This is a discussion paper from the think tank Democratic Dialogue.
Details are on the back cover, as is our web site address.
The paper has benefited not only from discussion among colleagues but also from an interesting cross-sectarian dialogue in a project financed by the EU Special Support Programme for Peace and Reconciliation, experimenting with the use of computer software to assist exploration of difficult issues. Responsibility for its final contents is, however, my own. The issue of flags, whether above Stormont or on the streets, is clearly of great public interest and DD is publishing this paper with a view to stimulating wider debate. Any comments or criticisms are very welcome. The issue of flags over government buildings has proved one of the most divisive since the transfer of power to the Assembly and Executive Committee at Stormont.