Blue Pallets, Red Pallets and the Politics of Legitimacy: Who Really Owns Belfast’s Bonfires?

Every July, blue and red pallets go up in flames on loyalist bonfires across Belfast. The theft is brazen, the impunity is total, and the cultural defence is well rehearsed. But behind the smoke lies a harder question — who is actually running this politics, and what do they gain from ensuring nothing ever changes?