Jon Burrows sounds warning over Drumcree - saying it must be resolved without creating new parading disputes
A resolution must be found to the decades-old dispute at Drumcree – but it must be done in a way which avoids creating new parading rows or undermining the progress Northern Ireland has made, the Ulster Unionist Party leader has said.
Jon Burrows says that “precious gains” over parading must not be taken for granted – and the reduction in contentious marches in recent years has strengthened good relations and improved events for everyone.
The North Antrim MLA has also welcomed the Orange Order bringing “serious flaws” within the Parades Commission to light – and said a reformed body with a legal right of appeal must now emerge.
His comments come as the Orange Order are set to announce their bid for a return march down the Garvaghy Road in Portadown, having been banned since 1998.
Images from the 1990s of thousands of Orangemen halted at police lines, and the subsequent violence, have once again come to prominence after a landmark legal challenge last week.
A decision by the Parades Commission to block a bid by Portadown Orangeman to make their return parade from a church service at Drumcree was quashed by the High Court.
A fresh application will now be submitted for the walk down the Garvaghy Road, after the previous decision by the quango was ruled unlawful.
One of the six commissioners, Billy Gamble, has already quit in the wake of last Tuesday’s judgment pointing out flaws in the body’s decision making over the parade application.
The body is now to face a judge-led independent review of its operations – ordered by the Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant.
Speaking to the News Letter, UUP leader Jon Burrows says any resolution to the Drumcree dispute must not “undo the hard won gains” made across the community in Northern Ireland.
He said: “It is vitally important that calm heads and reasoned voices prevail at this time.
“Portadown District has brought serious flaws within the Parades Commission to light. The objective must now be clear: a reformed Commission that is transparent and accountable, and whose determinations can be challenged through a statutory right of appeal.
“Alongside that, we must find a resolution to the Drumcree dispute itself. This must be achieved without creating new parade disputes or reversing Northern Ireland’s remarkable progress.
“Over the past decade we have seen a huge reduction in parade-related objections, disputes and disorder. That has strengthened good relations, benefited our economy, and allowed parades to take place in a more relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere with a greatly reduced security presence. These are precious gains and they must not be taken for granted.
“Any application from Portadown District must be considered on its merits, fairly, objectively and in accordance with the law. However, it will be determined by the same Commission found to have acted unlawfully in its handling of the previous notification. That risks undermining public confidence and inviting further legal challenge.
“The Secretary of State should therefore act to replace the current commissioners. Unionism is united in supporting this. The judge-led review must also be empowered to make substantive recommendations for reform, including a proper appeals mechanism.
“Every political leader has a responsibility to encourage engagement and to help resolve this dispute without creating others. There must be mutual respect for culture and for the right to express it peacefully and lawfully. What is needed is a resolution that all those affected can live with, pursued through the law and through dialogue, with a shared determination not to undo the hard won gains made across our community.”
Last Tuesday, addressing a High Court hearing on an Orange Order appeal against a recent Parades Commission determination on Drumcree, Mr Justice MicAlinden said it was “a case which does not stand up to any scrutiny at all”.
In scathing comments about the commission’s processes, the judge said he had “no hesitation” in making the ruling – said and that to ensure public confidence in the event of “shortcuts” and “sloppy procedures” it was important the details were placed in the public domain.
The commission conceded the challenge, brought by a legal team including Jamie Bryson and former Northern Ireland Attorney General John Larkin.
Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart has hailed the case as a “seismic victory” after 28 years.