The Flag Thing.

 

Willie Drennan

The Richard Haass team may be costing the tax-payers, especially of Southern England, a small fortune: it may be an affirmation of dysfunctional government at Stormont; we may be dubious of it as we are beginning to understand that all government-employed tribunals and quangos tend to work for, and facilitate, their paymaster. At worst it could make matters here only slightly worse and at best it could facilitate rational debate that just might eventually lead to a majority of people in Northern Ireland agreeing: on a process that could possibly, maybe, lead to a sane harmonious society for future generations.

This is where we are at and so we should at least give it a go especially as we are paying for it anyway:  too bad we didn’t have something like it in place before last year’s controversial decision at Belfast City Hall.  I think most of us now accept that we can no longer quote the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement as it means three different things to three different sets of people. This touches on the fundamental problem in relation to which flag we fly as we are not sure what country we live in.

Ian Parsley, in one of his recent thought-provoking blogs, points out that we can’t have a debate on what a new flag might be until we figure out what Northern Ireland is. I will expand on that by saying, once again, that we really should have a serious examination of the language of the GFA. We need it translated into Standard English, try to agree on what it really means, or at least have the differing politicians spell out why their interpretation of the Agreement  language is correct: then let them take it to the electorate.

This really is at the heart of the flag dispute.  Unionists say the Agreement means that we are part of the UK, until such times as the majority want change; therefore the Union Flag is the proper national flag of our country. Nationalists say it means we live in some sort of unique evolving joint-state and therefore the tricolour should fly alongside the Union Flag. The third-way liberals say it’s all very clear: there is a distinction between nationality and citizenship; we are really just some sort of unique independent state, so let’s get a new Northern Ireland flag and forget about the other two contentious flags.

Well, I’m sorry it’s anything but clear to me and so it’s back to requesting translation of the Agreement as the essential first step. But, I do have optimism as I know the spirit of the Northern Irish and I believe that the vast majority of us do want a solution and are prepared to compromise. Perhaps if we could get agreement on flags then everything else could fall into place.

Here is yet another angle for Richard Haass et al. to consider. How’s about if all government buildings in Northern Ireland fly the Union Flag, in a dominant position, acknowledging it as a national flag? Alongside that there could be several flags: a new NI flag, the flags of the neighbouring states of Scotland (independent or not), Wales, England and Republic of Ireland? This would confirm Northern Ireland as a confident state which fully understands who manages it’s income-tax and yet has healthy exchange, trade and a sharing of mutual respect with All of its neighbours.

Okay, I know, that is probably a bit out there for about 51% of the population: but at least I’m making an effort. The only other thing I would say is, that no matter which flags fly they should all be manufactured in Northern Ireland and not in the Far East.