And I'm not talking about the Union flag, or the flag of the Republic of Ireland, I'm talking about our own flag, the flag of Northern Ireland. One that represents all of the communities in the province, Whether you're unionist, nationalist, republican, loyalist or just don't care. 

Our country has come through one of the worst periods of civil strife ever seen in Western Europe, we have built links between the communities that once hated each other so bitterly, our heads of Government stand in tandem with each other for PR photos and investment opportunities for the province, but we can't even fly our own flag without the same old arguments rearing up.

With the NI Assembly setting up a committee to debate the issue of flying the Irish tricolour alongside the British Union flag at Stormont, the issue has already caused a massive stir among the twitterati and the political blogosphere in NI. Bearing in mind that our health system is falling apart, unemployment is at an all time high and MLAs are robbing the public pocket to pay for lavish 'essential business trips' the Executive has decided to set up a committee to debate a piece of cloth. 

That's what this comes down to: colours and cloth. Whilst I am not trying to dilute the tensions and the bitterness that has consumed so much of our past, we cannot move into the future in Northern Ireland without our own identity taking the fore. We celebrate our music, our culture, our sports, our local talent, yet we can't stand shoulder to shoulder with the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, England or Wales in displaying our own colours, our own flag, our own piece of this island that we all share.

I'm talking about a flag that would replace the Union flag and the Tricolour, to fly over our Government buildings alongside other flags, proudly displayed as a representation of a really great country and a place that I call home. I have no affinity with the tricolour, for I am not Irish by citizenship, nor can I call myself British without holding my passport in my hand. I am Northern Irish, and like many young people and those who are desperate for real progress, I want my own flag to feel proud of.


All too often are the flags of both the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland used as the pride and joy of both loyalist and republican terror groups respectively. They have become, to some, the symbols of murder, of violence and of a time when this country seemed like the lost hope of Western civilization, inviting scorn and embarrassment from those who would refuse to accept Northern Ireland as a place to live or invest in.

What the flag may look like is not up to me, there have been many proposals, such as St. Patrick's Saltire, the traditional flag of Ulster, or perhaps even the logo of our Assembly. The Tricolour and the Union flag are loaded representations of tension and violence and a past that we need to move on from. While I will not ever call for communities who identify with either flag to stop displaying them, nor will I condemn anyone who wants to keep things the way they are, we have bigger and more important fish to fry in this country right now.

Changing the flag will not immediately reduce the queues at the jobcentres, nor will it cut down waiting times at the A&Es that are ready to burst, and it cannot erase the years of bitterness that have become so ingrained in people's minds. However, while these things persist, the Executive sees fit to divert resources and time into debating something that matters very little.

Things need to change.