I FEEL I have to write about this ridiculous suggestion from the Commonwealth Games board of Northern Ireland concerning the Northern Ireland flag.
Having worked on the peace process over the years, I believe all this will do is create division, not unification.
As an Ulsterman I am proud of our heritage being Northern Irish and anyone who knows their history behind the Northern Ireland flag design knows its not antagonistic, but recognises both divides of history, as the Irish tricolour is designed to encompass both traditions in Ireland – green for Catholic, white for peace and orange for Protestants.
The flags of both nations are designed to recognise the cultures of history that exists on our island and the great role both traditions have formed/contributed to the diverse but extensive histories of both nations on the one island.
It should also not be lost that for decades, even through the Troubles that caused a lot of pain to our peoples, our sports people competed in the Commonwealth Games as Northern Ireland, to also then go on to international competitions and line up in the world cups of rugby and other sports under the Ireland flag.
At no stage did our sports persons during the Troubles ever demand a new Irish flag to incorporate the Northern Irish participation, yet our Commonwealth board seems to think we will now need a new flag for Northern Ireland.
Instead of creating a new flag of unification for all, they are disunifying our peoples over flag politics brought into sport that never existed. Thank you for dividing our peoples, that through the Troubles never complained about our national flag – a flag recognised by UEFA, FIFA and our fellow Commonwealth nations, as well as the inter-governmental conference and the taoiseach of Ireland by treaty.
I for one could not support Northern Ireland in the Commonwealth Games, not out of political reasons or party allegiances, but because I would feel compromised as a Northern Irishman and that division which has now entered into sport.
Creating confict where there had existed peace at a time we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace.
Rev Paul S Burns
Belfast BT12
