A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO NORTHERN IRELAND POLITICS: PART TWO :THE DUP!
Monday, March 19, 2007 at 02:12PM The Democratic Unionist Party: “You gotta have Faith!”
I suppose on first reflection it does seem a little odd that I should find myself located to the political right of Dr Ian Paisley’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
After all, Ian Paisley has long been caricatured as being a latter day Attila the Hun but without the easy manners. His Party has been portrayed variously over the years as political wreckers, the abominable “No-Men” of Ulster politics, red-necked sash-wearing backwoodsmen intent on retaining the Protestant hegemony.
But then again, it’s not just me that has been on a journey over the past decade, the DUP has also been a-changing.
My first encounter with the DUP was in late 1996 and it took the form of a private meeting with its leader, Dr Ian Paisley. At the time, I was a member of a group of local businessmen who sought to ascertain the views of the main unionist political leaders on the State of the Union as the tectonic-plates of local political topography began shifting with the alleged “peace process” developing.
This led me to DUP headquarters, located at Dundela Avenue in East Belfast. A group of around ten of us were ushered into the main conference room and we awaited the arrival of the man that they called “The Doc.” He arrived late, but made an instant impression. Larger than life, he strode onto the podium, sat down, crossed his arms, stared at us and barked; “Well gentlemen, how can I help you?”
I immediately liked him, though found him a tad intimidating!
Like many others, I had watched Paisley’s political progress over the years on my TV and he came across as a firebrand fundamentalist Protestant Preacher/Politician who was wont to grab publicity-generating opportunities, most famous of which took place outside Belfast City Hall in late 1985, at a rally to protest at the treachery of the Thatcher Government signing up to the Anglo-Irish Agreement behind Unionist backs. “Never, Never, Never” he thundered to a huge crowd of outraged unionists. The “Never” he referred to was the idea that republicans and the Irish government would have a say in Northern Ireland’s internal affairs. (How things would change in later years!) The man behind this demagogic front was now sitting in front of me!
We conducted a series of questions and answers and I found him to be forthright, honest, though perhaps overly aggressive when there was a suggestion that his opinions might be contradicted. I remember wondering at the time who in his Party would argue against him and what price would such people pay in terms of political career progression? Dr. Paisley’s view at that time was that the British Conservative Government led by John Major was not to be trusted, that the Ulster Unionist Party (or “Official Unionist Party” as he insisted on calling them) led by the relatively recently elected David Trimble was not be to trusted, and that that he, Ian Paisley, was not going to be participate in any process that would undermine the Union. I awarded him top marks for re-assuring us all that the Union was going to be safe in his political grip – but in retrospect his reassurance centred on what “he” felt was the right thing to do. The DUP may not be a one-man band but it was pretty clear back then as to who was banging the big drum!
Only a few months after this meeting, the Government behaved as delinquently as Dr. Paisley had predicted, Tony Blair was now Prime Minister, and NuLabour had replaced the hapless Conservatives as the party in power in May of 1997. In July, the IRA graciously agreed to a tactical cessation of mass murder and Sinn Fein was admitted to the political talks process.
A series of political wranglings between the Ulster Unionists, the SDLP, IRA/Sinn Fein and the Governments of the UK and the Republic of Ireland culminated on the 10th April of the following year in the shape of the Belfast Agreement. The DUP, along with my own Party the UKUP, refused to to take part in what we decided was a talks process with a predetermined outcome. There were strenuous efforts made to achieve a united unionist front in this regard but for reasons I will outline in my analysis of the Ulster Unionist Party, this was not to be.
The political Agreement reached was in reality a sordid deal between the IRA and the British Government with token unionist involvement required for public-dressing, and it was now going to be offered to the people of Northern Ireland in the form of a Yes/No Referendum.
The DUP, along with my own Party the UK Unionists, found itself in the vanguard of opposition to the provisions of this corrupt deal. We were appalled at the prospect of convicted terrorists being released from captivity, at the plan to destroy the RUC and to put terrorists into Government. We were horrified at the plans to create all-Ireland bodies and to institutionalise the role of the Irish Government in Northern Ireland’s affairs.
This meant in practical terms that a campaign had to be organised to try and persuade the pro-Union electorate that they should not endorse such a political deal as we believed it contained the essence of rolling Irish unification. For some reason, nationalists and republicans and the media establishment celebrated the deal. Go figure.
And so it was that the “IT’S RIGHT TO SAY NO” campaign was hatched shortly after Easter 1998 and I found myself back at DUP headquarters at Dundela House. There were a number of steering group meetings held here for the anti-Agreement lobby and I was present at several of these. It must be said that the DUP was generous in providing this facility and they were committed to the opposition of the Belfast Agreement at this time.
The DUP’s Deputy Leader, Peter Robinson, was the main DUP personality present at these meetings and I found it interesting to observe him close up and personal. Where Paisley exuded a larger than life warmth, Robinson radiated a deep chill. His clipped and precise manner of speaking, his carefully coiffeured appearance, all pointed to a man who was highly organised and not to be treated lightly. I have no doubt that Peter Robinson’s strategic and organisational skills have been absolutely central to the success of the DUP; he is a most impressive but dangerous political animal.
I was amused during these meetings by the obvious tension between Robert McCartney and Peter Robinson, with the former muttering away as Robinson pontificated on possible forms of strategy. Holding together the alliance of those who were to oppose the Belfast Agreement was not the easy prospect one might have imagined and it taught me that Unionism’s capacity to fracture itself is always present.
On the 22nd May 1998 the Referendum on what was touted by the global media as “The Good Friday Agreement” was held and as an exercise in media manipulation it would have made Goebbels proud! Even the very name of it was designed to conjure up a certain sacredness that should not be denied. Those of us in the ant-Agreement camp found our air-time severely limited – the Government threw the proverbial kitchen sink at it and the final result was depressing but perhaps not that surprising. Just over 70% of those who voted supported the Belfast Agreement and the media were exultant. On reflection, I view this date as the day the Union was struck a fatal blow and a sufficient bloc of unionism was moved beyond the tipping point.
There was little time to feel despondent though because Assembly Elections were called almost immediately and I found myself as the UK Unionist candidate in Upper Bann. In this unionist cockpit of a constituency, a decision was taken for a United Unionist platform to be created by those of us in the “Anti” camp, and that basically meant me, the local DUP, and a leading light in the Orange Order camp, County Armagh Grand Master Denis Watson, campaigning together. This gave me an insight into how the DUP electioneered and proved an eye-opener to this innocent abroad.
The DUP’s main figure in Upper Bann was a Portadown based accountant called Mervyn Carrick. There was also a husband and wife team, William and Ruth Allen. All three were members of the Free Presbyterian Church – as was I. I have to be candid and say that I found the Allens a dismal pair whilst Mr Carrick carried the warmth of personality one would expect from an accountant. That said, he was also a very energetic campaigner and I lost a few pounds in weight before losing a few more pounds on my deposit! I got the impression that the DUP would have preferred had I not been standing, and as DUP ambitions were to grow, the very prospect of anyone opposing them was viewed as near blasphemy! Back then I was running my own embryonic business, with two young kids, canvassing in the evening, and was thoroughly exhausted by the end of the campaign!
The United Unionists got two candidates elected to the Assembly – 1 DUP in the form of the charismatically challenged Carrick (Accountants of the world unite) and 1 Orange Order – elementary for Denis Watson.
My first preference vote was just over 1400, and whilst this was derided by some perhaps others viewed it as a marker for the future considering that I had been thrown in the deep end, with no experience whatsoever of local politics. Over the next few years, I became a prolific personality in the local media, and had a few public arguments with the local DUP.
In the late autumn of 1998, Peter Robinson observed “ The sky is not less grey because the blind man does not see it. Equally the danger of this Agreement is not less real because 71% of the people do not see it.”
The year after the Assembly election, 1999, saw some of us unionists try to bring out public opinion to save the Royal Ulster Constabulary from what we saw was its looming demise at the hands of Chris Patten. Patten had been tasked to produce a report on the future of policing in Northern Ireland and since the IRA required the emasculation of the RUC as a key requirement of its participation in the political process, it was obvious that Patten would axe the RUC.
I organised a local public meeting and spoke at others around the Province. Looking back, it was obvious from the attendance that whilst there was some disquiet at what was looming there was not enough to stop the axe from falling. The people I felt sorriest for were those brave RUC men and women who carried the mental and physical wounds of IRA barbarity and who were offended by the notion that it was they that needed to be “reformed” – not the terrorists! The shape of peace process Ulster was emerging.
These “Save the RUC” meetings culminated at a monster rally held in the Ulster Hall the September of that year. I did not speak at that event but it was very well attended and I remember meeting up with a DUP Assemblyman after the meeting. I can still recall being shocked by the sheer cynicism he displayed towards the public. He felt there was NO chance of the RUC being retained but as he put it “David, we have to be seen to be doing something” with a smile on his face
There were also changes within the local DUP, and I became friendly with David Simpson – the future DUP Member of Parliament for the constituency – and I had known the amiable Stephen Moutray, a future DUP MLA, for several years previously. Both gentlemen were also Free Presbyterians. I liked them both and there was some discussion amongst us ahead of the 2001 General Election. I was asked to write an endorsement for the DUP’s David Simpson election literature and I gladly did so. In the event, he did not win, but his profile was substantially raised and the DUP in Upper Bann morphed into a viable alternative to the ageing local Ulster Unionists. David Trimble’s deep unpopularity helped the DUP gain local ascendancy although the media pretended otherwise and pretended Trimble was still the major vote puller in this constituency.
My relationship with the DUP faded after the 2001 General Election. I ceased having much contact with them and when the Assembly Election of 2003 was called and two DUP MLA’s were now returned to Stormont from Upper Bann that really was the end of days. You see the thing about the DUP is if you’re not in the tribe and worshipping at the shrine of “The Doc” then you are nowhere. It’s almost a religious cult – though whether the structure and discipline will hold when Papa Doc is no longer around is another question.
Dr Paisley’s son, Ian Jnr, lacks the personality of his father and I have found him a cold fish in those rare media occasions when we have encountered each other, He and I had a very public sharp exchange of views in the letters page of The Newsletter and I wonder if he has the charisma to follow his father. That said, I also think it is a very hard act he has to follow and one should not be uncharitable towards him.
However, the DUP manifesto position outlined in the 2003 Assembly election, and then again in 2005 at the General Election, was carefully calibrated to persuade voters that the DUP had been re-born, so to speak, and whilst they opposed the position of the Ulster Unionists they were offering positive policies. That said, there was still bellicose language in their election communiqués such as “Republicans are under the cosh and a new confident and dynamic unionism possesses the high moral ground. The Unionist community does not want to go back to the bad old days when the UUP was in charge and conceded daily to Sinn Fein/IRA”
Oddly enough the DUP policies could only really be enacted if the DUP were to enter power-sharing with Sinn Fein/IRA, and so there was a seeming contradiction at the heart of DUP thinking. The manicured language was all about offering “Leadership to put things right” – and the DUP provided a coherent energetic and above all united alternative to the divided fractious and tired Ulster Unionist Party.
The DUP has longed to become the largest Unionist Party and following its massive electoral success in 2005, reinforced in 2007, this is now demonstrably the case. It has effectively replaced the clapped out directionless Ulster Unionist Party, and may almost completely annihilate that Party over the next five to ten years.
2007 sees Dr Ian Paisley sitting on top of the Unionist pile, and his DUP is now being treated with the respect denied it for decades. A media that once damned Paisley now praises him in the same way it lauded Lord Trimble, though his media interviews still retain a modicum of discomfiture for DUP pragmatists as he still has a mercurial edge.
The DUP has 9 out of the 10 Unionist MP’s at Westminster, it has 3 members in the House of Lords – including Dr Paisley’s wife Eileen, it has 36 MLA’s at Stormont, it has 183 local Councillors – the DUP has undeniably become the torch-bearer for Unionism. And that’s the problem.
You see, I do not believe that the DUP puts the long term survival of the Union top of its list of priorities. The DUP puts the survival of the DUP top of its list of priorities and the realisation of political power is the driving force within that Party. Some see IRA/Sinn Fein and its United Ireland intentions as the greatest threat to the survival of the Union but I consider the DUP as constituting a bigger and potentially more lethal danger to the Union.
Why? Because it is little more than a unionist version of Sinn Fein, it is Ulster Nationalism incarnate and nowadays it lacks any opposition to temper its worst excesses. With devolution as its holy grail, the DUP is susceptible to pursuing a path which leads away from the Union. The DUP will decide what it will do, it believes it is now clever enough to sell this to the unionist electorate, and since it puts power first, it could potentially accept an amelioration of the Union as a price worth paying so long as its grip on power is enhanced. I think that there is every likelihood that the DUP will try and share power with Sinn Fein. Indeed in anticipation of this, it has even decided to stop referring to Republicans as Sinn Fein/IRA.
The DUP does not enjoy criticism. It has managed to triangulate itself to the point where all those to the left of it are branded “Lundy’s”, the terms for traitors to the Unionist cause. Those on the right of it, such as myself, are dismissed as mavericks, and without any electoral mandate. But to paraphrase Peter Robinson, “ The sky is not less grey because the blind man does not see it. Equally the danger of the DUP is not less real because 30.1% of the people vote for it.”
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Reader Comments (14)
I share your view that the DUP is all about power. But there are tensions within it and these will break out in the open when the big man goes, and possibly much sooner.
Fascinating glimpse behind the scenes. It's hard to know whether Unionists or Nationalists are politically the most ruthless.
I genuinely believe the DUP to be the biggest threat to the Union; would the DUP, having been given free run to govern their own fundamentalist NE Ulster fiefdom, agree to some kind of federal United Ireland?
If, after all that has been said over the last forty years, they are now prepared to work with SF,then anything is possible.
you dont. even the green party have more of a mandate. :)
Thanks for this.
I found this piece and your insight into the UKUP very interesting and informative.
I look forward to your views on the UUP although I suspect it may not be for the faint hearted.
All of the dissenting MPS,a Lord and the flamboyant, cheerful and personable MEP are in the FP church-not surprising since the party in its infancy had very close relation to that church. If the STA's Agreement falls then all those people will still have well paid jobs so it is perhaps easier for them to take a more obstinate view. Allister in particular uses a very extreme interpretation of party policy to promote his view which makes no reference to the changed world in which we live in Northern Ireland.But then he was out in the political wilderness for years which accounts for his eighties rhetoric.I wonder what is his plan for creating a peaceful future-if indeed he has one?
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We do not live in an ideal world and Unionist betrayal by successive Ulster Unionist leaders, Prime Ministers and Secretaries of State lead to the Belfast Agreement which was the final disaster.We must accept the parameters within which we must operate and work for success within those limits.There is no prospect of achieving an ideal solution but we need the best solution for Unionists. Now under the good Doctor and the progressive elements in the leadership,Unionists can regain control of the agenda for the future development of politics and life in general in the province. It can now control Ministers,North-Southery and Policing and Justice. It is in position to work to remove the D'Hondt system and restore genuine democratic devolved structures of government.Welsh and Scots Nationalist do not have a place as of right in the Executive level of government.However for the presentDr.Paisley has lead the DUP to victory over terrorism and the IRA.The IRA will wither away as a revolutionary army and revert eventually and seamlessly to apoltical criminality. Sinn Fein will accept policing in its entirety and the legitimacy of the state and its institutions.If SF resiles from democratic politics the Assembly will move on without it. That is why a default mechanism is so important.
It is a matter for congratulation to Dr. Paisley and the progressive elements that they have enabled the DUP to be so successful in destroying the Belfast Agreement and putting the future of our province back in Unionist hands,for the first time in forty years.
It is clear now that there will always be a devolved administration at Stormont and the SF/IRA dream of a Marxist Socialist republic is in the dustbin of History.The elegible backwoodsmen in the DUP all stood for re-election. Their last two manifestoes required them to sign up to sitting in an Executive with SF if the demands of the DUP were met. Those demands are being met and if an economic package that can vitalise our private sector economy in the interests of the community and not the developers we have the prospect of a great future. That will be Dr.Paisley's legacy. He has lead the party to a great victory.Unionist voters have rejected the dictatorial politics of MCCartney and the fumbling ineffective leadership offered by push over Unionism.Paisley would prefer to be remembered for saving this province in its hours of need than for being a lapdog for George Bush and a man who seemed unable to keep a single promise or tell the truth in critical situations.It will be interesting to note when the Leader cracks the whip how the dissidents will fall into line except perhaps the dashing QC who might regret giving up his day job when reselection time comes.
Well we certainly live in interesting times and as the Emperor said,"We shall see."
All of the dissenting MPS,a Lord and the flamboyant, cheerful and personable MEP are in the FP church-not surprising since the party in its infancy had very close relation to that church. If the STA's Agreement falls then all those people will still have well paid jobs so it is perhaps easier for them to take a more obstinate view. Allister in particular uses a very extreme interpretation of party policy to promote his view which makes no reference to the changed world in which we live in Northern Ireland.But then he was out in the political wilderness for years which accounts for his eighties rhetoric.I wonder what is his plan for creating a peaceful future-if indeed he has one?
.
We do not live in an ideal world and Unionist betrayal by successive Ulster Unionist leaders, Prime Ministers and Secretaries of State lead to the Belfast Agreement which was the final disaster.We must accept the parameters within which we must operate and work for success within those limits.There is no prospect of achieving an ideal solution but we need the best solution for Unionists. Now under the good Doctor and the progressive elements in the leadership,Unionists can regain control of the agenda for the future development of politics and life in general in the province. It can now control Ministers,North-Southery and Policing and Justice. It is in position to work to remove the D'Hondt system and restore genuine democratic devolved structures of government.Welsh and Scots Nationalist do not have a place as of right in the Executive level of government.However for the presentDr.Paisley has lead the DUP to victory over terrorism and the IRA.The IRA will wither away as a revolutionary army and revert eventually and seamlessly to apoltical criminality. Sinn Fein will accept policing in its entirety and the legitimacy of the state and its institutions.If SF resiles from democratic politics the Assembly will move on without it. That is why a default mechanism is so important.
It is a matter for congratulation to Dr. Paisley and the progressive elements that they have enabled the DUP to be so successful in destroying the Belfast Agreement and putting the future of our province back in Unionist hands,for the first time in forty years.
It is clear now that there will always be a devolved administration at Stormont and the SF/IRA dream of a Marxist Socialist republic is in the dustbin of History.The elegible backwoodsmen in the DUP all stood for re-election. Their last two manifestoes required them to sign up to sitting in an Executive with SF if the demands of the DUP were met. Those demands are being met and if we get an economic package that can vitalise our private sector economy in the interests of the community and not the developers we have the prospect of a great future. That will be Dr.Paisley's legacy. He has lead the party to a great victory.Unionist voters have rejected the dictatorial politics of MCCartney and the fumbling ineffective leadership offered by push over Unionism.Paisley would prefer to be remembered for saving this province in its hours of need than for being a lapdog for George Bush.It will be interesting to note when the Leader cracks the whip how the dissidents will fall into line except perhaps the dashing QC who might regret giving up his day job when reselection time comes.
Well we certainly live in interesting times and as the Emperor said,"We shall see."
Wonderful analyses.
I won't go through it all but will note a few points:
"There are in the region of 200,000 DUP voters of whom some(maximum 4/5000) are Free Pres."
I know for a fact that not all Free Ps vote DUP. They lost quite a number of Free P votes at the last election.
"It is in position to work to remove the D'Hondt system and restore genuine democratic devolved structures of government."
SF/IRA will vote to remove their own ministers from government?!?!?!
That is what will have to happen to address this - they have a veto on every issue in the Assembly.
"for the presentDr.Paisley has lead the DUP to victory over terrorism and the IRA."
No - he is about to lead them into gov with the IRA.
"destroying the Belfast Agreement"
More like changing its name!
Classic!
Please get on with the UUP one now.