Debate contribution: Display of Flags and Emblems Bill: Second Stage
Debate contribution by Mr David Brooks on .
- MLA
- Mr David Brooks
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 14 September 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Private Members' Business
- Heading
- Display of Flags and Emblems Bill: Second Stage
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5686493
Read the official Assembly record
Text
The Member rightly expresses concerns about UDA and UVF paramilitary flags. What is his view of how the unionist community look at the sunburst flag or, for instance, the D company flag that flew quite regularly in west Belfast? I have not seen it recently, because I have not been over in west Belfast that often, but it did fly in recent years.
63 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.47 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- Criteria met: Identity framing (0.68).
- The text reports, quotes or asks about the framing rather than adopting it (0.82).
- Subject area: Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials.
- The overall probability was low and the text did not adopt any identity-based framing.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.68 | Yes |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.09 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.45 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.46 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.32 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.26 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.47 | Between thresholds |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing | 0.10 |
| Reports or questions it (chosen) | 0.82 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.08 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.86 |
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.09 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.05 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 16:17 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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