Mandelson says Union flag will fly in Ulster
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Your support makes all the difference.Peter Mandelson will today seek to bolster the authority of David Trimble, the Ulster Unionist leader, by insisting that the Union flag should be flown on all Government buildings in Northern Ireland.
Peter Mandelson will today seek to bolster the authority of David Trimble, the Ulster Unionist leader, by insisting that the Union flag should be flown on all Government buildings in Northern Ireland.
In a move that is guaranteed to infuriate Republicans, the Northern Ireland Secretary will lay before Parliament new regulations that will allow the flag to be raised on buildings occupied by Sinn Fein ministers in the province's Assembly.
The Department of Education, which contains the office of Education minister Martin McGuinness, and the Department of Health, which includes the office of Bairbre De Bruin, will be subject to the new rules.
Mr Mandelson's decision to lay the Flags Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 before the House of Commons today will give a much-needed fillip to Mr Trimble, the First Minister, ahead of a crucial meeting of his party this weekend.
In a vital test of his leadership, the Ulster Unionists' 800-strong ruling council meets on Saturday to debate motions from members opposed to the Good Friday Agreement.
Jeffrey Donaldson, UUP MP for Lagan Valley, is expected to propose a motion calling for the party's withdrawal from the Assembly unless the IRA makes further progress in decommissioning weapons.
The decision to allow the Union flag to fly above Government buildings is hugely significant to many Unionists.
The Assembly failed to agree a policy on flag-flying, with Sinn Fein arguing that it would only support proposals to allow both the British flag and the Irish tricolour to be hoisted side by side.
According to the new regulations, Mr Mandelson has considered the Assembly's report and decided to go ahead with the Union flag-only plan.
The British flag will fly on Castle Buildings in Stormont, where many departments are based, as well as the Education Department in Bangor, County Down. There will be 17 days on which the flag can be flown at full mast, including Royal birthdays and St Patrick's Day, but the first day affected by the regulations will be Remembrance Sunday on 12 November.
When he became Education Minister, Mr McGuinness announced that he did not want to work in a building that flew the Union flag.
Yesterday, the Northern Ireland Office declined to say whether the regulations would "force" any minister to work in the designated buildings.
Like the Royal Ulster Constabulary's name and cap badge, many Unionists see the Union flag as an important part of their identity.
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