Volunteer Political Party

Volunteer Political Party

The Volunteer Political Party (VPP) was a loyalist political party launched in Northern Ireland on 22 June 1974 by members of the then recently legalised Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). The Chairman was Ken Gibson, an East Belfast UVF figure who was an ex-internee and skilled manual worker. The success of the Ulster Workers Council Strike had shown some UVF leaders the political power they held and they sought to develop this potential further. The UVF had been banned by the unionist government in 1966, but was legalised at the same time as Sinn Féin by Labour Secretary of State Merlyn Rees in April 1974 in order to encourage a political path for unionist and republican extremists.

It launched its manifesto "The Volunteer Political Party - a progressive and forward thinking unionist party" at a press conference on 27 September. Influenced by the thinking of the Northern Ireland Labour Party, it opposed internment without trial and the idea of independence for Northern Ireland and supported the idea of a more equitable distribution of resources to deprived parts of the United Kingdom. The party applied to join the United Ulster Unionist Council (UUUC) but was rebuffed, with the mainstream unionist parties wary of being linked to paramilitaries.

Ken Gibson contested the West Belfast seat, which included parts of the Shankill district, in the October 1974 UK general election. The VPP claimed to stand for the working class and an election pamphlet attacked the disgraceful social conditions on the Shankill. In the election, Gibson was supported by Glen Barr of Vanguard, Harding Smith, the leader of the West Belfast Ulster Defence Association and the independent Shankill councillor Hugh Smyth, who went on to become one of the founders of the Progressive Unionist Party. Standing against the official UUUC candidate, Johnny McQuade of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), they won only 2,690 votes (6%), 14% of the total unionist vote.

Because of this failure, the party was dissolved the following month by a meeting of all UVF commanders. A statement announced; "The low poll for the VPP candidate indicates that the general public does not support the political involvement of the UVF. It would therefore be fruitless to promote the Volunteer Party as a party political machine". Most of its members returned to the UVF (some of whom were later to form the Progressive Unionist Party). The UVF turned back to violence and was banned again by the British government on the 4th October 1975.

ources

*Steve Bruce, The Red Hand, 1992, ISBN 0-19-215961-5
*Jim Cusack & Henry McDonald, UVF, 2000, ISBN 1-85371-687-1
*Sarah Nelson, Ulster's Uncertain Defenders, 1984, ISBN 0-904651-99-1


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Volunteer (disambiguation) — Volunteer, Volunteers or Voluntary may refer to one of the following.Volunteerism*Volunteer, a person who performs or offers to perform a service out of his or her own free will, often without payment *See also volunteerism *Volunteer Aid… …   Wikipedia

  • The Political Party (television) — infobox television show name = The Political Party format = Politics picture format = opening track = runtime = 30 minutes starring = Ursula Halligan and her large head country = Flagicon|Republic of Ireland Ireland network = TV3 first aired =… …   Wikipedia

  • Party identification — is a political term to describe a voter s underlying allegiance to a political party. The term was first used in the United States in the 1950s, but use of the term has decreased in usage as the process of party dealignment has… …   Wikipedia

  • Political campaign — A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making process within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, wherein representatives are chosen or referenda are… …   Wikipedia

  • Party for the Integral Advancement of the Haitian People — The Party for the Integral Advancement of the Haitian People (Parti Pour l Avancement Integral du Peuple Haitien, or PAIPH) is a political party in Haiti founded by Colette Jacques[1] the first woman to have a political party registered and… …   Wikipedia

  • Volunteer Fighting Corps — nihongo|Volunteer Fighting Corps|国民義勇隊|Kokumin Giyūtai were armed civil defense units created in 1945 in the Empire of Japan as a last desperate measure to defend the Japanese home islands against the projected Allied invasion during Operation… …   Wikipedia

  • Ulster Volunteer Force — Infobox War Faction name=Ulster Volunteer Force ( UVF ) war= The Troubles caption= The UVF emblem. active=1966 Present (ended armed campaign in 2006) leaders= Gusty Spence clans= headquarters=Belfast area=Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland… …   Wikipedia

  • List of political parties in Northern Ireland — Northern Ireland This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Northern Ireland …   Wikipedia

  • National Democratic Party (Northern Ireland) — The National Democratic Party (NDP) was an Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. Contents 1 Origins 2 National Party 3 National Democratic Party 4 Dissolution …   Wikipedia

  • Northern Ireland Unionist Party — Leader Cedric Wilson Founded 1999 Dissolved 2008 …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”