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The Young Unionists, formally known as the Ulster Young Unionist Council (UYUC), is the youth wing of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). It has in its present incarnation been in existence since 2004. A body of the same name has existed and been affiliated to the Ulster Unionist Council (UUC) since 1946, however disbandments happened in 1976 and again in 2004 following a period of decline, with the body losing many members opposed to the 1998 Belfast Agreement.
History
The body emerged in the party because of what JH Harbinson describes as dissatisfaction amongst young members to have their voices heard. Attempts had been made in the 1920s to create a youth movement linked to that of the Conservative Party (the Junior Imperial and Constitutional League) without much success. A second attempt was made before the out break of the Second World War which also failed. The UYUC was formed by the UUC's Standing Committee in 1946 and quickly became a successful movement in South & West Belfast, Fermanagh and Down. The body's first Chairman was future Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, Brian Faulkner
The body created many prominent figures in Northern Ireland politics throughout the 1960s and 1970s such as William Craig and John D Taylor, however disagreements over Government policy and other factors left the body is disarray by the early 1970s, and it disbanded following the collapse of the Stormont Parliament. The body re-emerged under the Chairmanship of David McNarry and continued to thrive throughout the 1980s, producing figures such as Jeffrey Donaldson, Peter Weir and Arlene Foster.
1990s to present
The body's membership was strongly opposed to the Belfast Agreement in 1998, and many campaigned against it. It lost members at a greater proportion and sooner than the rest of the party, and by the 2004 AGM only the outgoing Officers could vote due to a voting system designed for a much larger organisation. The officers voted to disband the group.
A new body has again emerged, under the UUP's new Constitution. This means that it is no longer a loosely affiliated body, but an integral constituent part of the UUP, with enhanced representation at the levels of party governance and greater integration. Although its second chairman Peter Bowles has left the party in protest over association with the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP), the group has enjoyed a period of sustained growth since its emergence. The UYUC has branches at Queen's University, Belfast, the University of Ulster and branches at constituency level in the City of Belfast, Mid-Ulster and West Tyrone, Lagan Valley and also Newry and Armagh.
The youth wing has produced many current and former senior faces in the party including The Lord Laird of Artigarvan, The Lord Rogan of Lower Iveagh, Jeffrey Donaldson MP MLA and David McNarry MLA, all of whom are former Chairmen, as Sir Reg Empey MLA, who was Vice Chairman.
Young Unionists and the Internet
Their website contained the first party political weblog in Northern Ireland. The weblog, which is as of February 2008 not available, was ranked tenth best political blog in Ireland by Mick Fealty and 221st best political blog in the UK in 2007 by Iain Dale. The homepage as of March 2008 reads "We'll be back soon with a new website. The City of Belfast Branch has also established an official weblog.
2008 senior officers
- Chairman: Peter Munce
- Vice-Chairman: Michael Shilliday
- Secretary: Graeme Smyth
- Treasurer: Stephen Goss
Chairmen
Second UYUC
- 2002 & 2003 Cllr Peter Brown
Current UYUC
- 2004 Kenny Donaldson
- 2005 Cllr Peter Bowles
- 2006 & 2007 Cllr Mark Dunn
- 2008 Peter Munce
References
- http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:heSnA-H4AXEJ:www.qubsu.org/cmsfiles/suc_mins_14_nov_05.doc+site:http://www.qubsu.org/+unionist&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=6&gl=uk
- http://www.nwipp-newspapers.com/UH/free/342740266794167.php
- uuptoday.org » Lagan Valley Young Unionists Launch Branch
- BBC News | NORTHERN IRELAND | Profile: Jeffrey Donaldson
- Iain Dale's Diary: Guide to Blogging 2007: Top Twenty Irish Blogs
- Iain Dale's Diary: The Top 500 Political Blogs in the UK - Voted for By You
- http://www.uup.org/peoplefinder_yuframe.htm
External links
Sources
- 'The Ulster Unionist Party, 1882-1973 : its development and organisation' (1973), J F Harbinson
- 'A history of the Ulster Unionist Party : protest, pragmatism and pessimism' (2004) Graham Walker
| Political youth organisations of Northern Ireland | |
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