Without sounding cheesy or corny, the past 12 months have possibly been the best 12 months of my entire life so far. The things I have seen and done, the people I have met, the friends I have made, the places I have seen and visited have made this year one to remember.

This was the year that I realised that I have a place in the world that and that I also have a voice that can be heard if I want it to be. The friends I have made and supported me helped me to find the confidence to support my voice and speak up. I have been blessed to have such amazing people in my life who have given me so many opportunities and chances and it has changed my life. I have met some of my heroes and found new ones, built friendships and strengthened those that were there.

2012 was the year that I joined a political party that I felt at home at, that I can be proud of and that has blessed me with close friendships and opportunities to grow as a person. This year also as the formation of Equal Marriage NI, which I was privileged to have played a very very small part in the making of what will undoubtedly be something to remember.

I, along with my loved ones and friends, took part in the very first Newry Pride parade which is something I am immense proud of. Cllr Mathew Hulbert (an excellent politician if there ever was one) gave me the opportunities to write for and found UK Progressive and I can only hope that 2013 is a prosperous year for us. I also visited friends, both old and new, and in doing so I took home some fond memories. I also realised that family is so important, and only by appreciating it can you hope to understand how important it really is.

I will try to avoid droning on and keep this brief, but I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has been there for me in the last 12 months and I can only hope that I have been there for you, too. I wish everyone the very best and I hope 2012 was as good for you as it was for me. Here's to the future and I pray that 2013 brings blessings, happiness, prosperity and opportunities for you all.

Charlotte Bacon, age 6
Daniel Barden, age 7
Olivia Engel, age 6
Josephine Gay, age 7
Ana M Marquez-Greene, age 6
Dylan Hockley, age 6
Madeleine F Hsu, age 6
Catherine V Hubbard, age 6
Chase Kowalski , age 7
Jesse Lewis, age 6
James Mattioli, age 6
Grace McDonnell, age 7
Emilie Parker, age 6
Jack Pinto, age 6
Noah Pozner, age 6
Caroline Previdi, age 6
Jessica Rekos, age 6
Avielle Richman, age 6
Benjamin Wheeler, age 6
Allison N Wyatt, age 6
Rachel Davino, age 29
Dawn Hochsprung, age 47
Anne Marie Murphy, age 52
Lauren Rousseau, age 30
Mary Sherlach, age 56
Victoria Soto, age 27

When I wrote my last entry, I didn't think that a week later that I would be writing a follow up piece, on an event that was still ongoing. Is that naive? Perhaps, but maybe I thought that Northern Ireland had moved past the days of violence and thuggery to achieve goals.

The last 8 days has seen more protests over the decision of Belfast City Council to change the number of days the Union flag is displayed to 17, in accordance with the Equality Commission and the objective of delivering a Shared Future. This was not an 'attack' on anyone's identity or culture or background, this was a genuine attempt to make Belfast City Hall a neutral and shared space for both Unionists, Nationalists and neither. We have also witnessed more attacks on the offices of political parties, the attempted murder of a PSNI officer and a slew of death threats target at MLAs and Councillors from Alliance, the DUP, Sinn Fein and SDLP.

This is not the reclaiming of identity or 'peaceful protests'. In fact those who are orchestrating the violence we have seen against community representatives and Police officers are not Loyalists, nor do they represent the communities they claim to represent. Moderate Unionists and ordinary working class Protestants do not want this, they reject violence and the cowards and thugs that issue death threats from behind a keyboard or on the end of a payphone do not speak for anyone but themselves.

Illegal road blocks and the disruption of traffic on the busiest shopping period of the entire year, when Belfast is suffering 25% vacancy rates is not something I agree with, however people are angry. The failure of Unionist leaders to reach out to their working class electorate has become apparent in recent days as Mike Nesbitt and Peter Robinson try desperately, even tonight, to bring an end to the protests and restore the rule of law.

The difficulty here is selling to people the idea of shared society, without having them believe that their identity is being taken away and dissected in favour of a more sinister agenda. I am not saying that such an agenda exists, however those who perceive there to be a sustained attack on their identity and their community will react accordingly, and it is the failure of 'moderate' Unionism (And I use that phrase lightly) to allay these fears and bring these communities with them after the St Andrews Agreement.

These protests are no longer strictly about a flag, they have become an expression of anger and frustration of working class Loyalists who feel that they have been left behind by the people they chose to elect them. It is up to all political parties, irrespective of political persuasion, to ensure that their concerns are heard and that they feel that they are listened to. If we don't take this seriously, we can't expect the bitterness and the divisions to go away. They will fester and they will manifest themselves as they have done since last Monday.

We have seen in recent days the PUP make a lot of political hay by expressing their intention to engage with the protesters on a grass roots level and that they can provide leadership. The dilemma of the UUP is that while it claims to represent the working class, it has found itself unable to adequately engage with it and its leadership in recent days has been somewhat lacking. Nesbitt has become more hard line that the DUP on the issue of flags, going so far as to remove the whip from Basil McCrea over his disagreement with him on that very point. Will this push more moderate Unionists towards the Alliance party or even the NI Conservatives? By trying to appeal to hard line Loyalists Mike Nesbitt runs the risk of alienating the more liberal and progressive factions of the UUP and also be seen as doing too little too late by those Loyalists he is trying to attract.

The next few days will be crucial if there is to be an end to these protests before someone is seriously injured or killed, it's only a matter of time. What then? I dread to think.

I write this post even as our offices in Carrickfergus are being burned out by a Loyalist mob tonight. Never in Alliance's history has it faced such an unprecedented challenge, this is not an issue regarding the economy, or civil rights nor is it something that Alliance has done badly. No, the challenge we face is the outcome of standing by our principles in the face of incredible adversity and threats of violence.

I have received abuse and condemnation in its lowest, most ugly form from people who claim to represent 'Protestants of East Belfast.' I have news for you, I am a Protestant from East Belfast, I come from a working class, Loyalist/Unionist community and somehow I, like the majority of others in my community, manage to avoid behaving like criminals and animals.



This is no longer about a flag.

Burning down Stewart Dickson's offices in Carrick will not lend legitimacy or draw rational supporters to your cause. We will not be brow beaten, bullied or intimidated for what we believe and for staying the course. Where are the Unionist politicians now? Where is Cllr Christopher Stalford who had oh so much to say about Alliance before Monday night? Where is Peter Robinson MLA, the man who talks of opening the arms of Unionism to Catholics and moderates?

I understand and I encourage protest, that is how democracy works, as long as it is peaceful. Intimidating our Councillors into leaving their homes, burning down the offices of our MLAs and Ministers and sending sectarian abuse over Twitter to our supporters is not 'engaging in the debate', it's mob mentality. This is not a protest, this is criminality and barbarism. You just lost the argument. #StandingWithStewart

Almost 2 weeks ago Cllr Adam Harbinson, formerly of the Alliance Party, resigned from the party having been co-opted less than 8 months previously to take the seat left vacant on North Down Council by the late Alderman Tony Hill. It created quite the storm of controversy as Cllr Harbinson later appeared alongside Peter Weir MLA and Jeffrey Donaldson MP of the DUP at their annual conference, claiming that he was 'thinking about' joining that particular party.