THERE are a number of key takeaways from the premeditated revival of the loyalist Drumcree campaign by a faction within unionism.

Responsibility for the decision to plunge this society into a potentially very dangerous place ultimately lies with the handful of parades commissioners.

They are professional people, well renumerated for their part-time role in the post, so sympathy for their plight should be difficult to muster.

Their decision remains incomprehensible given that the substantive grounds upon which all parade applications over the preceding 28 years had led to a decision to reroute the parade away from the Garvaghy Road have not changed in the slightest, in spite of claims to the contrary.

Stephanie Chase: Young people have looked on in disbelief as Drumcree Orangemen attempted to drag us back to the past

Chris Donnelly: The big drum was beaten at Drumcree but unionists refused to march

The overwhelming evidence of what has unfolded over the past three weeks illustrates the enormous damage to community relations and potential for disorder when commissioners succumb to the desire of some to revive parade disputes by applying to parade through nationalist communities.

It was entirely within their gift to reroute this parade. They chose not to, and must live with that decision.

A critical factor pressurising the parades commissioners into making their grievous mistake was the humiliating court case defeat over the summer which exposed unacceptably poor conduct in the decision-making processes by the commission.

From that moment onward, the commissioners were........

© The Irish News