “And they sort of get in the way.

“So this report is starting to look at the legislative areas and we are suggesting ways that will enable cultural practice.

“We haven’t set out in this to stop anybody doing anything. Actually, contrary to that, we look at ways people can be enabled to do things within the law.”

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He said there was “less progress” on the topic of flags in public areas.

Dr Bryan added: “With the flags on public buildings, that is the one area of all of our chapters where I think we got less progress and I think we are all disappointed at that.”