Welcome defeat of Alliance Party bid to stop the flying the Union flag daily in Ards and North Down

The current policy of continuing to fly the Union flag all year round is in line with the recommendation from council officers and has been in effect for a number of years without any issue.

I therefore don’t see why something should be changed whenever it works and is not broken.

Had the policy been changed, this would have been used as evidence to paint the picture of an erosion of the unionist identity and culture.

I remember the 2012 flag decision at Belfast City Hall which saw a reduction in the days the Union flag was flown and I remember the protests that followed that went on for months.

I wrote my university dissertation on it at the time and I had learnt the impact that decision had made on community relations, which was largely negative.

I want to live in a Northern Ireland where people feel their identity and culture is respected.

Cognitive psychology tells us that humans react more strongly to loss than to gain.

Therefore, cognitive psychology should be taken into account in the decision-making process and I am happy to see that it has on this occasion and I hope it will be in future decisions going forward.

Michael Palmer, Ulster Unionist Party, Ards and North Down, Newtownards