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(Editorial, Irelandclick.com)

Lisburn City Council gets more and more obscure by the day – or should that be by the Council meeting?

You have to wonder do unionist councillors want to do any real business on the floor of the Council or in the committee rooms. Debates over the RIR and bestowing the freedom of the city on the Prison Service do nothing to heal community relations, but they dominated the business during Tuesday's monthly meeting.

This after a summer when the Council agreed to erect Union flags, even in contentious areas like Dunmurry village.

We saw yesterday how it takes very little for sectarianism to raise its ugly head in Dunmurry. Once more the popular Motte 'n' Bailey pub was attacked by paint bombers in the dead of night. The PSNI tell us that they are investigating a motive for the attack, just like they have told us that they are investigating a motive for the murder of young Thomas Devlin in North Belfast and the continued attacks on Catholic homes, churches and schools in North Antrim. Here's an idea, boys: maybe they're sectarian.

That is why at a time when we are supposed to be coming out of conflict politicians – yes even those in Lisburn – should take a lead and not play to the gallery.

We've said it before but when Lisburn Council was competing for city status under its famous 'A City for Everyone' banner, nationalist politicians rallied round and played their part. It is hard to disagree now with those same politicians who claim that Lisburn Council – now with the DUP as the largest party – are determined to make Lisburn a 'cold house for Catholics'.

They will inevitably fail.

This article appeared first on the Irelandclick.com web site on August 25, 2005.