For the second year in succession the most contentious and potentially explosive Orange Order parade in Northern Ireland has passed off without violence at Drumcree. It must be hoped that this benign outcome is the harbinger of a peaceful marching season and that the divisions and violence that characterised such parades during the late 1990s will be consigned to history.
It is particularly important, at this juncture in the evolution of power-sharing arrangements in Northern Ireland, that inter-communal tensions are kept to a minimum. That was the blunt message delivered to the Northern Ireland political parties last month by the Taoiseach and the British Prime Minister as they prepared the ground for a number of days of intensive negotiations, next September, aimed at re-establishing the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly. A serious deterioration in relations between the two communities would make it impossible for the DUP and Sinn Féin to prepare their supporters for the kinds of compromises that will be required if the talks are to have a successful outcome.
By last night, the protective barriers at Drumcree had been dismantled and members of the British Army and the Police Service of Northern Ireland were being withdrawn. Earlier, following a service at Drumcree Parish Church, members of the Portadown Orange Lodge handed in a letter of protest to the security forces before dispersing quietly. Signs of flexibility are emerging. It appears that members of the Lodge may now be prepared to enter into dialogue with residents of the Garvaghy Road, through the Parades Commission, in order to return to its traditional route. Such a development would challenge the boycott on all contact with the Parades Commission that was imposed some years ago by the Grand Orange Lodge.
Drumcree became the focal point of a struggle between those nationalist communities that objected to marches passing through their areas and members of the Orange Order who insisted on parading along traditional routes. The parades were regarded as an exercise in provocation and dominance by one side; as the exercise of civil and religious liberties by the other. The establishment of the Parades Commission went some way towards defusing that situation by encouraging dialogue. And the emergence of the Belfast Agreement helped to spread the concept of balancing rights.
The political landscape in Northern Ireland has been transformed since the last Drumcree march took place. The Democratic Unionist Party has replaced the Ulster Unionist Party as the dominant unionist voice, while Sinn Féin has eclipsed the SDLP. The shift towards the political extremes does not preclude success in the coming review of the Belfast Agreement. But it will make it more difficult. On the basis of yesterday's peaceful march, however, it would appear that considerable efforts are being made to ensure that the climate for progress remains positive.