Ulster loyalism
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Ulster loyalism is a unionist belief held mostly by Protestants in Northern Ireland.[1] Some individuals claim that Ulster loyalists are working-class unionists willing to use violence in order to achieve their aims.[2] However, others, such as Garrett Fitzgerald, argue that loyalism is simply "loyalty to Ulster not to the Union with Britain and it is mis-described as unionism."[3]
Unionists support the continuation of Northern Ireland's status as a constituent country of the United Kingdom and oppose any joining with the Republic of Ireland in a united Ireland. However, whilst loyalist groups seek to maintain Northern Ireland's position within the UK they are not defined by this aim and some, such as the Ulster Defence Association, have openly supported the idea of Ulster independence. Unionists also believe in achieving their aims through purely constitutional means, but are willing to use violence to defend the constitutional process. However loyalists support the use of militant methods as the primary means to reject amalgamation with the Republic of Ireland. Consequently, anti-Unionists and anti-Loyalists frequently use the term loyalist to describe illegal paramilitary organisations.[citation needed]
Upon the partition of Ireland in 1921, six of the nine counties in the province of Ulster were excluded from the independent Irish Free State (later the Republic of Ireland). These counties, four out of the six having Protestant majorities[citation needed], remained a part of the United Kingdom. Two other Ulster counties also remained part of the UK, despite having nationalist (pro-independence) majorities[citation needed]. Both unionist and nationalist communities have allowed or encouraged sectarianism among Protestants (associated with unionism) and Roman Catholics (associated with nationalism) to further political aims[citation needed].
The difference of opinion between Northern Ireland's Nationalist Catholic population (which mostly supports leaving the UK in favour of uniting with the Republic of Ireland)[citation needed] and its Protestant Unionist population (which mainly supports remaining as part of the United Kingdom) has led to a long-running bloody conflict known as The Troubles. However, the majority of people who live in the region do not support paramilitaries of any ideology[citation needed].
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[edit] Political parties
- Progressive Unionist Party (PUP)
- Ulster Democratic Party (UDP)
- Ulster Protestant League (UPL)
- Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party (VUPP) aka Ulster Vanguard
- Volunteer Political Party (VPP)
In Great Britain, a number of small far-right parties have and still do express support for loyalist paramilitaries, and loyalism in general. This includes the British National Front (who registered to stand in Northern Ireland) and the British People's Party.
Bigger and more moderate right-wing unionist parties like the Ulster Unionists (UUP) or Democratic Unionists (DUP) have actively sought to distance themselves from loyalist paramilitary activity. However, Ian Paisley and his Democratic Unionist Party have been involved with Ulster Resistance and worked alongside loyalist paramilitarys such as the UDA in the 1974 Ulster Workers' Council Strikes and the 1977 Loyalist Association of Workers strike.[citation needed]
[edit] Fraternities
[edit] Paramilitary and vigilante groups
In the table below, "operational" refers to the period when the group waged its paramilitary/vigilante campaign.
| Name | Initials | Operational |
|---|---|---|
| Ulster Protestant Action | UPA | 1956–1966 |
| Ulster Protestant Volunteers | UPV | 1966–1969 |
| Ulster Volunteer Force Red Hand Commando Young Citizen Volunteers |
UVF RHC YCV |
1966–2007 1972–2007 1972–2007 |
| Ulster Defence Association Ulster Freedom Fighters Ulster Defence Force Ulster Young Militants |
UDA UFF UDF UYM |
1971–2007 1972–2007 1985–2007 1974–2007 |
| Ulster Resistance | UR | 1986–? |
| Loyalist Volunteer Force | LVF | 1997–2005 |
| Orange Volunteers | OV | 1998– |
| Red Hand Defenders | RHD | 1998– |
| Real Ulster Freedom Fighters | Real UFF | 2007– |
Umbrella groups
- Ulster Constitution Defence Committee (UCDC) – 1966–1969
- Ulster Army Council (UAC) – 1973–1974
- Ulster Loyalist Central Co-ordinating Committee (ULCCC) – 1974–1976
- Combined Loyalist Military Command (CLMC) – 1991–1998
Covernames
- Protestant Action Force (PAF) – commonly used by the UVF
- Protestant Action Group (PAG) – briefly used by the UVF in the 1970s
- Loyalist Retaliation and Defence Group (LRDG) – briefly used by the UVF in the 1990s
[edit] Other organisations
- Third Force
- Loyalist Association of Workers
- Ulster Workers' Council
- Ulster Political Research Group
- Tara (Northern Ireland)
[edit] References
- ^ Alan F. Parkinson(1998), Ulster loyalism and the British media, University of Michigan Press, ISBN 1851823670
- ^ Steve Bruce, The Red Hand: Protestant Paramilitaries in Northern Ireland, 1992
- ^ Fergal Cochrane, Unionist Politics and the Politics of Unionism since the Anglo-Irish Agreement, 2001
[edit] External links
- Progressive Unionist Party - Centre-Left and Social Democratic Loyalist party linked with the Ulster Volunteer Force
- Beyond Conflict - A South-East Antrim organization linked with the Ulster Defence Association
- Loyalist, Unionist and Protestant Resources
- English Loyalists
- Scottish Loyalists
- British Ulster Alliance
- The Ulster Loyalist - Loyalist website with a UDA outlook
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