Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
AROUND BRITAIN, PEOPLE are frantically Googling who the Democratic Unionist Party are this morning.
The searches were so frantic that the DUP website crashed as the party celebrated taking 10 of Northern Ireland’s 18 seats in Westminster.
Those ten seats are now enough to make the DUP kingmakers, ensuring that Theresa May’s Conservative Party remains in power and May stays in Downing Street.
But who is the party founded by Ian Paisley? And what do they want?
History
Founded in 1971 by Paisley and Desmond Boal, along with other members of the Protestant Unionist Party, the party is further to the right of the North’s other unionist party, the UUP. It has historical ties to many Protestant churches in the North, including the Paisley-founded Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster.
Several members of the Ulster Resistance paramilitary group would become prominent members of the DUP over the years, including former leader Peter Robinson. This group collaborated with the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) in the 80s.
The party renounced violence and was part of the initial Good Friday Agreement talks, but withdrew in protest at Sinn Féin’s involvement while the IRA still held weapons. They opposed the Agreement referendum, which passed with 71% of the vote.
After arguing for a “fair deal” in the 2003 Assembly elections, they would become the largest party in the North.
Freedom of Assembly
In the south, we mainly know them as the party opposite and alongside Sinn Féin in the Stormont Assembly. At least, they were until March. The power-sharing Assembly has been vacant since January after a bitter row between the parties over the “cash-for-ash” scandal.
During that scandal, DUP First Minister Arlene Foster ignored repeated calls for her to step aside while an investigation is carried out into the scheme – which could cost taxpayers in the North in the region of £400 million (about €460 million), possibly more.
There are questions over how long Foster, who was the minister with responsibility for the scheme from its inception in 2012 until 2015 – knew the initiative was flawed.
The RHI aimed to encourage businesses (and later individuals) to switch to more environmentally-friendly heating methods. Subsidies paid to companies were not capped and the more heat a business generated, the higher the subsidy it received.
The subsequent election in March saw the DUP take the most seats in the assembly, but their 28 was just one more than Sinn Féin. The parties have yet to come to an agreement on the running of the Assembly since.
In yesterday’s Westminster elections, the party took 10 of 18 seats.
Beliefs
The DUP at its core is a right-wing, loyalist and unionist party. Their 2017 manifesto highlighted the need to make Northern Ireland more connected in terms of infrastructure and digital supports and called for massive investment in the country.
While being pro-Brexit, Foster has spoken out against a hard Brexit and a hard border.
“No-one wants to see a hard Brexit, and what we want to see is a workable plan to leave the European Union, and that’s what the national vote was about – therefore we need to get on with that.
“However, we need to do it in a way that respects the circumstances of Northern Ireland and, of course, our shared history and geography with the Republic of Ireland.”
Socially, the party is extremely conservative. In 2015, it used the North’s petition of concern system to block the legalisation of gay marriage in the North, despite a majority of members voting in favour.
Foster last year pledged that the party would not support expanding British abortion laws into the North.
“I would not want abortion to be as freely available here as it is in England and don’t support the extension of the 1967 act.”
On climate change, the party has been divided, with East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson calling it a “con”.
Wilson has also said that it is ok to compare Sinn Féin with Isis, that public breastfeeding is “exhibitionism” and appeared to agree with a constituent who suggested Northern Ireland “get the ethnics out”.
What will they want?
Holding the balance of power, the DUP will feel emboldened to make demands of Theresa May, though what they want is unclear.
The party has spoken about the need to a “frictionless” border with Ireland, but early reports suggest that the DUP wants a guarantee that there will be no special status for Northern Ireland in Brexit talks, something Sinn Féin has pushed for.
The party’s deputy leader Nigel Dodds has called the plan “hot air”.
On Twitter, many are asking their Conservative MPs to oppose any deal with the DUP.
The DUP has vowed to oppose Corbyn as long as he is Labour leader.
Last month, Foster hit out at Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who she dubbed “abhorrent” for his supposed support of the IRA.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
I think we will have the mother of all marching seasons this year. This is a disastrous situation for peace loving people !
@David Conroy: on the plus side – what normally happens to the smaller party in a coalition?
@Matt Connolly:
The problem is its doesn’t seem to be a normal coalition, more a supply agreement similar to FF/FG and that doesn’t seem to be doing FF any harm
@P.J. Nolan: Weather you are right, left or centre last night was not the result anyone wanted but if it exposes the DUP bigotry to UK wide, maybe world wide scrutiny that has to be a plus.
@David Conroy: Senseless fearmongering, what makes you think marching season would be worse? Any links to support your outrageous claims?
Can’t see this coalition lasting very long.
Any decent journalist will press the gov on the DUP’s
a) homophobia
b) terrorist links
c) bigotry
d) corruption over RHI
e) general incompetence and stupidity
and many more.
@DonalC: Exactly, most ppl I know in England, know very little about the DUP, other than they are a NI party who are unionist. I predict their new ‘fame’ on the mainland is not going to go down very well.
@Geraoid O’Helidhe: Can’t be profound with out the proper grammar.
@RMcG: This coalition between the Tories and DUP won’t last long. In one way this short term government is a good thing. It will allow as is already happening , British people to find out more about DUP values, In this day of the internet and online communications, the Tory press can’t cover up for the DUP.. The more that’s known about them the better.
@RMcG: ‘The Mainland’?
Corbyn got crucified in the media for not condemning IRA terrorists and today Therea May goes into government with the DUP, a party with a very dodgy past and that was endorsed by the UVF before the election. I wonder what the British people will think of this? Will they even be told about it?
@Darren Mccarthy: It has already started, had a few ppl ask me about them today already.
@Darren Mccarthy: Corbyn DID condemn IRA terrorism, what he got spanked for was the fact that he refused to single them out while ignoring anyone else who behaved badly during the Troubles. More fake news from Murdoch and Paul Dacre.
@Harry Whitehead: That’s right Harry, i did know how they played it on him. Lets see how they pick apart the DUP history.
@Harry Whitehead: I can’t wait to see that newsreel footage of Peter Robinson refusing to call the UDA terrorists being broadcast on the “mainland”.
It’s going to be hilarious watching the British public learn who exactly these people are.
@Ciaran Rice: what exactly are they. A political party that represents unionists in NI and supports the union of Britain . Their going to be horrified .
@Sean O Brien: they’re a group of big house Unionists and far right religious fundamentalists who dislike anyone who isn’t a white Anglo Saxon Protestant, anti abortion, anti gay. Also they’re backed up by the UDA and UVF, been in bed with terrorists since their formation. They also hate the working class, incidentally, the very demographic who vote for them in their drives.
In short, head cases.
@Ciaran Rice: NI and Scotland have Nationalist and Unionist parties to represent the people that elect them in British politics . The Irish republic has republicanism nothing more . There is no alternative to republican political parties . Maybe you should ask yourself who the bigots are .
@Sean O Brien: If you look closely in the mirror you will see one.
@Sean O Brien: If you want pro British right wing head cases running in the south then start your own party.
@Sean O Brien: are we still part of the UK ??? Why would we have a unionist party! Some man!
Very interesting times ahead. Could this marriage inadvertantly make SF stronger over the longterm?
@Celtic Spirit: SF do not have any say of influence in British Politics. It suits them best to just shout from the sidelines !
The return of the RUC and a unionist apartheid state if they got half a chance and also a lot of marching powder thrown in.
Look at the bright side at least people in England now know how the DUP are a bunch of bigots for the first time.
@Eoin Mulhern: Too late…
Funny how many people on here yesterday said the the UK election result would not have any impact on Ireland.
This is even worse than a Conservative majority.
Another election within 12 months.
Ye have it wrong there Journal, as my memory recollects the DUP were not at the initial GFA talks, Paisley was marching his supporters up the hill and had nothing to do with it.
Paisley (dup) only became a peace broker with sinn fein after the collapse of David Trimbles official unionist party in an election.
The lobotomised electorate in Britain shot off their left foot in June last year, today they shot off the right! Using the DUP as crutches they are now ready to take on Junker. What a joke. There appears to be no cure for STUPID.
Lunatics have taken over the as asylum, all downwards from here .
DUP=KKK
poor old theresa may ,who said a week was a long time in politics ,lol
As usual SF will now hide and not attend the commons. Great to see that they will facilitate the right wing Tories and DUP. Cowards of the past, present and future.
@Bull Spite: Still talking bull shyte I see.
@Just Me: Usual low level comment from you. Comment on SF’s support for the Tories!
If you mix Blue ( Tory) with Orange (DUP) the experts say that you get Brown. Oh Sh*t.
Suddenly the William Ulsterman sketch doesn’t seem quite so hilarious.
@Harry Whitehead: Not so hilarious for Theresa May perhaps, joining a coilition of chaos with a bunch of lying and cheating orange fanatics.
Another election in NI with SF getting a majority would be interesting. Would the Tories go into a coalition with Gerry & Co. :)
@Nick Allen: ,never never ,never
God help us
I M Corbyn’s terros
Fack sake they are a bunch bigots and now a bunch of smug bigots
have your say