First meeting of parades review body
A new body reviewing parades in the North will today begin its work under the chairmanship of former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown.
The Strategic Review Parading Body will hold its first meeting in Belfast, with a nationalist residents group spokesperson and former IRA prisoner Sean ’Spike’ Murray and Loyalist Commission chairman the Rev Mervyn Gibson taking part.
Mr Ashdown – a former international high representative for Bosnia who was raised in the North – will also meet the joint heads of the new power sharing executive, First Minister Ian Paisley and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness at Stormont.
The independent review will feature Derry businessman Garvan O’Doherty who played a key role in resolving a marching dispute in his city between nationalists and the Apprentice Boys, Geraldine McAteer of the West Belfast Partnership, Sammy Douglas of the Belfast Interface Group and Mervyn Rankin, a former chief executive of Ballymena council.
The review team has been asked by Northern Secretary Peter Hain to make recommendations on how parading can be taken forward in a way “consistent with the shared future objectives of respect, tolerance, responsible citizenship and promoting equality of opportunity and human rights”.
It is due to report back to the government next year.
However Democratic Unionist MP Nigel Dodds and his Assembly colleague Nelson McCausland expressed amazement and disgust at the decision to appoint Mr Murray.
In April they said: “This appointment is neither appropriate, helpful or conducive to progress.
“The decision by Peter Hain to appoint Sean Murray has the potential to seriously undermine the review process in this crucial area. It shows a lack of sensitivity.”
Mr Murray, however, dismissed the criticism.
“For the review to work all perspectives need aired,” he replied.
