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A UNIONIST FORUM set up in the wake of rioting over the flying of the Union flag on Belfast City Hall met today at Stormont.
The forum was set up by the Democratic Unionist Party and the Ulster Unionist Party. Its formation came after a recent spate of rioting and violence over the decision to fly the Union flag at Belfast City Hall for 17 days a year.
The first meeting took place this morning in the Parliament Buildings at Stormont at 9.30am.
Northern Ireland’s first minister Peter Robinson said that there had been “no angry words” at the meeting, BBC News reports, and that a taskforce has been set up, as well as eight working groups.
A protest had been planned for Dublin this Saturday, with loyalists expected to hold a demonstration outside of Leinster House. However, it has been postponed, a loyalist activist said last night.
The Garda Press Office said yesterday evening that they were aware of reports that the event has been postponed, and said they held ‘positive and constructive’ talks with organisers on the issue.
Belfast saw six nights of rioting over the past week, due to the controversy over the flying of the flag.
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Democratic Unionist Party, Ulster Unionist Party and the People Front of Judea, seem to be wasting a lot of time on this, have they no real problem to solve in Northern Ireland
Vlol
Summed it up perfectly, well done.
F. Off its the Judea peoples front:-)
Splitter
It’s actually the Muppet Show
What ever happened to the popular front of Judea?
They won’t be able to talk about their main problem. Paddy the Papist has the vote, has equal rights nowadays and and ever increasing no’s, control of most of the major cities as well.
How do you legislate or amend your political strategy to take account of a people who will no long being tolerate being under the heel of your boot.
Democracy is a bugger as far as Unionism has always been concerned.
Thats it twitch. They cannot handle this new fact.
They marched them up to the top of the hill….and they marched them down again. The middle class politicians will bang the sectarian drum and their working class foot soldiers will run to their beckon call! It’s the sign of a desparate panic as control and dominance democratically slips from their fingers.
unionism, loyalism is undergoing a massive identity crisis. They don’t know if they’re British, N Irish, or Ulster Protestants. A people going through such an identity crisis are vulnerable and that vulnerability makes them open to extremism. How we deal with this will have major repercussions. We can go for the throat and exploit this vulnerability, divide and conquer, as the brits did, or we can reassure these people that we will accept and respect them as equal citizens of a democratic Irish Republic.
“a loyalist activist said last night.”
Loyalist Activist. I’ve heard of activists before, but this? Is this the new term for trouble-making, wandering youths, in tracksuits, at night?
I remember there used to be plenty of ‘activists’ across the street from Temple Theatre, back when it was open, waiting on lonely, drunken stragglers to mug.
Btw, Peter Robinson looks like Alex Ferguson. Same miserable face, only that he has a taller forehead.
I was listening to news talk yesterday to that egit that’s was running the protest Saturday,he basically used a argument a 5yr old wouldn’t “catholics get more than us” apart from that he was just a laughable thug
What a complete quagmire of problems NI is. With all their other issues they have 8 work groups set up about flying a flag.
this is a natural effect of good Friday agreement. first was polarisation, then extremes share power. this followed by political normalisation. net effect of that is a pan unionist front to protect what they have left. this will eventually lead to two states one island. if this road is travelled with little life lost it will a remarkable political achievement. be nice to unionists. centuries of power is slipping away!
Dont we already have two states, one island?
There are already 2 states,1 island….
These lads would fit on well with that shower of corrupt idiots in the Dail,a task force and 8 working groups for a couple of hundred idiots.It was a democratic vote,if you dont like it theres plenty of room in Scotland for you.
sick of hearing about this poxy flag now at this stage,
They really need to grow up in Northern Ireland. If it isn’t marches, it’s flags. What about health care, jobs, education, PEACE? Grow up!!
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