Judge’s final remarks on Drumcree felt like an epitaph as much as a conclusion

Even before the stand-off at Drumcree developed a month ago, the dispute had ended up in the courts; now, it has had its end in the courts. A member of the Portadown Orange Order sought to challenge the decision by the Northern Secretary Chris Bryant to ban the parade after two weeks of stalemate.

In a judgment delivered in the High Court on Wednesday, the judge either refused to grant leave for an appeal or, on a handful of grounds, granted leave then dismissed the appeal. Bryant’s decision was “lawful”, Judge David Scoffield said, but added it was “highly regrettable it was required in the circumstances in which it arose”, and said those who had opposed the march should take “no particular joy” in the outcome.

The judge’s final remarks, delivered in the formal surroundings of a Belfast courtroom, felt like an epitaph as much as a conclusion, as he…