Member's statement: Peace Process
Member's statement by Mr Colin McGrath on .
- MLA
- Mr Colin McGrath
- Party at the time
- Social Democratic and Labour Party
- Date
- 23 September 2024
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Peace Process
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4543608
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Saturday past marked International Day of Peace, and, while we are mindful of the conflicts happening around the world today, it is an opportunity for us to reflect on our conflict and journey towards peace and a prosperous society, which has yet to be realised. Our peace process stands as a testament to what can be achieved when communities choose unity over conflict. While much has changed and been achieved in Northern Ireland since 1998, sadly, deep-rooted division, violence and mistrust continue. The riots in Belfast over the summer made it clear that there is still a way to travel to deliver a peaceful and integrated society. We must ensure that all voices are heard and no community is left behind in a truly reconciled and peaceful society. The benefits and dividends of peace must deliver for everyone. We welcome the inclusion of peace in the Programme for Government as a positive development, but the true test will be how the Executive work to achieve it. The Peace Summit Partners, including the John and Pat Hume Foundation, YouthAction NI, Holywell Trust, Ulster University, Integrated Education Fund and the Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation, have a clear and urgent message. Their work, through conversations and events with communities and stakeholder organisations over the last two years, has revealed the extent to which issues caused by the conflict still sadly affect our society and, in particular, our young people.
That is why the Peace Summit Partners are issuing a call to action, asking all of us to join them in that work and asking Departments to embed peace and reconciliation at the heart of Executive policy. We must all work together to tackle the lingering effects of the past while striving to build an inclusive, safe, reconciled and prosperous society.
299 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: 0.05 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.88).
- Subject area: Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
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 | 0.12 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.04 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.05 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.54 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.05 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.88 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.12 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.66 |
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.32 |
| Education structures, integration and community division | 0.02 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:03 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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