When the Drumcree dispute began a mere 31 years ago it was common to hear people in Portadown complain that if Sinn Féin had ignored the issue for another few years, time would have taken care of the problem. The annual Orange Order parade had involved a dwindling number of participants, many at an advanced age.

This was probably a fond delusion, but it is revealing that middle-of-the-road unionists were telling themselves such a tale – one that handily absolved them of any responsibility, other than to tut-tut at republican agitation.

The same class of people can now ask why all three main unionist parties are threatening to revive the dispute, rather than letting it fade into history.

Drumcree led directly to the British government establishing the Parades Commission, which has been instrumental in bringing peace to the streets. There has been no serious parade-related disorder in Northern Ireland for more than a decade. Although unionist parties and the Orange Order have never officially recognised the commission’s authority, they have all recognised it in practice by obeying its regulations and determinations. Failure to do so is a criminal offence. They have also gradually accepted its underlying principle that contentious parades require engagement with residents.

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