Wikipedia

Progressive Unionist Party

For the political group founded in 1938, see Ulster Progressive Unionist Association. For the Egyptian political group, see National Progressive Unionist Party.
Not to be confused with Protestant Unionist Party.

The Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) is a minor unionist[6] political party in Northern Ireland. It was formed from the Independent Unionist Group operating in the Shankill area of Belfast, becoming the PUP in 1979. Linked to the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and Red Hand Commando (RHC), for a time it described itself as "the only left of centre unionist party" in Northern Ireland, with its main support base in the loyalist working class communities of Belfast.[7]

Progressive Unionist Party
AbbreviationPUP
LeaderRussell Watton
PresidentBilly Hutchinson
ChairmanBrian Lacey
FounderHugh Smyth
Founded1979 (1979)
Preceded byVolunteer Political Party
Headquarters182 Shankill Road, Belfast, BT13 2BH
Paramilitary wingUlster Volunteer Force
Red Hand Commando
IdeologyBritish unionism
Ulster loyalism
Democratic socialism[1][2]
Social democracy
Political positionCentre-left[3][4] to left-wing[5]
Colours  Blue and   red
Northern Irish seats in the House of Commons
0 / 18
Northern Ireland Assembly
0 / 90
Local government in Northern Ireland
1 / 462
Website
www.pupni.com

Since the Ulster Democratic Party's dissolution in 2001, the PUP has been the sole party in Northern Ireland representing paramilitary loyalism.[8]

The PUP has one elected representative on the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Russell Watton, the party's current leader.[9]

History

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The party was founded by Hugh Smyth in the mid-1970s as the "Independent Unionist Group" given the dissolution of the 1974 Volunteer Political Party. In 1977, two prominent members of the Northern Ireland Labour Party, David Overend and Jim McDonald, joined. Overend subsequently wrote many of the group's policy documents, incorporating much of the NILP's platform.[10][11] In 1979, the group was renamed the "Progressive Unionist Party".

Their position on the left of the political spectrum differentiates them from other unionist parties (such as the Ulster Unionist Party and the Democratic Unionist Party) which are ideologically right-wing.[12] The party has had a degree of electoral success. In 1994, PUP leader Hugh Smyth became Lord Mayor of Belfast.

Northern Ireland Peace Process

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In 1995, shortly after the Combined Loyalist Military Command announced a ceasefire, former UVF member Billy Hutchinson, who was jailed for the murder of two Catholics in 1974, defined the relationship between the PUP and the UVF: "The relationship is a very strict one in terms of acting as political confidants and providing political analysis for them, but it doesn't go any deeper than that."[13]

Northern Ireland Forum

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The PUP participated in elections to the Northern Ireland Forum in May 1996. No constituency candidates were elected, but as one of the tenth best-performing parties on the list vote, they secured two seats, with Smyth and David Ervine both being elected.[14] [15]

The PUP supported the Belfast Agreement.

1997 general and local elections

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The PUP stood candidates for the first time at a general election in 1997: Hugh Smyth in South Antrim, Ervine in Belfast South and Kenny Donaldson in East Antrim. [16] They amassed 10,928 votes, and no seats.[17]

The party fared better at the simultaneous local elections, increasing their total number of councillors to seven. Ervine and Hutchinson joined Smyth in Belfast, and gains were made in North Down, Lisburn and Newtownabbey.[18] [19]

1998 Northern Ireland Assembly election

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Following the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, elections to the new Northern Ireland Assembly were held, which the PUP contested. Candidates included: Belfast councillors Smyth, Ervine and Billy Hutchinson, who stood in West, East and North Belfast, respectively. [20]

They registered 20,634 votes (2.55%), and both Ervine and Hutchinson were elected to the Assembly. Notably, Smyth missed out on getting elected in West Belfast, in which no unionist candidates were returned in that constituency. [21] [22]

Incidentally, the Ulster Democratic Party failed to elect any candidates, making the PUP the only loyalist party to win representation in the Assembly. [23]

Post-Good Friday Agreement

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1999 European Parliament elections

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Ervine was the PUP candidate for the Northern Ireland constituency at the 1999 European elections. He polled 22,494 first-preference votes, and was not elected.[24]

2001 general and local elections

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The PUP stood two candidates for the 2001 general election: Ervine in Belfast East, and Dawn Purvis in Belfast South. In total, the party received 4,781 votes (0.6%), and no seats. Ervine was the best-performing candidate out of the two, winning 10% of the vote in Belfast East, and the only one to retain their deposit.[25] [26] [27]

The party held four of the seven seats they were defending at the concurrent local elections, but did make a gain in Castlereagh. [28] [29]

Ervine leadership

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2003 Assembly election

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The PUP put up candidates for the 2003 Assembly election, including both Assembly members and Smyth. [30]

Overall, their vote dropped by 1.2% to 8,032 votes, a large decline when compared to their success of over 20,000 votes in 1998.[31] Hutchinson lost his seat, while Ervine held his. With no other candidates elected, this left Ervine as the PUP's only representative in the Assembly. [32]

2005 local elections and subsequent activity

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The party had a poor showing at the 2005 local elections, losing half of their seats. This left Ervine and Smyth in Belfast as the only PUP candidates to be returned. [33]

Following a loyalist feud between the UVF and Loyalist Volunteer Force, in which four men were murdered by the UVF in Belfast and recognition of the UVF's ceasefire was withdrawn by the British government, the PUP debated ending its "special relationship" with the UVF. This was defeated in a closed vote at the party's annual conference in October 2005.

In March 2006, the Chairwoman of the PUP, Dawn Purvis, a research associate at the University of Ulster, was appointed as an independent member of the Northern Ireland Policing Board.

Death of David Ervine and Purvis leadership

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David Ervine died following a heart attack on 8 January 2007. On 22 January 2007 Dawn Purvis was chosen as party leader.[34] She is the second woman to lead a unionist party in Northern Ireland (after Anne Dickson's short-lived leadership of the Unionist Party of Northern Ireland following Brian Faulkner's retirement). Dr John Kyle was co-opted on to Belfast City Council to fill Ervine's seat.

2007 Assembly election

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The PUP fielded three candidates for the 2007 Assembly election: Elaine Martin in North Down, Andrew Park in Belfast South and Dawn Purvis in Belfast East. Overall the party polled 3,822 votes or 0.6% of the votes cast in Northern Ireland, down 0.6% from the elections of 2003.

Purvis retained her party's seat in Belfast East, while no other PUP candidates were elected. [35]

2010 resignations and relationship with UVF/RHC

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The party did not field any candidates for the 2010 general elections - party members were encouraged to vote for a candidate of their choice.

In June 2010, Dawn Purvis resigned as leader, and as a member, of the party because of its relationship with the UVF and a recent murder attributed to that group. John Kyle was subsequently appointed interim leader, following Purvis's resignation.[36][37] On 28 August 2010 the former deputy leader, David Rose, resigned from the party. He cited the recent murder attributed to the UVF and his belief that the party was "becoming increasingly conservative in outlook.[38]

During a meeting in Belfast on 29 September 2010, members of the party agreed to maintain its relationship with the Ulster Volunteer Force and the Red Hand Commando.[39][40] Despite the links with the UVF, Billy Hutchinson acknowledges that most UVF members vote for the larger Democratic Unionist Party.[41]

2011 local and Assembly elections and Brian Ervine's leadership

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Brian Ervine was appointed PUP leader in October 2010.[42]

At their manifesto launch for the 2011 Assembly and local elections, the PUP revealed their manifesto pledges, including: a balanced economy, greater integrated education and building a full-size replica of the RMS Titanic to be docked in Belfast Harbour. Additionally, Ervine announced that he would be standing in Belfast East, and that the party would be running local candidates in Larne, Castlereagh and Derry as well as in Belfast and Antrim.[43]

No PUP candidates were elected to the Assembly, leaving the party without representation for the first time since 1998. Ervine himself finished behind Purvis who had run for re-election as an independent. She, too, was not elected.[44][45]

Despite losing their Assembly seat, the PUP did return their two councillors in Belfast. [46]

A month after the elections, Ervine announced his resignation as party leader, and later was replaced by veteran west Belfast activist Billy Hutchinson in October 2011.[47]

Hutchinson leadership

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Hutchinson succeeded Hugh Smyth on Belfast City Council in January 2014, following the latter's retirement due to ill health. [48] [49]

2014 local elections

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The PUP stood candidates for the new 'super councils' at the 2014 local elections, doubling their total number of representatives from two to four.[50]

In Belfast, deputy leader John Kyle was re-elected, this time for the Titanic district, while Hutchinson topped the poll in Court. The party were also joined on the council by Julie Anne Corr-Johnston, who regained a seat in Oldpark for the party.[51][52]

On the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Coleraine candidate, Russell Watton, was the first to be elected in that district.[53]

Smyth died during the election campaign.[54]

2016 and 2017 Assembly elections

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The PUP stood six candidates at the 2016 Assembly election, but, despite an increase in their overall vote, no candidates were elected.[55][56]

Their support dipped slightly at the snap election in 2017, but did see an increase in their votes in North and East Belfast.[57][58][59]

2019 local elections

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The party stood candidates at the 2019 local elections, including all four of their incumbent councillors. No further gains were made, with the party only losing their seat in Oldpark.[60][61]

The Northern Ireland Protocol

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Following the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union, the PUP have been protesting against the Northern Ireland Protocol, part of the arrangements to prevent a 'hard border' in the Irish Sea. The party believes that the Protocol inhibits the Principle of consent, leading to Hutchinson saying that the PUP no longer support the Good Friday Agreement in November 2021. [62][63]

Conversely, in an interview on BBC's The View programme, John Kyle stated that the Protocol could have "significant advantages" if "fundamental" changes are made. Kyle's remarks sparked outrage among unionists, with the PUP releasing a statement clarifying that the party still remains opposed to the Protocol, and that Kyle was giving a personal view.[64][65]

Kyle subsequently resigned as both deputy leader and a member of the party three weeks later, citing "differing approaches" in regard to the Protocol.[66]

2022 Assembly election

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The party stood only three candidates at the 2022 Assembly election, with Hutchinson standing in North Belfast, Russell Watton in East Londonderry and Karl Bennett in East Belfast.[67]

No candidates were elected, with the PUP seeing a 52% drop in their support, compared to 2017.[68][69]

2023 local elections

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The PUP had four candidates at the May local elections, with one candidate each across Belfast, Causeway Coast and Glens, Antrim and Newtownabbey and Mid and East Antrim.[70]

The party polled 2,103 votes (0.3%) overall, and were wiped out in Belfast, with Hutchinson losing out to the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV).[71][72]

In the Causeway Coast and Glens, Watton retained his seat, making him the sole PUP candidate to be elected.[73]

A month after the elections, Hutchinson resigned as leader, with Watton taking over the role.[74]

Notable members

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Former UVF member Billy Giles, who spent 14 years in the Maze Prison for a sectarian killing, was part of the PUP's negotiating team at the Good Friday Agreement in April 1998.[75] Others involved in this process included Billy Mitchell, David Ervine, Jim McDonald, William 'Billy' Greer, Winston Churchill Rea and William "Plum" Smyth; all former UVF and Red Hand Commando members.

Party leaders

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Leader From To
1 Hugh Smyth 1979 2002
2 David Ervine 2002 2007
3 Dawn Purvis 2007 2010
4 Brian Ervine 2010 2011
5 Billy Hutchinson 2011 2023
6 Russell Watton 2023 Incumbent

Electoral performance

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UK general elections

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1997 UK general election

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Constituency Candidate Votes % Position
Belfast South David Ervine 5,687 14.4 3
East Antrim Billy Donaldson 1,757 5.1 5
South Antrim Hugh Smyth 3,490 9.0 4

2001 UK general election

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Constituency Candidate Votes % Position
Belfast East David Ervine 3,669 10.0 4
Belfast South Dawn Purvis 1,112 2.9 6

Northern Ireland Assembly

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Election Seats won ± First Pref votes % ±
1998
2 / 108
   20,634 2.6%  
2003
1 / 108
  1 8,032 1.2%  1.4%
2007
1 / 108
   3,822 0.6%  1.2%
2011
0 / 108
  1 1,493 0.2%  0.4%
2016
0 / 108
   5,955 0.9%  0.7%
2017
0 / 90
   5,590 0.7%  0.2%
2022
0 / 90
   2,665 0.3%  0.4%

Local elections

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Election Seats won ± First Pref votes % ±
1981
1 / 526
 N/A 3,057 0.5% N/A
1985
2 / 565
  1 3,612 0.6%   0.1
1989
3 / 565
   3,839 0.6%  
1993
1 / 582
  2 2,350 0.4%   0.2
1997
7 / 582
   6 12,051 2%   1.6
2001
4 / 582
   3 12,261 1.55%   0.45
2005
2 / 582
   2 4,591 0.7%   0.85
2011
2 / 582
   3,858 0.6%   0.1
2014
4 / 462
   1 12,753 2.0%   1.4
2019
3 / 462
  1 5,338 0.79%   1.21
2023
1 / 462
  2 2,103 0.3%   0.5

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Edwards, Aaron (2007). "Democratic Socialism and Sectarianism: The Northern Ireland Labour Party and Progressive Unionist Party Compared". Politics. 27 (1): 24–31. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9256.2007.00275.x. S2CID 145393084.
  2. ^ New Statesman: Volume 131, Issues 4569-4576. London: New Statesman. 2002. p. 56.
  3. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 July 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ Coulter, John (11 September 2019). "A socialist alternative for Northern Ireland?". Northern Slant. Archived from the original on 4 July 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ Coulter, John (11 September 2019). "A socialist alternative for Northern Ireland?". Northern Slant. Archived from the original on 4 July 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ^ Nordsieck, Wolfram (2011). "Northern Ireland/UK". Parties and Elections in Europe. Archived from the original on 29 December 2015.
  7. ^ "Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) - Your Questions". Pup-ni.org.uk. Archived from the original on 6 December 2009. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
  8. ^ Albert, Cornelia (2009). The Peacebuilding Elements of the Belfast Agreement and the Transformation of the Northern Ireland Conflict. Peter Lang. p. 60. ISBN 9783631585917.
  9. ^ "PUP appoint Russell Watton as their new leader". 15 June 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  10. ^ Aaron Edwards, A history of the Northern Ireland Labour Party, p.219
  11. ^ Ed Moloney, Voices from the Grave: Two Men's War in Ireland, p.396
  12. ^ Taylor, Ros (28 January 1999). "Who's who in Northern Ireland". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2016 – via www.theguardian.com.
  13. ^ Brian Rowan, Behind the Lines: The Story of the IRA and Loyalist Ceasefires' (Belfast: Blackstaff Press, 1995), p. 141
  14. ^ "Reflections on Loyalism since 1998". the detail. 30 March 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  15. ^ "Northern Ireland Forum Election 1996". Electoral Geography 2.0. 6 September 1996. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  16. ^ "1997 Westminster Election - List of Candidates". CAIN Web service. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  17. ^ "GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS, 1 MAY 1997" (PDF). UK Parliament. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
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  29. ^ "Castlereagh Council Election Results 1993-2011". Ark Elections. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
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  31. ^ "Northern Ireland elections: Divided Vote Hides Workers' Disillusionment". Socialist Party. 12 December 2003. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
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  33. ^ "The 2005 Local Government Elections in Northern Ireland". Ark Elections. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  34. ^ New PUP leader seeks Ervine seat Archived 25 January 2007 at the Wayback Machine, BBC News, 23 January 2007. Retrieved 27 August 2009.
  35. ^ "Assembly Election (NI) Wednesday 7 March 2007". CAIN Web Service. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
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  38. ^ "Leading PUP member, David Rose, quits party". BBC News. 28 August 2010. Archived from the original on 31 August 2010. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
  39. ^ "PUP 'keep link with loyalist UVF'". BBC News. 29 September 2010. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2018 – via BBC.
  40. ^ "PUP to maintain paramilitary link". www.newsletter.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 October 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
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  43. ^ "Progressive Unionist Party launch manifesto with Titanic pledges". Slugger O'Toole. 21 April 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
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  47. ^ "ITV Hub". ITV Hub. Archived from the original on 18 April 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  48. ^ "Former Mayor Hugh Smyth dies". 4NI. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
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  50. ^ "Local Government Elections 2014". Ark Elections. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
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  53. ^ "Councillor: I took part in illegal UVF/UDA-linked parade – and I don't care". Belfast Newsletter. 3 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
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  55. ^ "PUP pledges to bring necessary change". BBC News. 29 April 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
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  57. ^ "Northern Ireland Assembly election 2017". BBC News. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
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  59. ^ "Assembly Election 2017". Irish News. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  60. ^ "I asked for no electoral pacts in exchange for joining UUP, says ex PUP councillor Julie Anne-Corr-Johnston". Belfast Live. 27 June 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  61. ^ "As it happened: NI Council election 2019". BBC News. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  62. ^ "Unionist support for peace process agreements 'falling away' – Donaldson". The Journal. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  63. ^ "PUP leader Billy Hutchinson says unionists 'can no longer back Good Friday Agreement'". Belfast Telegraph. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  64. ^ "NI Protocol could have advantages - PUP councillor John Kyle says". BBC News. 26 November 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  65. ^ "Unionist backlash after PUP's John Kyle says protocol offers 'significant opportunities'". Irish News. 27 November 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  66. ^ "John Kyle goes independent after quitting PUP over "differing approaches" to NI Protocol". Belfast Telegraph. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  67. ^ "Name of Candidates Standing in each Constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly Election, Thursday 5 May 2022". CAIN Web Service. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
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  69. ^ "Northern Ireland Assembly election 2022". Ark Elections. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  70. ^ "2023 Local Election Candidates". Jack Armstrong. 28 April 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  71. ^ "COURT DEA: DUP and Sinn Fein hold strong while PUP lose out to TUV". Belfast Media. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
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  73. ^ "NI Council elections 2023: Sinn Fein largest party in NI". BBC News. 21 May 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  74. ^ "Coleraine councillor Russell Watton is new PUP leader". Belfast Live. 15 June 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  75. ^ Taylor, Peter (1999). Loyalists. London: Bloomsbury. p.8
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