Ian Paisley poacher turned gamekeeper to resign as First Minister in May

Ian Paisley has announced that he is to resign as Northern Ireland First Minister and leader of the Democratic Unionist Party in May.
He helped to establish the Free Presbyterian Church in the 1950s. In 1966 he established the Protestant Telegraph, which was used as a vehicle to attack Catholicism. As far as Paisley was concerned the Pope was the Anti-Christ.
He strongly opposed ecumenism. Nevertheless he is an enigma. Whilst he professes a hatred of Catholicism he has worked assiduously in his constituency for individual Catholics. A small number of Catholics vote for him on the basis that he has done a good turn.

He has come a long way since the late 1960s when he first came to political prominence. He bitterly opposed efforts by Terence O’Neill Prime Minister of Northern Ireland to improve relations with the South and to improve the lot of Catholics in the north. “O’Neill must go” was one of Paisley’s favourite catch -cries.


In 1971 he established the DUP
He bitterly opposed the Sunningdale Agreement signed by Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave and British Prime Minister Edward Heath. This introduced power sharing in the North. Three parties participated: Ulster Unionist Party, SDLP and Alliance. The Ulster Unionist leader Brian Faulkner was a hate figure for Paisleyites.
Paisley supported the Ulster Workers Council strike, which brought down the power-sharing executive.

He attacked the Anglo Irish Agreement (1985) signed by Taoiseach Garrett Fitzgerald and Margaret Thatcher. Peter Barry the Minister for Foreign Affairs was singled out for particular attention by Paisley. However Barry had the toughness to take on Paisley. Paisley organised monster demonstrations against the Agreement.

The Anglo Irish Agreement broke the power of Unionism as it introduced a form of joint administration of the North by the Irish and British Governments. Unionists for the first time could be bypassed.

During the course of an address by Pope John Paul II to the European Parliament in 1988, Paisley interrupted the Pope's speech by shouting and holding up placards. In the 1990s many Unionists began to realise that the Anglo Irish Agreement could only be replaced by a power sharing government.

Paisley opposed the Belfast Agreement of 1998. Nevertheless it was approved by over 70% of the voters in Northern Ireland and by over 90% of voters in the Republic of Ireland. The DUP took two seats in the multi-party power-sharing executive.
During elections in 2003 Paisley and the DUP campaigned on the need for re-negotiation of the Belfast Agreement and became the largest Unionist Party. The DUP was now entitled to the position of First Minister whilst Sinn Féin was entitled to the position of Deputy First Minister. Paisley had achieved one of his main aims. He had smashed the UUP. He continued to refuse to accept Sinn Féin in Government, and the British Government maintained the suspensions of the institutions.


Gradually the DUP and Sinn Fein began to edge closer. In the October 2006 St Andrews Agreement, Paisley and the DUP agreed to new elections, and support for a new executive which would include Sinn Féin on condition that Sinn Féin would accept the PSNI.
Later in April, Paisley met in Dublin with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and publicly shook his hand, something Paisley had refused to do until there was peace in Northern Ireland.
On May 8th power was devolved, the Assembly met, and Paisley was elected as First Minister of Northern Ireland with Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness as the Deputy First Minister.


This agreement has worked reasonably well. Amazingly opposites attracted. McGuinness and Paisley struck up a good relationship. However elements in the DUP were appalled at the closeness of the relationship . Some left the party. Chief among these was Jim Allister. He contested the Dromore by-election and severely dented the DUP vote. Transfers from MEP Allister helped the UUP to take the seat.
The UUP's stunning victory in the Dromore by-election will be remembered as a St Valentine's Day massacre for the DUP. It sent shock waves through the party and hastened Paisley’s announcement to depart.
The recent resignation of Ian Paisley (Jnr) as Junior Minister in controversial circumstances further damaged Paisley(Snr) who had been coming under increasing pressure to resign.


It has been said that all political careers end in failure. Paisley the rebel for so long the bete noire of the political establishment eventually succumbed to its attractions. This was his undoing. DUP hardliners for so long nourished on a diet of political bigotry by Paisley and reminiscent of Europe in the 1600s have been unable to accept the rapprochement. Ian Paisley has mellowed and performed well as First Minister. He is talented. Perhaps he regrets some of his antics in the 1970s and 1980s, which ensured that he remained on the periphery. A younger Paisley could have achieved much more.