Debate contribution: The Troubles: Young People
Debate contribution by Mrs Naomi Long on .
- MLA
- Mrs Naomi Long
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 24 June 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- The Troubles: Young People
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5046827
Read the official Assembly record
Text
My initial answer made clear my views on paramilitarism. I have been consistent throughout my political career that there can be no place in our society for paramilitarism. Although I respect the right of every community to respect its dead and to commemorate those matters that are important to it, we all need to be conscious of the impact that doing so can have on young people and how that can influence whom they view as being a champion or a hero in their community. Let us create positive role models whom young people want to emulate so that they are able to do things without ending up spending considerable time in jail.
113 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: 0.13 (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 (0.56).
- Subject area: Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism.
- 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 | 0.06 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.10 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.22 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.14 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.34 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.13 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.56 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.43 |
| Adopts it | 0.01 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.96 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.03 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.01 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:53 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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