|
| Ulster Unionist Party |
|
 |
|
| Leader |
Sir Reg Empey MLA |
|
| Founded |
1905 |
| Headquarters |
429 Holywood Road
Belfast, BT4 2LN
Northern Ireland, United Kingdom |
|
| Political Ideology |
Unionism, Centrism, Conservatism |
| Political Position |
Centre |
| International Affiliation |
none |
| European Affiliation |
none |
| European Parliament Group |
ED, within EPP-ED |
| Colours |
Red, White and Blue (the colours of the Union Flag) |
|
| Website |
http://www.uup.org |
|
| See also |
Politics of the UK
Political parties
Elections
|
The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP or, in
a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party) is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland[1]. Prior to the split in Unionism in the late 1960's, when the
Protestant Unionist Party began to attract more hard line support away from
the UUP, it governed Northern Ireland between 1921 and 1972 as the sole Unionist party. It continued to be supported by most
unionist voters throughout the period known as the Troubles. The party is currently led by
Sir Reg Empey.
The UUP has lost support among Northern Ireland's unionist and Protestant community to the more 'hardline' Democratic
Unionist Party (DUP) in successive elections at all levels of government since 1999. A telling sign of this decline in
support is that Sir Reg Empey was the only leader of one the four main parties not to be
re-elected on first preference votes alone in the Assembly elections of March 2007.
Party leaders
- note: ** denotes leaders of the UUP who were also leaders of the Irish Unionist
Parliamentary Party.
History
1880s to 1921
The Ulster Unionist Party traces its formal existence back to the foundation of the Ulster Unionist Council in 1905.
Prior to that, however, there had been a less formally organised Irish Unionist
Party since the late 19th century, sometimes but not always dominated by Unionists from Ulster. Modern organised Unionism
properly emerged after William Gladstone's introduction in 1886 of the first of three
Home Rule bills in response to demands by the Irish Parliamentary Party. The Irish Unionist
Party was an alliance of Conservatives and Liberal Unionists, the latter having split from the Liberal
Party over the issue of Irish home rule. It is this split that gave rise to the
current name of the Conservative and Unionist Party, to which the UUP
was formally linked to varying degrees until 1985.
The party had a strong association with the Orange Order, a Protestant religious institution. The original composition of the Ulster Unionist Council was 50% Orange
delegates, however this was reduced through the years. Though most unionist support was based in the geographic area that became
Northern Ireland, there were at one time Unionist enclaves throughout southern Ireland. Unionists in Cork and Dublin were
particularly influential. The initial leadership of the Unionist Party all came from outside the six counties of Ulster, with people such as Colonel Saunderson, Viscount
(later the Earl of) Midleton and the Dublin-born Sir Edward Carson. However, with the partition of
Ireland under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, Irish unionism
in effect split. Many southern unionist politicians became reconciled with the new Irish Free
State, sitting in its senate or joining its political parties. Unionism's northern wing evolved into the separate Ulster
Unionist Party.
The leadership of the UUP was taken by Edward Carson in 1910. Throughout his 11 year leadership he fought a sustained campaign
against Irish Home Rule, including the formation of the Ulster Volunteers in 1912.
During the various Home Rule crises, Carson moved from being MP for Dublin
University to Belfast Duncairn, however the
compromise of Irish partition was felt by Carson to be defeat, so he refused the opportunity to be Prime Minister of Northern Ireland or even to sit in the Northern Ireland House of Commons. The leadership of the Party, and subsequently,
Northern Ireland, was taken by Sir James Craig.
The Stormont era
Until almost the very end of its period of power in Northern Ireland the Unionist
Party was led by a combination of landed gentry (Sir Basil
Brooke [later Lord Brookeborough], Terence O'Neill and James Chichester-Clark) and gentrified industrial magnates (Sir James Craig later Lord
Craigavon, and John Miller Andrews). Only its last Prime Minister, Brian
Faulkner was from a middle-class background.
Craig governed Northern Ireland from its inception until his death in 1940. He was given the second state funeral in Northern
Ireland's history, and is buried with his wife by the east wing of Parliament
Buildings. His successor, JM Andrews, was heavily criticised for appointing octogenarian veterans of Craig's
administration to his cabinet. His government was also believed to be more interested in protecting the statue of Carson than the
citizens of Belfast during the Blitz. A backbench revolt in 1943 resulted in his
resignation to be replaced by Sir Basil Brooke, although he was recognised as leader of the party until 1946.
Brooke, despite having felt that he held on to power for too long, was Prime Minister for one year longer than Craig. During
this time he was on more than one occasion called to meetings of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland to explain his actions, most
notably following the Education Act which made the state responsible for the payment of National Insurance contributions of teachers in Catholic maintained schools. Ian Paisley called from Brooke's resignation in 1953 when he refused to sack Brian Maginess and Sir Clarence Graham who gave speeches supporting
Catholic membership of the UUP.
He was replaced in 1963 by Terence O'Neill.
In the 1960s, identifying with the civil rights movement of Martin Luther King and encouraged by attempts at reform under O'Neill, the Northern Civil
Rights Movement campaigned for legislation that would end discrimination against Catholics in a small number of areas, mostly
the allocation of public housing and the local government franchise (which was restricted to rate
payers). However, the increase in violence between unionists and the newly formed Provisional Irish Republican Army led some to believe Northern Ireland was faced with
what seemed to be a threat of civil war. This violence escaled throughout the late 1960's. O'Neill had pushed through some
reforms but in the process the Ulster Unionists became heavily divided. At the 1969 Stormont General Election UUP candidates stood on both pro and anti-O'Neill
platforms, with several independent pro-O'Neill Unionists challenging his critics, whilst the Protestant Unionist Party of Ian Paisley mounted a hardline challenge. The result proved
inconclusive for O'Neill, who resigned a short time later. His resignation was probably caused by that of James Chichester-Clark who stated that he disagreed with the timing, but not the
principle, of universal suffrage at Local Elections.
Chichester-Clark won the leadership election to replace
O'Neill and swiftly moved to implement many of his reforms. Civil disorder continued to mount, culminating in August 1969
when republicans clashed with Apprentice Boys in Derry, sparking days of riots, and decades of violence. Early in 1971 Chichester-Clark flew to London to request
further military aid following the murder of three off duty soldiers by the IRA. When this was all but refused, he resigned to be
replaced by Brian Faulkner.
Faulkner's government struggled though 1971 and into 1972, however following Bloody
Sunday the British Government suspended, and eventually abolished the Northern Ireland Parliament.
Some liberal Unionists, who had advocated the policies of Terence O'Neill left and
formed the Alliance Party in April 1970, while the emergence of
Ian Paisley's Protestant Unionist Party
drew off some working-class and more hardline support.
1972 - 1995
In June 1973 the Unionists won a majority of seats in the new Northern
Ireland Assembly, but the party was divided on policy. The Sunningdale
Agreement, which led to the formation of a power-sharing Executive under the Ulster Unionist leader Brian Faulkner, ruptured the party. In the 1973 elections to the Executive
the party found itself divided, a division that did not formally end until January 1974 with the triumph of the anti-Sunningdale
faction. Faulkner was then overthrown, and he set up the Unionist Party of
Northern Ireland (UPNI). The Ulster Unionists were now led by Harry West from 1974
until 1979. In the February 1974 general election, the
party participated in the United Ulster Unionist Coalition (UUUC) with
Vanguard and the Democratic Unionists. The result was that the UUUC won 11 out of 12 parliamentary seats in Northern Ireland on a
fiercely anti-Sunningdale platform, although they barely won 50% of the overall popular vote. This result was a fatal blow for
the Executive, which soon collapsed.
Up until 1974 the UUP was affiliated with the National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations, and
Ulster Unionist MPs sat with the Conservative Party at Westminster, traditionally taking the post of Conservative parliamentary whip.
To all intents and purposes the party functioned as the Northern Ireland branch of the Conservative Party. In 1974, in protest
over the Sunningdale Agreement, the Westminster Ulster Unionist MPs withdrew from
the alliance. The party remained affiliated to the National Union but in 1985, they withdrew from it as well, in protest over the
Anglo-Irish Agreement. Subsequently, the Conservative Party has organised
separately in Northern Ireland, with little electoral success.
Under West's leadership, the party recruited Enoch Powell, who became Ulster Unionist MP
for South Down. Powell advocated a policy of integration,
whereby Northern Ireland would be administered as an integral part of the United Kingdom. This policy divided both the Ulster
Unionists and the wider Unionist movement, as Powell's ideas conflicted with those supporting a restoration of devolved
government to the province. The party also made gains upon the breakup of the Vanguard Party and its merger back into the Ulster Unionists. The separate
United Ulster Unionist Party (UUUP) emerged from the remains of Vanguard
but folded in the early 1980s, as did the UPNI. In both cases the main beneficiaries of this were the Ulster Unionists, now under
the leadership of James Molyneaux (1979-1995).
The Trimble Leadership
David Trimble led the party between 1995 and 2005. His support (which
some nationalists claim to be ambiguous) for the Belfast Agreement caused a rupture
within the Party into pro-agreement and anti-agreement factions. Trimble served as First Minister of Northern Ireland in the power-sharing
administration created under the Belfast Agreement.
The UUP had a Roman Catholic Member of the Legislative Assembly
(MLA) (the Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly), Sir John Gorman until the 2003 election. In March 2005, the Orange Order voted to end its official
links with the UUP, while still maintaining the same unofficial links as other interest groups. Mr Trimble faced down Orange
Order critics who tried to suspend him for his attendance at a Catholic funeral for a young boy murdered by the Real IRA, in the infamous Omagh bombing. Trimble and
Irish president Mary McAleese, in a sign of
unity, walked into the church together.
2005 General Election
Wikinews has related news:
The party fared poorly in the 2005 general election, losing five of its six Westminster seats — one MP had previously defected
to the DUP. Only the Labour Party lost more seats in 2005. David Trimble himself lost his seat in Upper Bann and resigned as party leader soon after. The ensuing leadership election was won by Sir Reg
Empey.
2005 - present
In May 2006 UUP leader Reg Empey attempted to create a new assembly group that would have
included Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) leader David Ervine. The PUP is the political wing of the illegal Ulster
Volunteer Force (UVF),[2][3][4][5][6] a paramilitary organisation that carried out many murders during the Troubles and equivalent to the
Provisional Irish Republican Army for the Sinn Féin Party. Many in the UUP, including the last remaining MP, Sylvia
Hermon, were opposed to the move.[7][8] The link was in the form of a new group called the 'Ulster
Unionist Assembly Party Group' whose membership was the 24 UUP MLAs and Mr Ervine. Sir Reg
Empey justified the link by stating that under the d'Hondt rules for allocating ministers in the Assembly, the new group
would take a seat in the Executive from Sinn Féin, with their links to the IRA.
Following a request for a ruling from the DUP's Peter Robinson, the
Speaker ruled that the UUPAG was not a political party within the meaning of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.
2007
The Ulster Unionist party did poorly in the Northern Ireland
Assembly election, 2007. The party retained 18 of its seats within the assembly. [9]
|
Party |
Leader |
Candidates |
Seats |
Change from 2003
|
1st Pref Votes |
1st Pref % |
Change from 2003
|
Expected
Executive seats |
|
Ulster Unionist |
Reg Empey |
38 |
18 |
−9 |
103,145 |
14.9 |
−7.7 |
2 |
Structure
The UUP is still organised around the Ulster Unionist Council, which was from 1905 until 2004 the only legal representation of
the UUP. Following the adoption of a new Constitution, the UUP is now an entity in its own right, however the UUC still exists as
the supreme decision making body of the Party.
Each Constituency in Northern Ireland forms the boundary of a UUP Constituency Association, which is made up of branches
formed along local boundaries (often electoral wards or District Electoral Areas). There are also three 'representative bodies',
the Ulster Womens Unionist Council, the Ulster Young Unionist
Council and the Ulster Unionist Councillors Association. Each Constituency Association and
Representative Body elects a number of delegates to the Ulster Unionist Council, which normally only meets at its Annual General
Meeting, which hears reports and elects Party Officers, including the Party Leader each year.
Associations and Representative Bodies also elect delegates to the Party Executive Committee, which is around 100 members
strong and meets between 6 and 10 times every year.
The UUP maintained a formal connection with the Orange Order from its foundation until 2005, and with the Apprentice Boys of Derry until 1975. Only three of the party's Westminster MPs
(Enoch Powell, Ken
Maginnis and Sylvia Hermon) have not been members of the Orange Order. This was
said to be a factor in discouraging Catholic membership of the party. While the party was considering structural reforms,
including the connection with the Order, it was the Order itself that severed the connection in 2004.
Youth wing
The UUP's youth wing is the Ulster Young Unionist Council, first formed in 1949. Many
of its members have stayed with the party, such as the present leader of the UUP. Others have left to start other unionist
parties. Having disbanded twice, in 1974 and 2004, the Council was re-constituted by young activists in March 2004. This resulted
in the young unionists (YU) becoming a representative body of the UUP and subject to its revamp of their Constitution.[1]
Policy summary
As a party reflecting the centrist ground of Unionist opinion, the broad policy outlook of the Ulster Unionist Party reflects
the society in which it works and aims to develop and strengthen Northern Ireland's role as a partner within the United Kingdom.
Under Sir Reg Empey's leadership, the party has stressed the need for social cohesion and a "Fair Society". It has stated it will
make tackling poverty and homelessness a priority in any
future Northern Ireland administration.
Constitutional affairs
- Constitutional Monarchist
- Pro-devolution with a strong attachment to British Parliamentary Traditions
- Supports in principle power-sharing with democratic nationalist parties in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
- Seeks to promote and strengthen the constitutional union between Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, and Wales within the
constitutional framework of the United Kingdom
- Seeks to develop friendly relations between all the peoples of the British Isles
- Supportive of a positive, co-operative relationship between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland
North/South
- The party has been supportive of constructive co-operation between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, since the
latter renounced its territorial claim upon Northern Ireland as part of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
- Participated in North-South Ministerial Council (NSMC)
British/Irish relations
- Established British Irish Council
Justice and security
- Opposed Patten Report (1999) and subsequent
changes to RUC
- Against 50:50 recruitment in the Police Service of Northern
Ireland (PSNI)
- Favours retention of full-time reserve to keep up police numbers
- Supports strong UK anti-terrorist legislation, identity cards, anti-social behaviour orders and a statutory Victims Charter
for victims of crime
- Demands Assets Recovery Agency actions against both loyalist and republican paramilitaries
- Demands the abolition of Parades Commission, on the grounds that it restricts Freedom of Assembly.
Social affairs
- UUP social policy places an emphasis on social cohesion, on the role of the family, and on the eradication of poverty and
homelessness from Northern Ireland society. [2]
Ethnic minorities
- Under Sir Reg Empey's leadership, the party has stressed the need to help integrate ethnic minorities into Northern Irish
life.
- The UUP supported the allocation of additional resources by the police to tackle Hate Crime against ethnic minorities.
- The Party Website contains content in most of Northern
Ireland's ethnic minority languages, including Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Hindi,
Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi and Urdu.
Agriculture
- The party has proposed a series of measures aimed at addressing the economic, social and environmental needs of rural
communities. It has called for a Rural White Paper to bring together the various strands of government policy towards rural
communities in the Province.
Culture
Education
- The party promotes a series of measures to reduce the "brain drain" of educated young Northern Ireland people to the mainland
UK, Republic of Ireland and further afield. [3]
Environment
- Proposes independent Environmental Protection Agency and Marine Act for coastal protection
- Supports reduced fossil fuel dependency and increased renewable energy use
- Aims to complete all Area of Special Scientific Interest designations by 2010
Health
- The party supports free personal care for the elderly [4] and has stated it will make its implementation a priority in any future Northern
Ireland administration.
Economic affairs
- Regionalist approach seeks maximum investment in Northern Ireland economy
Foreign affairs
- Supports the "War on Terrorism"
- Voted for the 2003 invasion of Iraq at Westminster
Europe
- Euro-sceptic centrist
- Opposes European Constitution
- Favours retention of the Pound Sterling, opposes UK entry into the Euro
Wider world
- Atlanticist
- Expresses support for involvement of Northern Ireland citizens in UK diplomacy and United Nations
- Supports North Atlantic Treaty Organization alliance with the United Kingdom's NATO allies
- General interest in international development issues
Spokespersons
Party spokespersons as of July 2007 were:
| Policy Issue |
|
| Social Development |
Fred Cobain MLA
Cllr Michael Copeland
|
| Agriculture and Rural Development |
Tom Elliott MLA |
| Regional Development |
Fred Cobain MLA |
| Education and Employment & Learning |
Basil McCrea MLA |
| Finance and Personnel |
Roy Beggs Jnr MLA |
| Environment |
Sam Gardiner MLA |
| Health |
Rev Robert Coulter MLA |
| Culture, Arts and Leisure |
David McNarry MLA |
| Enterprise, Trade and Investment |
Leslie Cree MLA |
| Tourism and consumer affairs |
Alan McFarland MLA |
| Rights & Equality |
Dermot Nesbitt |
| Finance and Personnel |
Esmond Birnie MLA |
| Children's issues |
Roy Beggs Jnr MLA |
| Parading Issues |
Fred Cobain MLA
Cllr Michael Copeland
|
| Policing Issues |
Fred Cobain MLA |
| Regional Development |
Leslie Cree MLA |
| Victims' Issues |
Derek Hussey |
See also
| Ulster Unionist Party leadership elections |
|
1969 | 1971 | 1979 | 1995 (Mar) | 1995 (Sept) | 2000 | 2004 | 2005
|
References
External links
Political parties in the United
Kingdom  |
| House of Commons (646): |
Labour (355) • Conservatives (197) • Liberal
Democrats (63) • DUP (9) • SNP (6) • Sinn
Féin (5)# • Plaid Cymru (3) •
SDLP (3) • Ind KHHC (1) • Independent (1) • Independent
Labour (1) • Respect (1) • UUP (1) |
| House of
Lords (738): |
Labour (211) • Crossbencher (207) •
Conservatives (205) • Liberal
Democrats (77) • UKIP (2) •
Greens (E&W) (1) • Bishops (26) • non-affiliated (12) •
Conservative Independent (1) • Independent Labour (1) • Independent (1) |
| Scottish Parliament (129): |
SNP (47) • Labour (46) •
Conservatives (17) • Liberal Democrats (16) • Scottish
Greens (2) • Independent (1) |
| National Assembly for Wales (60): |
Labour (26) • Plaid Cymru (15) •
Conservatives (12) • Liberal
Democrats (6) • Independent (1) |
| Northern Ireland Assembly (108): |
DUP (36) • Sinn Féin (28) •
UUP (18) • SDLP (16) • Alliance (7) • Greens
(NI) (1) • PUP (1) • Independent (1) |
| London
Assembly (25): |
Conservatives (9) • Labour (7) •
Liberal Democrats (5) • Greens (E&W) (2) • One
London (2) |
European Parliament
(78 of 732): |
Conservatives (ED, 27) • Labour (PES, 19) • Liberal Democrats (ELDR,
12) • UKIP (ID, 10) • Greens
(E&W) (EGP, 2) • SNP (EFA, 2) • Plaid Cymru (EFA, 1) • Sinn Féin (EUL, 1) • UUP (ED, 1) • Independent (ADIE, 1) • Independent (ITS, 1) • Independent (NA, 1) |
Notes:
#Although Sinn Féin have five elected members and have offices at Westminster, they are abstentionist and therefore do not take their seats |
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