The DUP MP said,
“The last few days have shown some examples of both accommodation and intransigence within our society.
Few young children are not fascinated by the ‘big drum’ and when two young boys approached the bass drummer of Craigavon Protestant Boys flute band to have a go, he was more than happy to encourage them. It just so happened the boys also happened to be GAA fans. Far from the scare stories, this is the reality for the vast majority of our bands and their members who are proud of their music and want others to enjoy it too.
In Moneymore, it’s reported that local Orangemen waited until a GAA team bus had passed through as they were celebrating their win. Again, this is the reality in many communities where neighbours will show respect and tolerance towards each other.
It only took a few minutes for Orangemen in Moneymore to stand aside and ensure the local Gaelic team could pass through. It only takes a few minutes also for a short Orange parade after a church service to pass by. However, whilst there was accommodation on display in Moneymore, on the same day it was intransigence of some residents on display in Portadown. They could choose to show accommodation just for those few minutes on a Sunday afternoon but have chosen 25 years of refusing even to engage in mediation or dialogue to ensure accommodation with their neighbours.
Perhaps in the media there will be someone who will recognise the contrast on display, even though it doesn’t fit the usual lazy narrative.”