AN ERA HAS truly come to an end in Northern Ireland with the death of Ian Paisley. This titan of Unionism, who arguably was the ideology’s most effective leader since Edward Carson, had a hand in so many key moments of our history.
He entered politics in the mid-sixties attacking the liberal policies of the then Unionist Prime Minister, Terence O’Neill who was conducting visits of Catholic schools and meeting his Irish counterpart, Sean Lemass.
He spoke for many
Paisley spoke for many Unionists, who felt shut out of the Stormont elite that had run Northern Ireland for 50 years. He led protests to remove tricolours and demand the resignation of politicians whom he believed where undermining the constitutional position of the province.
That now infamous image of him pelting Taoiseach Jack Lynch’s car with snowballs as it passed Carson’s statue in December 1967 is symbolic of his mis-trust of the Irish government.
Such mis-trust of his opponents fuelled Paisley’s politics throughout most of his career. He could deliver venom like no other politician on this island. A gifted orator, he could use that booming voice as weapon to galvanise support against things his detested like the Anglo-Irish Agreement in 1985. The “never, never, never” speech will have to go down as one of the most defining of recent Troubles.
Hard line rhetoric
His early policies are what ultimately shaped the way I viewed the man growing up. He was literally the politician that you could never be indifferent about. The hard line rhetoric he used to demonise David Trimble and the Good Friday Agreement evoked hatred and support in equal measure.
The “Dr No” mantra that he cultivated as a political leader helped him take down one of Europe’s most electorally successful political parties in the UUP. He was able to take advantage of a rudderless leadership and weak party, successfully placing the DUP as a credible alternative.
There were dark spots to be sure. His opposition to civil rights reforms and destabilisation of moderate Unionist leaders must go down as a tragedy as far as peace in Northern Ireland was concerned. The inability to recognise the need for negotiation and dialogue soon enough simply prolonged violence and delayed the creation of a stable government.
Sharing power
Yet, it would be foolish to argue that Paisley did not speak for a sizeable portion of the Unionist people throughout his career. For many people the prospect of sharing power with Sinn Fein and the release of prisoners was simply a step too far. Paisley gave a voice and channelled that opposition to the Good Friday Agreement. Paisley was relevant for so long in our politics because he was able to continually draw in enough popular support to keep his name in the papers.
In hindsight, he was probably the only Unionist leader who could have done a deal with Sinn Féin in 2007. Paisley had the anti-republican credentials and the personality to carry his sceptical party with him into such an adventure.
Certainly whilst this cost him politically and would eventually be a reason for his downfall in 2008, he has to be given credit for the enthusiasm with which he embraced the new government with Martin McGuinness. It would’ve been all too easy for him to take a distant relationship with Sinn Fein, but instead he jumped right in and the “chuckle brothers” were created.
Family man
There will be some who are going to be tempted to cheer the fact that Paisley has passed. I have nothing in common with the man politically, but there is a family grieving in full public gaze.
On this day, I think of them and the huge sacrifices they must have made to allow their father/husband to conduct his political career. Historically it is appropriate to remember that substantial figure has gone and it is worth just remembering his substantial contribution to our politics.
Dr David McCann is a researcher at the University of Ulster. Read more of his columns here>>
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