SDLP proposes parades commission

THE SDLP has proposed the establishment of a commission to assess applications to parade in the North and to facilitate negotiation…

THE SDLP has proposed the establishment of a commission to assess applications to parade in the North and to facilitate negotiation and mediation.

In an interim submission to the Independent Review of Parades and Marches, the party says the commission should be responsible for all marches, including demonstrations, band competitions, commemorations, labour marches and so on.

The commission would have to operate on the basis of a clear set of principles and criteria which would be applied to decisions about the permissibility of a particular parade.

The document says that the parades issue in the North has to be seen in the context of the wider political conflict. It proposes that an application and licensing system be established for parades, with organisations making application to the commission by a specified date.

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The document will be considered at the party's annual conference this weekend in Cookstown, Co Tyrone.

It describes parades by the loyal orders as a celebration of Protestantism, Orangeism and unionism. "It is, of course, entirely legitimate for the loyal orders to celebrate their own culture", the document states. "However, since the setting up of the state, given the close links between Orangeism and Unionism, such parades have enjoyed the full support of the authorities.

"Their marches in effect represented a celebration of the state itself, `their' state. In a divided society where there is a fundamental disagreement over the nature of the state, they have, especially from a nationalist perspective, become a symbol and a celebration of domination and triumphalism, of the victory of unionism over nationalism.

"Given that unionists were the dominant group, it became the practice for them to parade in all areas - unionist, nationalist, commercial centres and country roads. In contrast, nationalists were `restricted' to `their own' areas...

The SDLP paper supports seeking resolution of disputes about parades "through a process of dialogue, conciliation or mediation between interested parties in each local area".

The proposed commission would act as a facilitator and would have to have a statutory basis to establish both its credibility and authority. In the event of failure to reach agreement, the commission would refer matters to a tribunal for determination.