Debate contribution: Bonfire Regulation
Debate contribution by Mr David Brooks on .
- MLA
- Mr David Brooks
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 16 September 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Private Members' Business
- Heading
- Bonfire Regulation
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5111428
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Does the Member recognise that there is an issue, although I am not saying that this is unreasonable, with developments being built on traditional bonfire sites, creating a problem in those areas where no traditional bonfire site remains? Quite often — some people want this — there may then be a return to smaller bonfires, which will often be built on roads, as they were historically. That would cause problems also. There is a problem with how we allow unionist communities to celebrate their history and heritage in a responsible way. The number of sites is reducing.
97 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: 0.26 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- Criteria met: Cultural grievance politics (0.65).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.66).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.59).
- Subject area: Parades, bonfires and commemorations.
- 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 | 0.33 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.05 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.65 | Yes |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.11 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.19 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.66 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.26 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.59 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.23 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.18 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.93 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.07 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:15 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
Disagree with this assessment?
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