Veterans' commissioners old and new lament rejection of Armed Forces Covenant by nationalist councillors in Belfast
Both the current and former veterans’ commissioners for Northern Ireland have decried a decision by Belfast City Council to reject the Armed Forces Covenant.
Ex-commissioner Danny Kinahan said that the covenant itself is “harmless”, and his successor David Johnstone said the move was “very disappointing”.
They were reacting to the latest twist in an ongoing story about the council and the covenant.
As reported previously, the council’s unionist bloc, plus the Alliance Party, voted in favour of endorsing the covenant by a single vote at January’s monthly meeting of the full council, over the objections of the SDLP, Sinn Fein, and People Before Profit.
The February meeting of the full council took place on Monday night this week, during which the matter came back before councillors for a second vote.
This time the nationalist bloc on the council pulled together enough votes to overturn the January decision, also by a single vote.
The covenant is a pledge drawn up by the government in 2011 to "all those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces of the Crown and their families".
It states that "the whole nation has a moral obligation to the members of the Naval Service, the Army and the Royal Air Force, together with their families", that "they deserve our respect and support, and fair treatment", and that they "should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services".
Speaking on Monday night, the originator of the covenant motion, the DUP’s councillor James Lawlor, suggested that the SDLP and Sinn Fein regularly grandstand about equality in the council chamber, adding: “They cannot have it both ways. They cannot be the standard-bearers for equality while denying it to our veterans.”
In the wake of the vote, which was 29 to 28, Mr Johnstone told the News Letter: "In reality, if you boil it down, it means there are 29 councillors in Belfast City Council who don’t believe in equality, who are happy to discriminate against a section of their own citizens.
"In 2025 that’s just very, very disappointing in terms of that’s where we still are and the mindset of some when it comes to issues of equality and discrimination.”
It had been said by one objector to the motion that the covenant is not about equality, but rather “preferential treatment”.
Mr Johnston said: “That’s just a false narrative to be honest… it is absolutely not about advantage, it is simply to present disadvantage.”
Mr Johnstone’s predecessor in the role, Mr Kinahan (who resigned as commissioner last September), also told the News Letter: “I think it’s extremely sad. It’s really important people realise that the Armed Forces are from all sides of the community.
"They are there for the whole country, in whatever way you look at it, and I think therefore should be given thought by every council.
"I think the Armed Forces Covenant is harmless… it sets a really good example of not just how you look after Armed Forces but how you look after anyone who is there in defence of the state and the democracy that we have.”