Dr David Hume, Director of Services of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland, said the Boyne was not a parochial battle and Orangemen must not be a parochial people.
"In 1690 the Boyne was both a national and a European battle. We should remember this," said Dr Hume at Coleraine.
"Nowadays there are many people who would not want us to be reminded of the milestones in our history as a nation; the Reformation,
the defeat of the Spanish Armada, the Battle of the Boyne, the Gunpowder plot, the Battle of Britain, and much more.
"There appears to be a culture in our society of not mentioning such things, a culture of neutrality which is permeating much of our society and which is actually harming our communities.
"We have seen moves in Ulster to remove symbols of our British identity from council buildings and to intimidate unionist representatives through threats of legal actions if they do not tow the line," he said.
"There is much talk these days of the Government's 'Shared Future' strategy, but we could be forgiven for wondering how much of a share the unionist community will have, once the platitudes are cast aside.
"The truth is that lip service is being paid to this concept.
It's only going to be a shared future if you share in the views of the bureaucrats behind the scenes – the people who don't like centre stage but who want to bring the curtains down on your unionist culture and symbols.
"You can share in their future if you don't mind bringing down the flags and the bunting, removing the Royal Coat of Arms, taking away plaques, statues and, of course, removing names that offend – like the London in Londonderry.
"Nationalism thrives on this concept and demands that the symbols of our identity are removed. That makes us neutral. And it provides a net gain for nationalism. There is a crucial difference here: the symbols of the state are precisely that, symbols of an established state, whereas the aspirations of nationalists are precisely that - aspirations. Dismantling the symbols of the state is a very dangerous exercise.
"But in general terms, the danger in the politically correct pursuit of 'neutrality' is that it will encourage those on the fringes to take ownership of symbols. Is that not why the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Gordon Brown, warned in 2006 in relation to the Union Flag that: "Instead of the BNP using it as a symbol of racial division, the flag should be a symbol of unity and part of a modern expression of patriotism too,"
"All in the United Kingdom should honour it, not ignore it. We should assert that the Union Flag by definition is a flag for tolerance and inclusion."
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