Ulster Unionist Party

synonyms: Official Unionist Party (OUP) The Ulster Unionist Party is one of the two main Unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. The UUP has close links with the Orange Order with many of the political leaders and members of the UUP also being members of the Orange Order or one of the other loyal orders. The Ulster Unionist Party was also known as the Official Unionist Party during the 1970s because of the fact that it represented the remnants of the Unionist Party which governed Northern Ireland at Stormont between 1921 and 1972. When Terence O'Neill began to introduced reforms in the late 1960s, to meet some of the concerns of the Civil Rights Movement, the Unionist Party came under strain and split between those who supported O'Neill and those who opposed him. Some O'Neill supporters left to form the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI). Some of those who were opposed to O'Neill left to join Vanguard, or the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Some of those who had later supported Brian Faulkner left to form the Unionist Party of Northern Ireland (UPNI). Although the party was a branch of the British Conservative Party ('the Conservative and Unionist Party') the decision of the Conservative government, led by Edward Heath, in March 1972 to prorogued the parliament at Stormont and introduce 'Direct Rule' from Westminster virtually broke the link between the two parties. In the Assembly election of 1973 the UUP obtained 24 seats but was split between those who supported Brian Faulkner and power-sharing and those who were against. When Faulkner entered the 1974 Executive the party split between those who were prepared to accept the Sunningdale Agreement and those who were against the proposals for a Council of Ireland contained in the Agreement. The UUP was part of the United Ulster Unionist Council (UUUC) which voted to reject the Sunningdale Agreement. This vote and the split in the Unionist party led to Faulkner's resignation. Enoch Powell was adopted by the UUP as its candidate for South Down and won the seat on 10 October 1974. Powell remained influential in the party until he lost the seat and retired from politics on 11 June 1987. By the time of the election to the Constitutional Convention in 1975 the UUP's share of the vote was down to 25.8 per cent. In 1976 some members of the UUP were involved in secret talks with members of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) and this lead to disagreement with the DUP. The UUP was not involved in the May 1977 Loyalist strike and this put further strain on links with the DUP. The UUP secured additional seats for Northern Ireland at the Westminster parliament, increasing the number from 12 to 17. Harry West resigned as leader of the UUP in July 1979 following a poor result in the European election of June 1979. James Molyneaux succeeded West as party leader. The UUP boycotted the Stormont Constitutional Conference announced by Humphrey Atkins, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and also boycotted the Advisory Council. The UUP joined the Loyalist 'Day of Action' on 23 November 1981 to demand tougher security measures. During the 1983 Westminster election the UUP entered into an electoral pact with the DUP in three of the constituencies. Following the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement (AIA) on 15 November 1985 the UUP worked closely with the DUP to try to break the agreement. The return of a Conservative government committed to the AIA in June 1987 resulted in an end to the boycott of government ministers as the UUP entered a series of 'talks about talks'. Further inter-party talks were held in 1991 with the UUP involved on the basis that the AIA might be replaced by some form of devolved government in Northern Ireland. On 21 September 1992 a delegation from the UUP went to Dublin as part of the Brooke-Mayhew Talks. During the end of the period of Conservative government led by John Major, April 1992 to May 1997, the UUP effectively held a balance of power and had an 'understanding' with the British government. When the Hume-Adams Initiative was revealed the UUP warned against any move away from the inter-party talks. The UUP did not oppose the Downing Street Declaration on 15 December 1993. Little progress was initially made during the period of the multi-party talks at Stormont. It was not until the election of the Labour government in May 1997 with a large majority at Westminster that the pace of political events began to quicken. When Sinn Féin (SF) entered the multi-party talks at Stormont the UUP refused to enter into direct talks with them. The UUP remained in the talks and was one of the parties which signed the 'Good Friday' Agreement. This decision was opposed by elements within the party. Thus in the subsequent referendum in May 1998 whilst David Trimble, then leader of the UUP, campaigned for a 'Yes' vote a number of his senior colleagues worked actively to secure a 'No' vote. At the election to the Northern Ireland Assembly in June 1998 under Trimble's leadership the party polled 21.25 per cent of the vote and won 28 seats. When power was devolved to the Assembly in November 1998 it was to claim four seats in the Executive, including the position of First Minister. Trimble's decision to work with Sinn Féin in the Executive prior to complete decommissioning by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) gave rise to further internal dissension within the party. As a result the position of Trimble as party leader came under increasing pressure from dissidents such as Jeffrey Donaldson, then UUP MP for Lagan Valley. If anything this grew in intensity following the party's poor performance at the Westminster and local government elections in June 2001. In spite of this Trimble retained his position as party leader and led the UUP into the Assembly elections in November 2003. But once again the results were disappointing with the party falling behind, both in seats and votes cast, its main political rival the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). For Donaldson and many of his supporters this was seen as the final straw and in January 2004 they resigned in mass from the party and joined the DUP. Selection of Publications produced by the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP): Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). (1999), Statement issued by the Ulster Unionist Party in response to the Patten Report on Policing, 9 September 1999. Belfast: Ulster Unionist Party. Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). (1999), Implementing the Agreement. Belfast: Ulster Unionist Party. Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). (1973), Peace, Order and Good Government - Unionist Assembly Manifesto 1973. Belfast: Unionist Publicity and Research Department. Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). (1972), Towards the Future: A Unionist Blueprint. Belfast: Unionist Publicity and Research Department. Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). (1972), 27 Myths About Ulster. Belfast: Ulster Unionist Party. Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). (1972) The Future of Northern Ireland: A Commentary on the Government's Green Paper. Belfast: Unionist Research Department. Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). (1970), Ulster - The Facts: The Bullet and the Bomb versus the Better Life. Belfast: Ulster Unionist Party. Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). (1969), Ulster at the Crossroads - 1969 Northern Ireland Stormont Election Manifesto. Belfast: Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). (1968), Northern Ireland Fact and Falsehood: A frank look at the present and the past. Belfast: Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). Reading: Cochrane, Feargal. (1997) Unionist Politics and the Politics of Unionism since the Anglo-Irish Agreement.