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 5111598
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Well, I am not here to peddle division. What I was going to say to you and the Member who spoke before you is that, in my constituency, I have worked with bonfire builders in Clonduff, Orangefield and Cregagh, where we faced some of those issues and worked with the Legacy Network and the EastSide Partnership. Mr McReynolds did not take an intervention to be asked this question, but I will ask you it: how many of those communities or similar ones in your community do you work with, have you engaged with or have you talked to?
98 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: 0.29 (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 (0.92).
- 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 | 0.14 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.03 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.16 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.07 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.18 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.47 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.29 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.92 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.05 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.03 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.90 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.08 |
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.02 |
| 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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