Statement by TUV party secretary and North Belfast representative Ron McDowell:
“Officialdom has monumentally failed to mark the centenary of Northern Ireland. The NIO events were low-key and indicative of an organisation which was merely going through the motions. At Stormont a centenary stone which could have been erected at zero cost to the public purse was blocked by the Sinn Fein veto. Even tomorrow Alliance and the rest of the pan-Nationalist front have united to make sure that our National Flag will not fly from Stormont.
“The powers that be have failed to mark the centenary of Northern Ireland as it deserved to be marked. Yet tomorrow tens of thousands of ordinary people will throng the streets of Belfast to celebrate 100 years of Northern Ireland.
“Where government has failed the Loyal Orders and our glorious band culture has risen to the challenge and I have no doubt that the display which will be put on tomorrow will be one which is worthy of celebrating our first century.
“I look forward to joining with the many who promise to make this a day to remember.”