Last week, at a special meeting of the Community and Recreation committee of Belfast City Council it was decided to expand the bonfires scheme, which the Council operated last year, to include a wider range of areas in the city.
Predictably, the nationalist press chose to go to town on those who made the decision. How could such displays of bigotry attract public money? What was the Council thinking of? One newspaper (which had abandoned all notions of investigative journalism and seemingly plucked a figure out of the air) went so far as to claim that £100,000 of ratepayers' money was going to be devoted to the scheme.
This is absolutely untrue.
One of the principal demands laid down by the committee was that the scheme was to be as cheap as possible in order to minimise any costs to ratepayers.
Last year it cost around £23,000 to cover ten different bonfire sites across the city. For anyone reading this and doubting the value of this scheme, I would ask you to cast your mind back two years.
The bonfire at Annadale was an absolute eyesore and a health hazard. Unscrupulous people were using the desire of local residents to celebrate their culture as an excuse for illegal dumping.
The rubbish extended from Agra Street to the Governor's Bridge. This year, fences were provided to keep the wood in a small area. Material for burning was largely limited to wood – thus reducing the environmental impact and the subsequent clean-up operation was carried out much more easily.
Eleventh Night bonfires are a legitimate part of the Protestant and Unionist cultural celebrations, although I will not attempt to deny that some of what has gone on at bonfires has been unacceptable. So-called 'shows of strength' have no place in a democratic society, no matter what group they come from. The vision which the councillors and those who are working with us to deliver this programme have of bonfires is of a bonfire held in Belfast becoming a genuine community event as they are in many other parts of the country.
In Kilkeel, for example, the bonfire forms only a part of a day-long series of events including Scottish dancing, traditional music and a community barbecue.
Why shouldn't something like that happen at Annadale, Sandy Row, the Newtownards Road or Ballysillan?
If Nationalist and Republican politicians are truly committed to a vision of Northern Ireland as a society in which cultural diversity and tolerance are things to be respected and nurtured, I would urge them to get behind this scheme and work to turn these events into something really positive that everyone can enjoy and be a part of.
Their refusal to do so thus far, accompanied by their begrudgery concerning most elements of Protestant and Unionist culture, leaves me questioning just how sincere some people are when they talk about building an Ireland of equals.
