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Ian Paisley

 
Ian Paisley

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Ian Paisley



 
 
Ian Paisley may also refer to Ian Paisley, Jr.
Ian Paisley, Jr.

Ian Paisley, Jr., Member of the Legislative Assembly is a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for the Democratic Unionist Party and an author....


Ian Richard Kyle Paisley (born 6 April 1926), styled The Rt Hon. The Revd Ian Paisley and also known as Dr Ian Paisley, is a veteran politician
Politician

A politician is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making through the influence of politics or a person who influences the way a society is governed....
 and church minister in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland

conventional_long_name = Northern Ireland|native_name= Tuaisceart ?ireannNorlin Airlann|motto =|image_map = Europe location N-IRL2.png...
. As the then leader of the Democratic Unionist Party
Democratic Unionist Party

The Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main Unionism political party in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson , it is the largest party in Northern Ireland and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom....
 (DUP), the largest single grouping in the 2007 elections
Northern Ireland Assembly election, 2007

The third elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly were held on 7 March 2007 when Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly elected in 2007 were selected....
 to the Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland Assembly

The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolution legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly Reserved matters to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive....
, he was elected First Minister with Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin

Sinn F?in is a political party in Ireland. The current party, led by Gerry Adams, was formed following a split in January 1970 and traces its origins back to the original Sinn F?in party formed in 1905....
's Martin McGuinness
Martin McGuinness

James Martin Pacelli McGuinness is an Ireland politician and the current deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland.A Sinn F?in politician and former Provisional Irish Republican Army leader, McGuinness is the Member of Parliament for the Mid Ulster , the seat once held by Bernadette Devlin McAliskey....
 as deputy First Minister
First Minister and deputy First Minister

The First Minister and the deputy First Minister , abbreviated to FM/dFM, are positions in the Northern Ireland Executive with overall responsibility for the running of the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister in Northern Ireland....
 on 8 May 2007.

In addition to co-founding and leading the DUP (from 1971 to 2008), he is a founding member and immediate past Moderator
Moderator of the General Assembly

The Moderator of the General Assembly is the Chair of a General Assembly , the highest court of a presbyterian church. Kirk Sessions and Presbytery may also style the chairperson as moderator....
 of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster
Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster

The Free Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian denomination founded by the cleric and politician, Ian Paisley in 1951. Most of its membership live in Northern Ireland....
. Paisley has been a UK Member of Parliament for the constituency of North Antrim
North Antrim (UK Parliament constituency)

North Antrim is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons....
 since 1970, and is a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for the same constituency.

In 2005, Paisley's political party became the largest Unionist
Unionism in Ireland

Unionism in Ireland is an ideology that favours the maintenance or strengthening of the political and cultural ties between Ireland and Great Britain....
 party in Northern Ireland, displacing his long-term rivals, the Ulster Unionists
Ulster Unionist Party

The Ulster Unionist Party is the more moderate of the two main Unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Prior to the split in Unionism in the late 1960s, when the former 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....
 (UUP), who had dominated Unionist politics in Northern Ireland since the partition of Ireland. Paisley is also an author, lecturer and speaker.

On 4 March 2008 he announced that he would step down as First Minister and leader of the DUP after the US-Northern Ireland Investment Conference
US-Northern Ireland Investment Conference

US-Northern Ireland Investment Conference is an investment conference in Northern Ireland run by Invest Northern Ireland , Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister, Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment and supported by Northern Bank and BT Group....
 in May 2008.. Peter Robinson
Peter Robinson (politician)

Peter David Robinson is a Northern Irish politician and is the current Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, since 5 June 2008, and leader of the Democratic Unionist Party , since 31 May 2008....
 duly took over as DUP leader on 31 May 2008, and replaced Paisley as First Minister on 5 June 2008.

Personal life

Ian Paisley was born in Armagh
Armagh

The city of Armagh is an ancient religious site of worship of both Celtic paganism and Christianity, the oldest of the five City status in the United Kingdom in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh....
, County Armagh
County Armagh

County Armagh is a counties of Ireland in Ulster in the north east of Ireland. It is the smallest, in area, of the six counties that form Northern Ireland and second smallest in Ulster....
 and brought up in the town of Ballymena
Ballymena

Ballymena is a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland and the seat of Ballymena Borough Council. Ballymena had a population of 28,717 people in the United Kingdom Census 2001....
, County Antrim
County Antrim

County Antrim is one of six Counties of Northern Ireland that form Northern Ireland, and one of nine counties that historically and geographically constitute the Province of Ulster....
, where his father James Kyle Paisley was an Independent Baptist
Independent Baptist

Independent Baptist churches are Christian churches generally holding to traditional Baptist beliefs. Like all Baptists, they are characterized by being independent from the authority of Christian denominations and church councils....
 pastor. The senior Paisley had served in the Ulster Volunteers under Edward Carson. His Scottish mother Isabella Paisley was instrumental in his evangelical conversion at the age of six.

He married Eileen Paisley on 13 October 1956. They have five children, three daughters Sharon, Rhonda
Rhonda Paisley

Rhonda Paisley is an artist, author, and former politician from Northern Ireland. She is the daughter of Democratic Unionist Party leader and Northern Irelands First Minister Ian Paisley, is unmarried, and lives with her parents in the family home....
 and Cherith and twin sons, Kyle and Ian. Three of their children have followed their father into politics or religion: Kyle, into the church; Ian is a DUP assemblyman; and daughter Rhonda a retired DUP councillor and artist. He has a brother, Harold, who currently preaches the Gospel in the United States and Canada.

Following rumours, it was confirmed in July 2004 that Paisley had been undergoing tests for an undisclosed illness and in 2005 Ian Paisley, Jr. confirmed that his father had been gravely ill. Ian Paisley confirmed in 2006 that he had made a full recovery.

Religious career

During his time working on the farm, the young Paisley felt that he received a vocation to enter the Christian ministry. He undertook theological training at the Barry School of Evangelism (eventually renamed the South Wales Bible College which was later replaced by the Evangelical Theological College of Wales
Evangelical Theological College of Wales

The Wales Evangelical School of Theology is a Reformed churches Christianity educational institution located in Bryntirion near Bridgend, South Wales....
), and later, for a year, at the Reformed Presbyterian
Reformed Presbyterian Church

This page is to disambiguate the different churches using the name "Reformed Presbyterian".Reformed Presbyterian can refer to:* A mutually recognising set of churches listed at Reformed Presbyterian Church , including:...
 Theological Hall in Belfast
Belfast

Belfast is the capital city of Northern Ireland and the seat of Devolution#United Kingdom Northern Ireland Executive and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly in Northern Ireland....
.

In 1946 he was ordained at a ceremony in the independent Ravenhill Evangelical Mission Church on the Ravenhill Road, Belfast. Four ministers from four different denominations performed various roles in the service but some have questioned whether they had ecclesiastical authority from their churches to participate.

The Free Presbyterian Church

In the early 1950s the local Presbyterian presbytery
Presbytery

Presbytery may refer to:*Presbytery , a governing body of ordained elders and ministers*Presbyterium, a body of ordained, active priests in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches...
 in Crossgar
Crossgar

Crossgar is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland, approximately 15 miles south of Belfast in Northern Ireland on the main A7 road between Saintfield and Downpatrick....
, County Down
County Down

County Down is one of the nine Counties of Ireland that form the province of Ulster and one of six counties that form Northern Ireland. The county forms an area of ....
 revoked permission for Ian Paisley to use the local Lissara Presbyterian church for a Gospel Mission. In conjunction with the Lissara Kirk session Ian Paisley helped to establish the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster
Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster

The Free Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian denomination founded by the cleric and politician, Ian Paisley in 1951. Most of its membership live in Northern Ireland....
 at Crossgar
Crossgar

Crossgar is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland, approximately 15 miles south of Belfast in Northern Ireland on the main A7 road between Saintfield and Downpatrick....
, County Down
County Down

County Down is one of the nine Counties of Ireland that form the province of Ulster and one of six counties that form Northern Ireland. The county forms an area of ....
. Following a vote in his own church he joined the Free Presbyterian Church and was subsequently elected the second moderator of the new denomination. He held this post for several decades until he was succeeded in January 2008 by Rev. Ron Johnstone
Ron Johnstone

Ron Johnstone is the Minister of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster in Newtownards and the Moderator of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster....
. His September 2007 announcement that he was standing down followed press reports of controversy in the Free Presbyterian Church over his political role as First Minister of Northern Ireland

Writings

Paisley eventually set up his own newspaper in February 1966, the Protestant Telegraph, a strongly anti-Catholicism
Anti-Catholicism

Anti-Catholicism is a generic term for discrimination, hostility or prejudice directed at the Catholic Church, its clergy or its members. The term also applies to the religious persecution of Catholics or to a "religious orientation opposed to Catholicism."...
 paper, as a mechanism for further spreading his message. He has authored numerous books and pamphlets on religious and political subjects including a commentary on the Epistle to the Romans
Epistle to the Romans

The Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Romans is one of the letters of the New Testament canon of Scripture of the Christianity Bible. Often referred to simply as Romans, it is one of the seven currently undisputed letters of Paul the Apostle....
.

Doctor Paisley

Paisley's use of the title 'Dr' derived initially from a 1954 qualification from the (outlawed ) American Pioneer Theological Seminary in Rockville, Illinois. Later this was somewhat legitimised by an honorary Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity

Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in Divinity . Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christianity theology or related religion subjects....
 degree awarded by Bob Jones University
Bob Jones University

Bob Jones University is a private university, Protestant Fundamentalist Christianity, liberal arts university in Greenville, South Carolina, South Carolina....
, a fundamentalist Christian
Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism#Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus and interpreted by Christians to have been prophesied in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament....
 college in Greenville, South Carolina
Greenville, South Carolina

Greenville is a mid-sized city located in the upstate of South Carolina. It is the county seat of Greenville County, SC and the principal city in the Greenville-Mauldin, South Carolina-Easley, South Carolina Greenville-Mauldin-Easley metropolitan area ....
 that was unaccredited at the time. Bob Jones, Jr.
Bob Jones, Jr.

Robert Reynolds Jones, Jr. was the second president and chancellor of Bob Jones University. Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Jones was the son of Bob Jones, Sr., the university's founder....
 was a close personal friend and, with Paisley, a leader in evangelical Christianity. Paisley continues to maintain a friendly relationship with the institution and has often spoken at the University's annual Bible Conference.

Campaign against homosexuality

He preaches against homosexuality
Homosexuality

Homosexuality refers to human sexual behavior or same-sex attraction between people of the same sex or to homosexual orientation. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "having sexual and romantic attraction primarily or exclusively to members of one?s own sex"; "it also refers to an individual?s sense of personal and social identi...
 and supports laws criminalising its practice. Intertwining his religious and political views, "Save Ulster from Sodomy" was a campaign launched by Paisley in 1977, in opposition to the Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform (Northern Ireland), established in 1974. Paisley's campaign sought to prevent the extension to Northern Ireland of the Sexual Offences Act 1967
Sexual Offences Act 1967

The Sexual Offences Act 1967 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom . It partially decriminalised homosexual acts in private between two men, both of whom must have attained the age of 21....
 which had decriminalised homosexual acts between males over 21 years of age in England and Wales. The campaign failed when legislation was passed in 1982 as a result of the previous year's ruling by the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg was established under the European Convention on Human Rights of 1950 to monitor compliance by Contracting Parties....
 in the case of Dudgeon v. United Kingdom
Dudgeon v. United Kingdom

Dudgeon v. United Kingdom was a European Court of Human Rights case, similar to the U.S. cases of Bowers v. Hardwick and Lawrence v. Texas....
.

Campaign against National Lottery

In 1994, warning of dire consequences in encouraging the average Briton to gamble instead of earning a living, Paisley bitterly opposed the creation of the state-run National Lottery
National Lottery (United Kingdom)

The National Lottery is the largest lottery in the United Kingdom. It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007....
, resulting in the DUP becoming the only major British political party to campaign against it.

Religious views

Paisley promotes a form of Biblical literalism
Biblical literalism

Biblical literalism is the interpretation of the explicit and primary sense of words and terms in the Bible. Literalism is associated with the fundamentalist and evangelical hermeneutics approach to Scripture....
, which he describes as "Bible Protestantism". The website of Paisley's public relations arm, the European Institute of Protestant Studies (ianpaisley.org), describes the Institute's purpose as to "expound the Bible, expose the Papacy, and to promote, defend and maintain Bible Protestantism in Europe and further afield." Paisley's website describes a number of doctrinal areas in which he believes that the "Roman church" (which he termed Popery) has deviated from the Bible and thus from true Christianity. These include the doctrine of transubstantiation
Transubstantiation

In Roman Catholic theology, transubstantiation is the change of the Substance theory of Host and Sacramental wine into the Body of Christ and Blood of Christ occurring in the Eucharist while all that is accessible to the senses remain as before....
, which Paisley claims on his website has given rise to "revolting superstitions and idolatrous abuses", the veneration of saints and the Virgin Mary (excessive and not Biblically supported, in Paisley's view), and the institution of the Papacy, which Paisley believes has no biblical foundation.

In 1988, when Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II John Paul II is widely acclaimed as one of the most influential leaders of the twentieth century. He has been Pope_John_Paul_II#Role_in_the_fall_of_Communism in bringing down communism in Eastern Europe, as well as significantly improving the Roman Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and A...
 delivered a speech to the European Parliament
European Parliament

The European Parliament is the only direct election parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union , it forms the bicameral Institutions of the European Union#Legislature of the Institutions of the European Union and has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world....
, Paisley shouted "I Denounce you as the AntiChrist
Antichrist

The Antichrist is one who fulfills Biblical prophecies concerning an adversary of New Testament view on Jesus' life while resembling him in a deceptive manner....
!" and held up a red poster reading "Pope John Paul II ANTICHRIST" in black letters. John Paul continued with his address after Paisley was ejected from the hemicycle by fellow MEPs. Some reports claimed that other MEPs assisted in expelling him from the chamber , and that Paisley was booed and struck by other MEPs, who also hurled objects at him, leading to his hospitalisation. The elderly Otto von Habsburg
Otto von Habsburg

Otto von Habsburg has been the head of the House of Habsburg since 1922. He is the eldest son of Charles I of Austria, the last Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary,Croatia and Bohemia, and his wife, Zita of Bourbon-Parma....
 helped to wrestle Paisley out of the room. It has been reported that Paisley brought several posters with him and when a poster was snatched away, he immediately re-commenced with a new poster

Paisley continued to denounce the Catholic Church and the Pope after the incident. In a television interview for The Unquiet Man, a 2001 documentary on Paisley's life, he expressed his pride at being the only person to have the courage to denounce the Pope. After the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005, Paisley expressed sympathy for Catholics stating "We can understand how Roman Catholics feel at the death of the Pope and we would want in no way to interfere with their expression of sorrow and grief at this time." This was in contrast to Paisley's reaction to the death of Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII

Blessed Pope John XXIII , born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli , known as Blessed John XXIII since his beatification, was elected as the 261st Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and monarch of Vatican City on 28 October 1958....
 in June 1963, when Paisley organised protests against the lowering of flags in public buildings after the death of the Pope .

He has claimed in an article that the seat no. 666 in the European Parliament
European Parliament

The European Parliament is the only direct election parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union , it forms the bicameral Institutions of the European Union#Legislature of the Institutions of the European Union and has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world....
 is reserved for the Antichrist. His website also praises Slobodan Miloševic
Slobodan Miloševic

Slobodan Milo?evic, whose last/family name sometimes is transliteration as Miloshevich was President of Serbia and of President of Yugoslavia....
, whom it claims was fighting a Vatican plot to destroy the Serbian Orthodox Church
Serbian Orthodox Church

The Serbian Orthodox Church or the Church of Serbia is one of the autocephalyEastern Orthodox Church organization, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Orthodox Church of Constantinople, Greek Church of Alexandria, Church of Antioch, Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, and Russian Orthodox Church....
, and that "all Milosevic did was to lead the Serbs in their attempt to safeguard 1500 years of their heritage with the horrors and injustices of their World War II genocide ever before them."

He and his organisation have publicly spoken out against what he views to be blasphemy in popular culture, including criticism of the stage productions Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar

Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. It highlights the political and interpersonal struggles of Judas Iscariot and Jesus....
 and Jerry Springer: The Opera
Jerry Springer: The Opera

Jerry Springer: The Opera is a United Kingdom Musical theater written by Stewart Lee and Richard Thomas , based on the television show The Jerry Springer Show....
, as well as being strongly pro-life
Pro-life

Pro-life is a term representing a variety of perspectives and activist movements in medical ethics. It is most commonly used, especially in the media and popular discourse, to refer to opposition to abortion....
. Some of these views are in agreement with many Catholics, regardless of their theological differences, which has led to united opposition to abortion in Northern Ireland, but not to a consensus on gay issues.

Though often at political odds with the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland

Ireland is an Island country in north-western Europe. The modern Sovereignty state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned by the British on 3 May 1921....
, he has some religious followers in the Republic. It was specifically in his religious capacity that he first agreed to meet the Taoiseach
Taoiseach

The Taoiseach The Taoiseach is appointed by the President of Ireland upon the nomination of D?il ?ireann , and must, while he remains in office, retain the support of a majority in the D?il....
, Bertie Ahern
Bertie Ahern

Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern is an Republic of Ireland politician who served as Taoiseach of Republic of Ireland from 26 June 1997 to 7 May 2008....
. Paisley revised this stance in September 2004, when he agreed to meet Ahern in his political capacity as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party. Known for a sense of humour, at an early meeting with Ahern at the Irish embassy in London, Paisley requested breakfast and asked for boiled eggs; when Ahern asked him why he had wanted boiled eggs, Paisley quipped "it would be hard for you to poison them", much to Ahern's amusement.

Paisley, an ardent teetotaller all his life, has sometimes asked journalists and nationalist politicians "let me smell your breath" when they asked him tough questions, insinuating that they had taken on board some alcohol, or "devil's buttermilk" as he often puts it.

Political career


Early activism: Ulster Protestant Action

From the majority unionist
Unionist

Unionist may refer to:...
 community, Paisley was among those invited in 1956 to a special meeting at the Ulster Unionist Party
Ulster Unionist Party

The Ulster Unionist Party is the more moderate of the two main Unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Prior to the split in Unionism in the late 1960s, when the former 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....
's offices in Glengall Street, Belfast. Many Loyalists
Ulster loyalism

Ulster loyalism is a militant Unionism in Ireland ideology held mostly by Protestants in Northern Ireland. Some individuals claim that Ulster loyalists are Working class unionists willing to use violence in order to achieve their aims....
 who were to become major figures in the 1960s and 1970 also attended, and the meeting's declared purpose was to organise the defence of Protestant areas against anticipated Irish Republican Army (IRA) activity, as the old Ulster Protestant Association had done after partition in 1920. The new body decided to call itself Ulster Protestant Action
Ulster Protestant Action

Ulster Protestant Action was a Ulster loyalism organisation in Northern Ireland.The group was founded at a special meeting at the Ulster Unionist Party's offices in Glengall Street, Belfast, in 1956....
 (UPA), and the first year of its existence was taken up with the discussion of vigilante patrols, street barricades, and drawing up lists of IRA suspects in both Belfast and in rural areas.

Even though no IRA threat materialised in Belfast, and despite it becoming clear that the IRA's activities during the Border Campaign
Border Campaign (IRA)

The Border Campaign was a campaign of guerrilla warfare carried out by the Irish Republican Army against targets in Northern Ireland, with the aim of overthrowing that state and creating a united Ireland....
 were to be limited to the border areas, Ulster Protestant Action remained in being (the UPA was to later become the Protestant Unionist Party
Protestant Unionist Party

The Protestant Unionist Party was a Unionists political party operating in Northern Ireland from 1966 to 1971. It was set up by Ian Paisley, and was the forerunner of the modern Democratic Unionist Party and emerged from the Ulster Protestant Action movement....
 in 1966). Factory and workplace branches were formed under the UPA, including one by Paisley in Belfast's Ravenhill
Ravenhill (Belfast)

Ravenhill is an electoral ward of Belfast City Council, located in the south-east of the city, and centred on the Ravenhill Road. Ormeau Park is in the vicinity....
 area under his direct control. The concern of the UPA increasingly came to focus on the defence of 'Bible Protestantism' and Protestant interests where jobs and housing were concerned. As Paisley came to dominate Ulster Protestant Action, he received his first convictions for public order offences. In June 1959, a major riot occurred on the Shankill Road in Belfast following a rally at which he had spoken.

Beginning a career of "No"

The majority of Paisley's political career was characterised by vehement opposition to accommodation of the aspirations and policies of the minority nationalist
Irish nationalism

Irish nationalism comprises political and social movements and sentiment inspired by a love for Culture of Ireland, Gaelic language and History of Ireland, and a sense of pride in Ireland and the Irish people....
 community in Northern Ireland. This first came to general public attention in the 1960s when he campaigned against Prime Minister of Northern Ireland
Prime Minister of Northern Ireland

The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland was the de facto head of the Government of Northern Ireland. No such office was provided for in the Government of Ireland Act 1920....
 Terence O'Neill
Terence O'Neill

Terence Marne O'Neill, Baron O'Neill of the Maine, Privy Council of the United Kingdom was the fourth Prime Minister of Northern Ireland....
's rapprochement with the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland

Ireland is an Island country in north-western Europe. The modern Sovereignty state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned by the British on 3 May 1921....
 and his meetings with Taoiseach
Taoiseach

The Taoiseach The Taoiseach is appointed by the President of Ireland upon the nomination of D?il ?ireann , and must, while he remains in office, retain the support of a majority in the D?il....
 of the Republic, Seán Lemass
Seán Lemass

Se?n Francis Lemass was one of the most prominent Irish politicians of the 20th century. He served as Taoiseach from 1959 until 1966.A veteran of the Easter Rising, the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War, Lemass was first elected as a Sinn F?in Teachta D?la for the Dublin South constituency in a Dublin South by-election, 1...
, a veteran of Easter 1916
Easter Rising

The Easter Rising was a rebellion staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was an attempt by militant Irish republicanism to win independence from United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland....
 and the anti-Treaty IRA. He opposed efforts by O'Neill to deliver civil rights to the nationalists, which included the abolition of gerrymandering of local electoral areas for the election of urban and county councils. In 1964 his demand that the police
Royal Ulster Constabulary

The Royal Ulster Constabulary George Cross was the name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 out of the Royal Irish Constabulary , the Belfast Borough Police Force and the Londonderry Borough Police Force ....
 remove an Irish Tricolour
Flag of Ireland

The Flag of Ireland is the national flag of Republic of Ireland , also known as the tricolour, and is a vertical tricolour of green , white, and orange ....
 from Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin

Sinn F?in is a political party in Ireland. The current party, led by Gerry Adams, was formed following a split in January 1970 and traces its origins back to the original Sinn F?in party formed in 1905....
's Belfast offices led to two days of rioting, after this was followed through (see Flags and Emblems Act – the public display of any symbol which could cause a breach of the peace was illegal until Westminster repealed the Flags Act in 1987). Paisley's approach led him in turn to oppose O'Neill's successors as Prime Minister, Major James Chichester-Clark
James Chichester-Clark

James Dawson Chichester-Clark, Baron Moyola, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, Deputy Lieutenant was the penultimate Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and eighth leader of the Ulster Unionist Party between 1969 and March 1971....
 (later called Lord Moyola) and Brian Faulkner
Brian Faulkner

Arthur Brian Deane Faulkner, Baron Faulkner of Downpatrick, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council was the sixth and last Prime Minister of Northern Ireland from March 1971 until his resignation in March 1972....
.

In 1969, he was jailed along with Ronald Bunting
Ronald Bunting

Major Ronald Terence Bunting was a British Army officer and Unionism in Ireland political figure in Northern Ireland.Bunting was commissioned into the County Armagh and County Down Army Cadet Force in May 1946 and resigned in March 1950 when he transferred to the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers as a Lieutenant....
 for organising an illegal counter-demonstration against a Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association
Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association

The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association was an organisation which campaigned for civil rights for the Roman Catholic minority in Northern Ireland during the late 1960s and early 1970s....
 march in Armagh
Armagh

The city of Armagh is an ancient religious site of worship of both Celtic paganism and Christianity, the oldest of the five City status in the United Kingdom in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh....
. He was released during a general amnesty for people convicted of political offenses.

Electoral success and the DUP foundation

In the 1970 UK general election
United Kingdom general election, 1970

The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on 18 June 1970, and resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, who defeated the Labour Party under Harold Wilson....
 Paisley was elected the member of Parliament
Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators....
 (MP) for the North Antrim constituency
North Antrim (UK Parliament constituency)

North Antrim is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons....
 which he has retained since then and is now the longest serving MP from Northern Ireland. The following year, 1971 Paisley and Desmond Boal
Desmond Boal

Desmond Boal is a former Northern Irish unionism politician.Boal had a legal career before he entered politics in 1960. He was the Unionist member of the Northern Ireland Parliament for the Shankill constituency between 1960 and 1972....
 established the most successful and longest lasting of his political movements, the Democratic Unionist Party
Democratic Unionist Party

The Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main Unionism political party in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson , it is the largest party in Northern Ireland and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom....
 (DUP) which replaced his Protestant Unionist Party. It soon won seats at local council, provincial, national and European level; Paisley was elected one of Northern Ireland's three Members of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament

A Member of the European Parliament is the English name for a person who has been elected to the European Parliament, of of the the European Union's two legislative bodies....
 (MEPs) at the first elections to the Brussels and Strasbourg-based European Parliament
European Parliament

The European Parliament is the only direct election parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union , it forms the bicameral Institutions of the European Union#Legislature of the Institutions of the European Union and has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world....
 in 1979, holding a rare, triple mandate, as an MEP, an MP, and a Member of the Legislative Assembly
Member of the Legislative Assembly

A Member of the Legislative Assembly, or MLA, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to the legislature or legislative assembly of a subnational jurisdiction....
 (MLA). On his first day he attempted to interrupt the then President of the European Council
President of the European Council

The President of the European Council is a position in the European Union that chairs the European Council. At present it is an unofficial low key position which rotates between member states every six months....
 Jack Lynch
Jack Lynch

John Mary "Jack" Lynch was the fourth Taoiseach of Republic of Ireland, serving two terms in office; 1966 to 1973 and 1977 to 1979.Lynch was first elected to D?il ?ireann as a Teachta D?la for Cork in 1948, and was re-elected at each general election until his retirement in 1981....
, Taoiseach
Taoiseach

The Taoiseach The Taoiseach is appointed by the President of Ireland upon the nomination of D?il ?ireann , and must, while he remains in office, retain the support of a majority in the D?il....
 of Ireland
Republic of Ireland

Ireland is an Island country in north-western Europe. The modern Sovereignty state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned by the British on 3 May 1921....
, but was shouted down by fellow MEPs.

Paisley easily retained his seat in every European election until he stood down in 2004, receiving the highest popular vote of any British MEP (although as Northern Ireland uses a different electoral system to Great Britain for European elections, the figures are not strictly comparable).

The DUP has been elected to each of the Northern Ireland conventions and assemblies set up since the party's creation. For a long time it was the principal challenger to the major unionist party, the Ulster Unionist Party (known for a time in the 1970s and 1980s as the Official Unionist Party (OUP) to distinguish it from the then multitude of other unionist parties, some set up by deposed former leaders).

In the 2003 Northern Ireland Assembly elections
Northern Ireland Assembly election, 2003

The second elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly, which at the time of the elections had been suspended for just over a year, were held on Thursday, November 26, 2003....
, the DUP overtook the UUP to become the largest party in Northern Ireland, achieving thirty seats to the UUP's twenty-seven, and in the 2005 UK General Election
United Kingdom general election, 2005

The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, with a reduced Majority government of 66....
, achieving almost twice their vote share and taking nine seats to the UUP's one (successfully unseating then UUP leader David Trimble
David Trimble

William David Trimble, Baron Trimble, PC is a Northern Ireland politician from Northern Ireland who served as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party and was the first First Minister of Northern Ireland....
) and becoming the fourth largest party in the British House of Commons
British House of Commons

The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the British monarchy and the House of Lords ....
.

The 1973 Sunningdale agreement: Opposed

Paisley opposed the 1972 suspension by the British government of Edward Heath
Edward Heath

Sir Edward Richard George Heath, Order of the Garter, Order of the British Empire , often known as Ted Heath, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975....
 of the Northern Ireland parliament and government (known metonymically
Metonymy

Metonymy is a figure of speech used in rhetoric in which a thing or concept is not called by its own name, but by the name of something intimately associated with that thing or concept....
 by the term Stormont due to the location of Parliament Buildings
Parliament Buildings (Northern Ireland)

Parliament Buildings, known as Stormont because of its location in the Stormont, Belfast area of Belfast, served as the seat of the Parliament of Northern Ireland and successive Northern Ireland assemblies and conventions....
 on the Stormont estate). He opposed the Sunningdale Agreement
Sunningdale Agreement

The Sunningdale Agreement was an attempt to end "the Troubles" in Northern Ireland by forcing Unionism in Ireland to share power with Irish nationalism....
 which sought to rework relationships between Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland

Ireland is an Island country in north-western Europe. The modern Sovereignty state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned by the British on 3 May 1921....
 and the United Kingdom, and which provided for a power-sharing executive (government) involving both communities in Northern Ireland, and a controversial all-island Council of Ireland
Council of Ireland

The Council of Ireland may refer to one of two councils, one established in the 1920s, the other in the 1970s....
 linking Northern Ireland and the Republic on a legal but not constitutional level. Sunningdale collapsed following the Ulster Workers' Council Strike
Ulster Workers' Council Strike

The Ulster Workers' Council strike was a general strike that took place between Wednesday 15 May 1974 and Tuesday 28 May 1974 in Northern Ireland....
, which cut water and electricity supplies to many homes, and the failure of the British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is the chief Political minister in the government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Northern Ireland, at the head of the Northern Ireland Office....
, Merlyn Rees and the British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson

James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, Order of the Garter, Order of the British Empire, Fellow of the Royal Society, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council was one of the most prominent British politicians of the later half of the 20th century....
, to defend the power-sharing executive. Supporters of Paisley played an important role in orchestrating the strike. In January 1974, he (Paisley) was subdued and thrown out of the Stormont Assembly by members of the RUC.

In April 1977, Paisley famously declared he would retire from politics if a forthcoming United Unionist Action Council general strike was unsuccessful. The strike failed, but Paisley did not keep the promise.

In December 1981 the United States State Department revoked his visa, citing his "divisive rhetoric".

The 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement: 'Ulster says no'

In the 1980s Paisley, like all the major Unionist leaders, opposed the Anglo-Irish Agreement
Anglo-Irish Agreement

The Anglo-Irish Agreement was an agreement between the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland which aimed to bring an end to the Troubles in Northern Ireland....
 (1985), signed by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher Order of the Garter, Order of Merit, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Fellow of the Royal Society was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990....
 and Irish
Republic of Ireland

Ireland is an Island country in north-western Europe. The modern Sovereignty state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned by the British on 3 May 1921....
 Taoiseach
Taoiseach

The Taoiseach The Taoiseach is appointed by the President of Ireland upon the nomination of D?il ?ireann , and must, while he remains in office, retain the support of a majority in the D?il....
 (Prime Minister) Dr. Garret FitzGerald
Garret FitzGerald

Garret FitzGerald was the seventh Taoiseach of Republic of Ireland, serving two terms in office . FitzGerald was elected to Seanad ?ireann in 1965 and was subsequently elected to D?il ?ireann as a Fine Gael Teachta D?la in 1969....
. The Agreement provided for an Irish input into the governing of Northern Ireland, through an Anglo-Irish Secretariat based at Maryfield, outside Belfast
Belfast

Belfast is the capital city of Northern Ireland and the seat of Devolution#United Kingdom Northern Ireland Executive and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly in Northern Ireland....
 and meetings of the Anglo-Irish Conference, co-chaired by the Republic's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Britain's Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. The Unionists objected due to the fact that the Agreement was imposed on the people with no referendum, and to the notion of a foreign government "interfering" in the affairs of a part of the United Kingdom. Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin

Sinn F?in is a political party in Ireland. The current party, led by Gerry Adams, was formed following a split in January 1970 and traces its origins back to the original Sinn F?in party formed in 1905....
 also objected.

A rally of protesters, estimated between 100,000 and 200,000 people (depending on which source), met in front of Belfast City Hall
Belfast City Hall

Belfast City Hall is the civic building of the Belfast City Council. Located in Donegall Square, it faces north and effectively divides the commercial and business areas of the Belfast City Centre....
 after a campaign dubbed after its slogan "Ulster Says No
Ulster Says No

Ulster Says No was the name of a slogan, campaign and Demonstration against perceived interference by the Republic of Ireland in the internal affairs of the United Kingdom, specifically that of Northern Ireland....
". The rally, which was addressed by Paisley and then UUP leader James Molyneaux
James Molyneaux

James Henry Molyneaux, Baron Molyneaux of Killead, Order of the British Empire, Privy Council of the United Kingdom is a Northern Irish Unionists politician and was leader of the Ulster Unionist Party from 1979 to 1995....
, passed off peacefully but was ignored by the government. On 9 December 1986, Paisley was once again ejected from the European Parliament
European Parliament

The European Parliament is the only direct election parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union , it forms the bicameral Institutions of the European Union#Legislature of the Institutions of the European Union and has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world....
 for continually interrupting a speech by Mrs Thatcher.

In 1985, he and the rest of the Unionist MPs resigned from Parliament
Resignation from the British House of Commons

Members of Parliament sitting in the British House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resignation. In order to circumvent this prohibition, a legal fiction is used....
 at Westminster in protest at the Anglo-Irish Agreement and were, all but one (Jim Nicholson
Jim Nicholson (UK politician)

James Frederick "Jim" Nicholson is a Northern Ireland Unionism politician who is currently a Member of the European Parliament.A member of Armagh City and District Council council between 1977 and 1997, Nicholson was elected as an Ulster Unionist Party Member of Parliament for Newry & Armagh in 1983 and, along with all other Unionism MP...
, who lost his seat to the Social Democratic and Labour Party
Social Democratic and Labour Party

The Social Democratic and Labour Party is one of the two major Irish nationalism parties in Northern Ireland. During the The Troubles, the SDLP was consistently the most popular nationalist party in Northern Ireland, but since the Provisional IRA cease-fire in 1994, it has lost ground to its rival Sinn F?in, which, in 2001, became the more p...
's Seamus Mallon
Seamus Mallon

Seamus Mallon born 17 August 1936, County Armagh is an Irish politician and former Deputy Leader of the nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party in Northern Ireland....
), returned in the resulting by-elections.

1995: Drumcree Standoff

Paisley is a former member of the Orange Institution
Orange Institution

The Orange Institution, more commonly known as the Orange Order or the Orange Lodge, is a Protestant fraternal organisation based predominantly in Northern Ireland and Scotland with lodges throughout the Commonwealth of Nations and the United States....
. He addresses the annual gathering of the Independent Orange Order
Independent Orange Order

The Independent Loyal Orange Institution is an off-shoot of the Orange Institution, a Protestant fraternal organisation based in Northern Ireland....
 every Twelfth of July.

In 1995, he played a part in the Drumcree conflict
Drumcree conflict

The Drumcree conflict is an ongoing conflict over parades in the town of Portadown in Northern Ireland. The dispute is between the local Orange Institution#Structure and Catholic and Irish nationalism residents over the route lodges should take on their parades between the Portadown town centre and the Drumcree Church to the north....
 over marching at Drumcree, County Armagh between the Orange Order
Orange Institution

The Orange Institution, more commonly known as the Orange Order or the Orange Lodge, is a Protestant fraternal organisation based predominantly in Northern Ireland and Scotland with lodges throughout the Commonwealth of Nations and the United States....
 and local residents of the Garvaghy Road. The march passed off after the decision was made by the Royal Ulster Constabulary
Royal Ulster Constabulary

The Royal Ulster Constabulary George Cross was the name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 out of the Royal Irish Constabulary , the Belfast Borough Police Force and the Londonderry Borough Police Force ....
 (RUC) to allow it and Paisley ended the march hand in hand with David Trimble
David Trimble

William David Trimble, Baron Trimble, PC is a Northern Ireland politician from Northern Ireland who served as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party and was the first First Minister of Northern Ireland....
 who appeared to perform a "Victory Jig
Victory Jig

Victory Jig is a phrase describing the celebration of a victory or success with a little dance, shuffle, body movement, skip, or spring in the step....
". This "Victory Jig" was seen by some as an act of triumphalism
Triumphalism

Triumphalism is the attitude or belief that a particular doctrine, religion, culture, or social system is superior to and should triumph over all others....
.

The 1998 Belfast Agreement: No

Paisley's DUP was initially involved in the negotiations under former United States Senator George J. Mitchell
George J. Mitchell

George John Mitchell, Order of the British Empire is the United States of America special envoy to the Middle East for the Presidency of Barack Obama....
 that led to the Belfast Agreement
Belfast Agreement

The Agreement, most often referred to as the Belfast Agreement or the Good Friday Agreement , and occasionally as the Stormont Agreement, was a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process....
 of 1998. However the party withdrew in protest when Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin

Sinn F?in is a political party in Ireland. The current party, led by Gerry Adams, was formed following a split in January 1970 and traces its origins back to the original Sinn F?in party formed in 1905....
, a republican
Irish Republicanism

Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the Irish nationalist belief that all of Ireland should be a single independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union 1800, the Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland....
 party with links to the Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army

The Provisional Irish Republican Army , is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that considers itself a direct continuation of the Irish Republican Army that fought in the Irish War of Independence....
, was allowed to participate after its ceasefire. Paisley and his party opposed the Agreement in the referendum that followed its signing, and which saw it approved by over 70% of the voters in Northern Ireland and by over 90% of voters in the Republic of Ireland.

Although Paisley often stresses his loyalty to the Crown, he accused Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Elizabeth II is the queen regnant of sixteen independent states known as the Commonwealth realms: Monarchy of the United Kingdom, Monarchy of Canada, Monarchy of Australia, Monarchy of New Zealand, Monarchy of Jamaica, Monarchy of Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Monarchy of the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Sain...
 of being Tony Blair
Tony Blair

Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair is a British politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007....
's "parrot" when she voiced approval of the Agreement. The claim is reflective of the current custom in the United Kingdom of the Monarch reflecting the position of the government, never publicly contradicting official government policy.

As part of the deal, the Republic altered the controversial Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution of Ireland
Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution of Ireland

Article 2 and Article 3 of the Constitution of Republic of Ireland were adopted with the constitution as a whole on 29 December 1937, but completely revised by means of the Nineteenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland which took full effect on 2 December 1999....
, which had originally claimed its government's de jure right to govern the whole island of Ireland, including Northern Ireland.

The DUP fought the resulting election to the Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland Assembly

The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolution legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly Reserved matters to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive....
, to which Paisley was elected, while keeping his seats in the Westminster and European parliaments. The DUP took two seats in the multi-party power-sharing executive (Paisley, like the leaders of the Social Democratic and Labour Party
Social Democratic and Labour Party

The Social Democratic and Labour Party is one of the two major Irish nationalism parties in Northern Ireland. During the The Troubles, the SDLP was consistently the most popular nationalist party in Northern Ireland, but since the Provisional IRA cease-fire in 1994, it has lost ground to its rival Sinn F?in, which, in 2001, became the more p...
 and Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin

Sinn F?in is a political party in Ireland. The current party, led by Gerry Adams, was formed following a split in January 1970 and traces its origins back to the original Sinn F?in party formed in 1905....
 chose not to become a minister) but those DUP members serving as ministers (Peter Robinson
Peter Robinson (politician)

Peter David Robinson is a Northern Irish politician and is the current Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, since 5 June 2008, and leader of the Democratic Unionist Party , since 31 May 2008....
 and Nigel Dodds
Nigel Dodds

Nigel Alexander Dodds, Order of the British Empire, Member of Parliament, Member of the Legislative Assembly , Barrister-at-Law is a barrister and Northern Ireland Unionists politician....
) refused to attend meetings of the Executive Committee (cabinet) in protest at Sinn Féin's participation.

Having spent most of his career, as he himself jokingly admitted once, saying 'No', Paisley assumed the chairmanship of the Agriculture committee of the Northern Ireland Assembly created by the Belfast Agreement, where he was praised (even by Sinn Féin members with whom he worked) as an effective, coordinating chairman. The Minister for Agriculture, Nationalist SDLP's Bríd Rodgers
Bríd Rodgers

Br?d Rodgers born Br?d Stratford is a former Irish nationalist politician.Although born and brought up in the Republic of Ireland, she was politically active in Northern Ireland, where she was deputy leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party and Member of the Legislative Assembly for Upper Bann....
, remarked that she and Paisley had a "workmanlike" relationship.

2000s: Compromise and Power

After a number of stop/starts the Executive and Assembly created by the 1998 Belfast Agreement were ultimately suspended in October 2002 amid unionist unhappiness on the nature of Provisional IRA disarmament and the alleged discovery of a Republican spy network operating in Stormont.

During fresh elections in 2003
Northern Ireland Assembly election, 2003

The second elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly, which at the time of the elections had been suspended for just over a year, were held on Thursday, November 26, 2003....
 Paisley and the DUP campaigned on the need for re-negotiation of the Belfast Agreement and emerged from the elections as the leading party entitled to the position of First Minister with Sinn Féin entitled to the Deputy First minister position. Progress could now only be achieved with Paisleys agreement. He refused to accept Sinn Féin in Government without further progress, and the British Government maintained the suspensions of the institutions.

Paisley and the DUP entered negotiations with the Governments and the other parties on the steps required and the changes needed to the Belfast Agreement. The December 2004 Comprehensive Agreement
Comprehensive Agreement

The 'Comprehensive Agreement' is the name given to a proposed agreement between the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn F?in in Northern Ireland, which collapsed in failure in 2004 ....
 upheld the principles of the Belfast Agreement but foundered on the DUP demand for photographic evidence of IRA decommissioning. Following IRA disarmament in September 2005, the Governments set deadlines for the DUP and Sinn Féin to agree on a new Executive, with the alternative being direct rule from London.

In the October 2006 St Andrews Agreement
St Andrews Agreement

The St Andrews Agreement was an agreement between the Her Majesty's Government and Irish Governments and the political parties in relation to the devolution of power to Northern Ireland....
, agreed on his fiftieth wedding anniversary, Paisley and the DUP agreed to new elections, and support for a new executive including Sinn Féin subject to Sinn Féin acceptance of the Police Service of Northern Ireland
Police Service of Northern Ireland

The Police Service of Northern Ireland George Cross is the police service that covers Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabulary a controversial police force which , in turn, was the successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary....
. This reversed decades of Paisley opposition to Sinn Féin such as his comments on 12 July 2006 in Portrush
Portrush

Portrush is a seaside resort town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on the County Londonderry border. The main part of the old town, including the Portrush railway station as well as most hotels, restaurants and bars, is built on a mile–long peninsula, Ramore Head, pointing north-northwest....
, following Orange Order parades when he said, "[Sinn Fein] are not fit to be in partnership with decent people. They are not fit to be in the government of Northern Ireland and it will be over our dead bodies if they ever get there."

Sinn Féin did endorse the PSNI, and in the subsequent election
Northern Ireland Assembly election, 2007

The third elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly were held on 7 March 2007 when Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly elected in 2007 were selected....
 Paisley and the DUP received an increased share of the vote and increased their assembly seats from 30 to 36. On Monday 26 March 2007, the date of the British Government deadline for devolution or dissolution, Paisley led a DUP delegation to a meeting with a Sinn Féin delegation led by Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams

Gerry Adams, Member of the Legislative Assembly , UK Member of Parliament is an Irish people Irish republicanism politician and Abstentionism Westminster Member of Parliament for Belfast West ....
 which agreed on a DUP proposal that the executive would be established on 8 May. Later in April, Paisley met in Dublin with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern
Bertie Ahern

Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern is an Republic of Ireland politician who served as Taoiseach of Republic of Ireland from 26 June 1997 to 7 May 2008....
 and publicly shook his hand, something Paisley had refused to do until there was peace in Northern Ireland.

On 8 May power was devolved, the Assembly met, and Paisley was elected as First Minister of Northern Ireland with Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness
Martin McGuinness

James Martin Pacelli McGuinness is an Ireland politician and the current deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland.A Sinn F?in politician and former Provisional Irish Republican Army leader, McGuinness is the Member of Parliament for the Mid Ulster , the seat once held by Bernadette Devlin McAliskey....
 as the deputy First Minister. Speaking at Stormont to an invited international audience he said, "Today at long last we are starting upon the road — I emphasise starting — which I believe will take us to lasting peace in our province." Paisley and McGuinness subsequently established a good working relationship and were dubbed by the Northern Irish media as the "Chuckle Brothers
Chuckle Brothers

The Chuckle Brothers, are Barry Elliot and Paul Elliot who are United Kingdom comedians. They are best known for their work on their BBC show ChuckleVision, having celebrated its 20th anniversary on 26 September, 2007....
."

Winding down

At the age of 78 he retired from his European Parliament
European Parliament

The European Parliament is the only direct election parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union , it forms the bicameral Institutions of the European Union#Legislature of the Institutions of the European Union and has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world....
 seat at the 2004 elections
European Parliament election, 2004

Elections to the European Parliament were held from 10 June 2004 to 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom....
 and was succeeded by Jim Allister
Jim Allister

James Hugh Allister, Queen's Counsel, known as Jim, is a Northern Ireland unionists politician and senior barrister. He is a former member of the Democratic Unionist Party and was elected as a member of the European Parliament in 2004....
.

However, he again retained his North Antrim
North Antrim

North Antrim can refer to:*The northern part of County Antrim*North Antrim *North Antrim *North Antrim ...
 seat in the 2005 UK general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005

The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, with a reduced Majority government of 66....
. In 2005, Paisley was made a Privy Councillor
Privy Council of the United Kingdom

Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British monarchy. Its members are largely senior politicians, who were or are members of either the House of Commons of the United Kingdom or House of Lords....
, an appointment traditionally bestowed upon the leader of the fourth largest political party in the British Parliament. In 2007, aged 81, he became First Minister of Northern Ireland. Upon the death of Piara Khabra
Piara Khabra

Piara Singh Khabra was a Politics of the United Kingdom who served as the Labour Party Member of Parliament for Ealing Southall from 1992 until his death....
 in June 2007, Paisley became the oldest sitting British MP. In September 2007, he confirmed that he would contest North Antrim
North Antrim (UK Parliament constituency)

North Antrim is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons....
 at the next General Election
Next United Kingdom general election

Under the provisions of the Septennial Act 1715 as amended by the Parliament Act 1911, the next United Kingdom general election must be held on or before Thursday 3 June 2010, barring exceptional circumstances....
 as well as serving the full four years as first minister stating "I might as well make hay while the sun shines."

Following his January 2008 retirement as a religious leader and pressure from party insiders, on 4 March 2008 Ian Paisley announced that he will stand down as DUP leader and First Minister of Northern Ireland in May 2008. On 17 April, Peter Robinson was elected unopposed as his successor.

Ian was awarded the 2008 'Oldie of The Year Award' from The Oldie
The Oldie

The Oldie is a monthly magazine launched in 1992 by Richard Ingrams, who for 23 years was the Editing of Private Eye. It carries general interest articles, humour and cartoons, and has an eclectic list of contributors, including Miles Kington, Ned Sherrin , Beryl Bainbridge, Rosie Boycott, Thomas Stuttaford, John Michell and Edward...
 Magazine for his contribution to the Northern Ireland peace process.

Analysis and evaluation


Relationship with the nationalist SDLP

From the 1960s, one of his main rivals was civil rights leader and co-founder of the nationalist SDLP, John Hume
John Hume

John Hume is a former politician in Northern Ireland, founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party and co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize, with David Trimble, Baron Trimble....
.

British Government papers released in 2002, show that in 1971 Paisley attempted to reach a compromise with the nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party
Social Democratic and Labour Party

The Social Democratic and Labour Party is one of the two major Irish nationalism parties in Northern Ireland. During the The Troubles, the SDLP was consistently the most popular nationalist party in Northern Ireland, but since the Provisional IRA cease-fire in 1994, it has lost ground to its rival Sinn F?in, which, in 2001, became the more p...
 (SDLP). The attempt was made via then British Cabinet Secretary, Sir Burke Trend. The papers show that Paisley had indicated he could "reach an accommodation with leaders of the Catholic minority, which would provide the basis of a new government in Stormont." It appears that the move was rejected once it became clear to the SDLP that the deal would favour the unionist majority. Speaking about the deal in 2002 Paisley said:

Though their parties are often at loggerheads, Hume and Paisley worked jointly on behalf of Northern Ireland in the European Parliament
European Parliament

The European Parliament is the only direct election parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union , it forms the bicameral Institutions of the European Union#Legislature of the Institutions of the European Union and has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world....
 and on occasion worked jointly in the House of Commons
British House of Commons

The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the British monarchy and the House of Lords ....
. Indeed the complexity of their relationship was demonstrated when it was discovered that Hume had visited Paisley's home to dine with Ian and his wife, Eileen, on Boxing Day
Boxing Day

Boxing Day is a bank holiday or a public holiday in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and countries in the Commonwealth of Nations with a mainly Christian population....
 (26 December) one year in the 1990s.

John Hume
John Hume

John Hume is a former politician in Northern Ireland, founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party and co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize, with David Trimble, Baron Trimble....
 tells the story of the occasion when he said to Ian Paisley, "Ian, if the word 'no' were to be removed from the English language, you'd be speechless, wouldn't you!" Paisley replied, "No, I wouldn't!"

Defender or demagogue?

His critics see his work in the European Parliament and in Stormont of late and argue that he could have been, had he so wished, one of the greatest builders of a new inclusive Northern Ireland. To his supporters, Paisley is seen as a passionate defender of the union between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. They argue that he stood up for unionists who were under attack from nationalists from the Republic of Ireland and from British governments willing to give away "unionist rights" and ignore unionist fears to placate nationalists
Irish nationalism

Irish nationalism comprises political and social movements and sentiment inspired by a love for Culture of Ireland, Gaelic language and History of Ireland, and a sense of pride in Ireland and the Irish people....
 and the Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army

The Provisional Irish Republican Army , is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that considers itself a direct continuation of the Irish Republican Army that fought in the Irish War of Independence....
. To some, he is seen as the wrecker whose extremism almost destroyed Northern Ireland (see Richard Quinn (victim of The Troubles). To others, Ian Paisley is the great defender, the protector who saved Northern Ireland from "Rome Rule
Rome Rule

"Rome Rule" was a term used by Ireland Unionists and socialism to describe the belief that the Roman Catholic Church would gain political control over their interests with the passage of a Irish Home Rule bills....
" and "Dublin
Dublin

Dublin is both the largest city and capital of Republic of Ireland. It is located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the centre of the Dublin Region....
 rule".

To his opponents however, including some unionists, Paisley is seen as a demagogue, a crude rabble-rouser who spent his political career saying 'no' and being passed by; "no" to O'Neill's reform, "no" to contacts with the Republic, "no" to Sunningdale, "no" to the convention, "no" to James Prior's rolling devolution, "no" to the Anglo-Irish Agreement
Anglo-Irish Agreement

The Anglo-Irish Agreement was an agreement between the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland which aimed to bring an end to the Troubles in Northern Ireland....
, "no" to the Belfast Agreement. By them he is seen as a uniquely destructive influence whose extremism lost potential friends and helped alienate people outside Northern Ireland sympathetic to unionism. Paisley has never accepted any culpability for any violence, despite his many fiery speeches, which often presented the political conflict in stark Biblical
Bible

The Bible is the central religious text of Judaism and Christianity. The exact Books of the Bible is dependent on the religious traditions of specific denominations....
 terms as a millenarian
Millenarianism

Millenarianism is the belief by a religious, social, or political group or movement in a coming major transformation of society after which all things will be changed in a positive direction....
 battle between good and evil (see Historicism
Historicism (Christian eschatology)

In Christian eschatology, Historicism is a school of interpretation which treats the eschatological prophecies of Book of Daniel and Book of Revelation as finding literal earthly fulfillment through the history of the church age and especially in relation to the struggle between the true church and apostasy....
).

In September 2005, he was criticised for stoking unionist violence in Belfast over the 75-metre diversion of a provocative Orange Order march along a thoroughfare serving as a boundary between nationalist and unionist communities. Quoted by The Guardian
The Guardian

Sorry, no overview for this topic
 newspaper, he called the diversion "the spark which kindles a fire there could be no putting out". Widespread loyalist riots followed, producing, among other results, what Northern Ireland secretary Peter Hain called "serious attempts to kill police in some instances".

Bibliography

  • The Protestant Reformation: The Preaching of Ian R. K. Paisley : Four Biographical Sermons : Martin Luther
    Martin Luther

    Martin Luther was a Germans monk, theology, university professor, priest, father of Protestantism, and Protestant Reformers whose ideas started the Protestant Reformation and changed the course of Western culture....
    , John Calvin
    John Calvin

    John Calvin was an influential French people theology and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism....
    , John Knox
    John Knox

    John Knox was a Scotland clergyman and leader of the Protestant Reformation who is considered the founder of the Presbyterianism denomination....
    , William Tyndale
    William Tyndale

    William Tyndale was a 16th-century Protestant reformer and scholar who, influenced by the work of Desiderius Erasmus and Martin Luther, translated the Bible into the Early Modern English of his day....
     (Audio CD)
  • The Soul of the Question and the Question of the Soul
  • Christian Foundations
  • Protestants Remember!
  • Union with Rome: The Courtship and Proposed Marriage of Protestantism by Romanism and the Objections Thereto (Ravenhill pulpit) (Ravenhill pulpit)
  • Ravenhill Pulpit: The Preaching of Ian R.K. Paisley
  • Souvenir booklet: The 50th Anniversary of the Larne Gun-Running (Ravenhill pulpit) (Ravenhill pulpit)
  • The Five Protestant Bishops whom Rome Burned: John Hooper
    John Hooper

    John Hooper was an England churchman, Bishop of Gloucester and Bishop of Worcester. He was martyred during the Marian Persecutions....
    , Robert Ferrar
    Robert Ferrar

    Robert Ferrar was a Bishop of St David's in Wales.He was prior of the monastery of St. Oswald's, embraced the English Reformation, and was made Bishop of St....
    , Hugh Latimer
    Hugh Latimer

    Hugh Latimer was the bishop of Worcester, and by his death he became a famous martyr among Protestants and the Church of England.Latimer was born into a family of farmers in Thurcaston, Leicestershire....
    , Nicholas Ridley
    Nicholas Ridley (martyr)

    Nicholas Ridley was an England clergyman. He came from a prominent family in Tynedale, Northumberland, and was born early in the sixteenth century....
    , Thomas Cranmer
    Thomas Cranmer

    Thomas Cranmer was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII of England and Edward VI of England....
  • Jesus Christ: Not Able to Sin
  • No Pope Here
  • God's Ultimatum to the Nation
  • Getting Your Priorities Right (Martyr's memorial pulpit) (Martyr's memorial pulpit)
  • The Authority of the Scriptures vs. the Confusion of Translations: Dr. Ian Paisley Thunders Out For the King James Version and its texts! (B.F.T)
  • Exposition of the Epistle to the Romans (Ian R.K.Paisley Library)
  • Classic Sermons
  • George Whitefield
    George Whitefield

    George Whitefield , also known as George Whitfield, , an Anglican itinerant minister who helped spread the Great Awakening in Great Britain and, especially, in the British North American colonies....
  • Messages from the Prison Cell
  • Sermons With Startling Titles
  • Betrayal of our National Heritage
  • U.D.I.
  • The Unaged Birth and the Unembellished Gospel
  • Some Kidd But Definitely No Goat!: The Story of the Witty, the Learned, the Eccentric and the Controversial Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen
  • For Such a Time as This
  • The Ulster Problem, Spring 1972: A Discussion of the True Situation in Northern Ireland
  • The Living Bible: The Livid Libel of the Scriptures of Truth: an Exposure of the So-called Bible for Everyone
  • The Jesuits: Their Start, Sign, System, Secrecy, Strategy
  • The Archbishop in the Arms of the Pope of Rome!: Protestant Ministers in the Hands of the Police of Rome!
  • Three great reformers
  • The Massacre of St. Bartholomew: A Record of Papal Terror and Protestant Triumph in France in the Sixteenth Century
  • Billy Graham and the Church of Rome
  • False Views by Modern Man: An Exposure of "Good News for Modern Man — The New Testament — Today's English Version"
  • Grow Old Along With Me
  • Paisley: The Man and his Message
  • The Ecumenical Nightmare: Church Unity in 1980!
  • Text a Day Keeps the Evil Away
  • Into the Millennium : 20th century Messages for 21st century Living
  • The Rent Veils at Calvary
  • The Fundamentalist and his State: Address delivered on June l5, 1976 to the World Congress of Fundamentalists meeting at Usher Hall, Edinburgh
  • America's Debt to Ulster
  • The Crown of Thorns
  • An Enemy has Done This: Terror and Treachery in Northern Ireland
  • Expository Sermons
  • The Garments of Christ
  • My Plea for the Old Sword
  • Christian Foundations
  • Sermons for Special Occasions
  • Paisley's Pocket Preacher: Thumbnail gospel sermons
  • The Livid Libel of the Scriptures of Truth: An Exposure of the So-called Bible in Everyday Language for Everyone (B.F.T)
  • The Revised English Bible: The Antichrist Bible, An Exposure
  • Be Sure
  • Ulster: The Facts
  • The Crown Rights of Jesus Christ: An address delivered by request before the General Synod of the Bible Presbyterian Church of America
  • An Exposition of the Epistle to the Romans,: Prepared in the Prison Cell
  • The Common Bible (Revised Standard Version): The Bible of the Antichrist
  • Benjamin Wills Newton
    Benjamin Wills Newton

    Benjamin Wills Newton, was an Evangelism and author of Christian books. He was influential in the Plymouth Brethren. Although initially a close friend of John Nelson Darby, they began to clash on matters of church doctrine and practice which ultimately led to the 1848 split of the brethren movement into the Open Brethren and Exclusive Brethr...
     Maligned But Magnificent : A Centenary Tribute, 1999
  • 'The 59 Revival: An Authentic History of the Great Ulster Awakening of 1859


Sources and further information

  • BBC \ian_paisley06.ram
  • Steve Bruce, God save Ulster! The religion and politics of Paisleyism. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1986.
  • Steve Bruce, Paisley: Religion and Politics in Northern Ireland Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2007.
  • Dennis Cooke, Persecuting Zeal: a portrait of Ian Paisley, Brandon Books, 1996.
  • Martin Dillon
    Martin Dillon

    Martin Dillon is an author and journalist from Northern Ireland. He worked for eighteen-years at the BBC and has written a number of plays and novels, but he most well known for his non-fiction books about the Troubles....
    ,
    God and the Gun, Orion Books, London.
  • Martha Abele Mac Iver, "Ian Paisley and the Reformed Tradition", Political Studies, September 1987.
  • Ed Moloney
    Ed Moloney

    Ed Moloney is an Irish people journalist and author best known for his coverage of the Troubles in Northern Ireland and particularly the activities of the Provisional IRA....
     & Andy Pollak,
    Paisley, Poolbeg Press, 1986.
  • Rhonda Paisley
    Rhonda Paisley

    Rhonda Paisley is an artist, author, and former politician from Northern Ireland. She is the daughter of Democratic Unionist Party leader and Northern Irelands First Minister Ian Paisley, is unmarried, and lives with her parents in the family home....
    ,
    Ian Paisley: My Father, Marshall Pickering, 1988.
  • Clifford Smyth
    Clifford Smyth

    For the rapper, see Method Man.Clifford Smyth is a historian and former politician in Northern Ireland.Smyth stood for the Democratic Unionist Party in North Antrim in the Northern Ireland Assembly election, 1973, narrowly missing out on a seat....
    ,
    Ian Paisley: Voice of Protestant Ulster. Edinburgh: Scottish Academic, 1987.


See also

  • List of Northern Ireland members of the Privy Council
    List of Northern Ireland members of the Privy Council

    This is a list of Members of the Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council who were born, live or lived in Northern Ireland. It is not to be confused with the now redundant Privy Council of Northern Ireland....


External links

  • (April 2006; interviewed by William Crawley
    William Crawley

    William Crawley is a BBC journalist and Presenter in Northern Ireland.He recently presented Blueprint, a three-part television natural history series, which ran from 31 March 2008, as the centre-piece of the most ambitious multi-platform broadcasting project in the history of BBC Northern Ireland....
    )
  • and of the visit by Ian Paisley to the College Historical Society in October 2007.