Debate contribution: Bonfire Regulation
Debate contribution by Mr Robbie Butler on .
- MLA
- Mr Robbie Butler
- Party at the time
- Ulster Unionist Party
- Date
- 16 September 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Private Members' Business
- Heading
- Bonfire Regulation
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5111560
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Like Mr Clarke, I had not intended to speak in the debate, although I am passionate about bonfires. I am possibly one of the most experienced people in the room to talk about them because, as a young person, I built bonfires. That is part of my backstory, my heritage and my culture, and it was something that I thoroughly enjoyed. There was a little bit of debate between Stewart Dickson and Trevor Clarke about young people. I was one of those young people who enjoyed the whole bonfire experience. There are things in the motion that I can agree with. Like Mr Brett, I want to see good bonfires as something that can be celebrated as part of our wider culture. I would go as far as to say that they do not just belong to the Protestant, unionist and loyalist (PUL) community. Whilst perhaps they are more important to that community, they tell a part of our collective story, like it or lump it. That is our background here, guys: we have to share our history. I also wear the hat of having served for 16 years in the Fire and Rescue Service, and I love to hear it being talked about in here. I attended bonfire sites on many nights, whether that was for an inspection or for a response.
Yes, absolutely.
I agree with everything that the Member has said. There are around 300 bonfires across Northern Ireland in and around 11 July. Today, while there has not been specific, detailed mention of bonfires, I did a rough count of about four examples — I will say that they were bad examples. I hate to see it, but I have been at bonfires where I have asked and persuaded and stayed for hours to see posters and flags taken off bonfires, because they do not reflect what I believe to be a cherished part of my tradition. That is something that we should all be involved in and not shy away from. I agree with those who have said that, in order to see real success, this has to be bottom-up and not top-down. Why is that? It is because the delivery of the motion by the Sinn Féin Member did not reflect the words in the motion. The Member said that this was about opening up a dialogue, but it is not, because the motion says that it is about implementing part of the FICT report. There was no collective agreement around FICT at the end, because some of those matters proved too difficult for some of the parties. I want to go back to one of the bonfires that was mentioned.
Yes, if you are brief.
452 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: 0.25 (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).
- The text criticises or condemns the framing or division (0.79).
- 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 | 0.37 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.04 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.46 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.13 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.27 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.58 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.25 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing | 0.18 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.01 |
| Criticises or condemns it (chosen) | 0.79 |
| Adopts it | 0.02 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.69 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.30 |
| Religion and belief (including people of no religion), churches, faith communities and religious prejudice (including antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice) | 0.01 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 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.
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