Debate contribution: Audit and Re-imaging of Memorials

Debate contribution by Mr Stewart Dickson on 11 November 2025.

MLA

Mr Stewart Dickson

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

11 November 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Audit and Re-imaging of Memorials

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5349780

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. First, I record my thanks and those of Paula Bradshaw to every Member who contributed to the debate. It has been a respectful debate. It has been a conversation and one, indeed, that we may not have been able to have a few years ago in this place or in Northern Ireland. We are on a journey. Phillip said that we should focus on progress, and that, by and large, is what the debate has been about. That journey continues. I thank everyone who contributed to the debate. I thank Paula Bradshaw for proposing the motion; Pam Cameron; Doug Beattie, who told us that he will not oppose the motion, which is welcome; Ciara Ferguson; Sinéad McLaughlin; Deirdre Hargey; Andrew McMurray; Kellie Armstrong; and Matthew O'Toole. In every community, there are people who still carry the pain from the loss of a loved one, and the right to remember those who have died is something that we should all respect. It is deeply personal, as some described, and it needs to be treated with sensitivity and dignity. The motion is about how we do that well. It is about ensuring that remembrance takes place in a way that brings comfort while not hurting the grieving. Our public spaces are spaces for everyone, and they should not be exploited by the symbols of division or control. It is a sensitive issue. Memorials take many forms. Some are roadside tributes to sudden loss, while others are long-standing monuments to events that have shaped our history. Across our towns and estates, there are memorials that mean different things to different people. There are, however, also those that were placed without permission or that carry imagery that others find painful or disputed in their content or context. The aim of the motion, which, I think, has been embraced in the Chamber, is not to erase anyone's memory or to rewrite history but to bring about fairness and transparency and, above all, to care about how we mark the past. In the first instance, the motion is a call to deliver an audit, which will help us understand what exists and under what authority, if any. That will then allow us to take another step in the conversation. It is about guidance that will help us understand and ensure that anything that is created in the future is lawful, respectful and agreed. It is about a re-imaging programme that will support communities that want to make positive changes themselves. Many in the Chamber have spoken about real and positive re-imaging programmes that have taken place. I have seen them in East Antrim and in my home town of Carrickfergus. We have seen how they can work. We have seen peacebuilding through the arts and the Re-imaging Communities programme funded by the Arts Council. The Special EU Programmes Body and others have shown what can be achieved when communities take the lead: not when they are being led, but when they take the lead. Across Northern Ireland, we have seen gable walls that once carried divisive symbols being transformed into public art in order to tell a different story: a story that shares our history. That takes a lot of hard work and determination, and some communities take steps forward to re-imagine and replace murals on walls. Sometimes, they are stopped, but they have the tenacity to keep going. It takes a lot of trust between local residents, community leaders and public authorities, but it demonstrates that progress is possible, not impossible. To be clear, the motion is not about forgetting the past but about looking to the future. When communities are supported to reclaim their spaces and to express pride in a way that excludes no one, it strengthens the sense of belonging for everyone who lives there. We have examples from councils that have already developed clear and fair policies for memorials. Their experience can guide the Executive as they develop a consistent approach across Northern Ireland. That is the leadership that we are looking for in the debate. That consistency will protect communities, give clarity to public bodies and ensure that what stands in our shared spaces reflects the values of all of us. I again genuinely thank the Members who contributed to the debate this evening. Many spoke with understanding and compassion but, at the same time, withheld their views. We may view aspects of the issue differently, but I trust that we all share the same goal, which is to make remembrance something that helps heal rather than divide. If we can get it right, we can give people confidence that their history is respected and their pain understood and that the places that we share are truly open to all.

Let the work be guided by respect, partnership and hope, and let remembrance be a bridge between the past and the future, not a wall between neighbours.

824 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:38 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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