Editorial: Parades Commission chiefs must go after losing cross-community support

The position of the current commissioners on the body charged with resolving parading disputes in Northern Ireland is untenable, given that they have lost the support of one section of the community.​

As the Secretary of State himself pointed out this week, it is vital that the public has confidence in the decision-making process of the Parades Commission.

What is also obvious, is that it must be able to command broad support from both the unionist and nationalist traditions – otherwise there is a serious problem.

All three unionist leaders have now called for the current batch of commissioners to step down, following a damning High Court assessment of the processes they oversaw in relation to an application for a march at Drumcree.

What is different about this case, is that no political party has come out to defend the actions of the commission – because they are indefensible. The sloppy procedures they had in place are simply not good enough from any public body.

No nationalist politician wants to see a parade down the Garvaghy Road – even a modest one.

Thanks to the actions of the current commissioners, the entire issue has been reopened for the first time in decades – much to the annoyance of Sinn Fein.

They have sought to accuse unionists of raking up the past – but it is the Parades Commission and its actions where they should be directing their anger.

With unionist parties wanting them out, and nationalist parties not exactly leaping to their defence, it should be a matter of when, not if, there are big changes at the top of this organisation.

What must emerge afterwards is an organisation looking at every case on merit, regardless of the history or political pressures – including at Drumcree.