Loyalists kept their distance from Drumcree for two reasons. First, they knew it was a lost cause and a disaster for unionism. Second, they had just finished discussing their own disbandment with an expert appointed by the British and Irish governments. They did not want to make a mockery of this at the final moment.

Dutch academic Fleur Ravensbergen published her report on Tuesday, after a year of talking to paramilitary groups, community leaders, victims of crime and terrorism and public bodies. Her team is believed to have included representatives from the Irish Government and the Northern Ireland Office.

The report claims there was significant engagement with dissident republicans, which dissident groups have denied. This confusion is not considered fatal to the exercise – most people have long accepted that loyalism and republicanism present different challenges. Unless or until dissidents do engage, the report is effectively about winding down loyalism.

Its main recommendation is that both governments should establish “an independent, time-bound transition mechanism without delay”.

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© The Irish Times