Facing up to thorny issues together

Following the July meeting of the Policing Board, Ulster Unionist MLA for Lagan Valley and Policing Board member Basil McCrea has criticised OFMDFM for its failure to tackle the issue of flying flags in Northern Ireland.

"The failure of OFMDFM to offer leadership on the issue of flag-flying puts the police in a very difficult situation. The PSNI has to police what it is faced with, but in this instance it is up to OFMDFM to take the lead.

"The flying of flags is a traditional and an integral part of culture in Northern Ireland. Unfortunately, when they are used to intimidate or left until they become a tattered eyesore their cultural role is undermined.

"There has been a distinct failure to tackle the difficult issue of flying flags in our communities. It is imperative that we do all that we can to resolve this issue once and for all. A flag should never be used to intimidate others or to mark territory. The Ulster Unionist Party is committed to building a Northern Ireland for all of us - an inclusive Northern Ireland, working together to resolve difficulties.

"We have to resolve this issue for once and all. It is imperative that in September we sit down and learn from past mistakes and strategise as to how best to address this in the future. This can only be done by individuals sitting down together and discussing this in a mature fashion and marking out a sensible policy to which we can all sign up.

"Perhaps, we should make fixtures for street furniture available and only allow flags to be flown on these fixtures. Above all, we must try to resolve this matter by building the maximum available consensus. It is time for Northern Ireland to step away from the past and to formulate new policies in order to take Northern Ireland forward into a future where we are prepared to face up to thorny issues together."