THE flag poles outside Sinn Fein's ministries remained bare today as the Union Flag went up over
other Government buildings to mark the anniversary of the Queen's coronation.
The issue of symbolism, which sparked a "heated" debate in the first meeting of the revived Executive
yesterday, caused the first major upset of the power-sharing government and exposed another rift in
unionism..
Coronation Day is one of 13 specified days for flying the Union flag over Government buildings, but
Sinn Fein Ministers Martin McGuinness and Bairbre de Brun have ordered that it should not be
displayed over their headquarters in the Departments of Education and Health..
The DUP said the flag was also absent from Fire Brigade headquarters in Lisburn, which is under Ms De Brun's direction..
DUP leader Rev Ian Paisley said the move displayed that "Sinn Fein are unfit to be in office and the Ulster Unionists are unfit to
negotiate on behalf of unionism"..
"With army observation posts being destroyed today it is clear that there will be no early resolution of the flags issue and it is far
from clear that there will be any satisfactory resolution," said Mr Paisley. .
"While Ulster Unioinists bend over backwards to pander to Sinn Fein-IRA, it is clear that Sinn Fein-IRA show contempt for
British culture and the Ulster Unionist interpretation of the Belfast Agreement.".
During suspenion of devolution, Secretary of State Peter Mandelson reserved the power to ultimately decide the flags issue if
the Executive fails to agree on a way to proceed..
The Executive is due to discuss the issue again, but First Minister David Trimble was downbeat about the prospects for
settlement..
"If Ministers proceed to act in a way which gives rise to more hurt and concern in the community, then obviously its going to
make it more difficult," he said..
Deputy First Minister Seamus Mallon said the issue would be the "acid test of maturity"for the new government, and said no
one should do anything to heighten tensions..
Sinn Fein deputy chief whip Connor Murphy said the party would prefer that either both the tricolour and the Union flag, or no
flags at all, were flown above government buildings..
"We are arguing that if people feel that flags should be flown from Government buildings on certain days, then both flags should
be flown," he said..
"In order to respect both traditions we feel that both flags should be flown, or if that's going to create further division, no flags
should be flown at all.".
But he said the flags issue was not one which could derail the Assembly and Executive..
Ulster Unionist Assemblyman Dermot Nesbitt said there was no way that both the tricolour and the Union flag could fly over
the same government building..
"There won't be two flags - that just won't happen.".
He insisted flying the official national flag, the Union flag, was not about "triumphalism" but something that happened across the
"democratic world"..
But the executive would survive the controversy, he said, adding: "We can and we have and it will continue.".
Both of the Sinn Fein ministers share their office buildings with other departments, but it was unclear today what role the other
occupiers had in the flags decision..
Secretary of State Peter Mandelson is in the same building as Ms De Brun, but the Northern Ireland Office said the building
belongs to the Department of Health..
Finance Minister Mark Durkan of the SDLP shares .
The issue is due to return next week, when the Assembly debates a DUP motion forcing Sinn Fein to fly the flag..
The flag is also to be hoisted again next Saturday - the Duke of Edinburgh's birthday..
~*~
Australia to remove Queen from banknotes - report(Yahoo: Reuters)
SYDNEY (Reuters) - The Queen's image will be replaced on Australia's $5 note next year by the
country's "father of federation", Sir Henry Parkes, a newspaper has reported.
Australia's Sunday Telegraph said in its early edition that the planned new note would be issued to
commemorate the centenary of the country's federation which was proclaimed in January 1901.
The newspaper said the image of the Queen would remain on Australia's coins.
Parkes was a New South Wales state premier in Australia's early colonial days and instrumental in the
move for federation.
Australia was settled by Britain in 1788 and remains a constitutional monarchy, with the Queen as its head of state.
The country voted in a referendum last year against becoming a republic, but pro-republican campaigners have said this was
less to do with continued loyalty to Britain's monarchy than a split over how a new president should be elected.