The Act of Union (1801) put a political stamp on the economic, cultural and ancestral links that had existed between the peoples of the British Isles since the earliest recorded history. Today those links remain the rationale for the union. Despite breaking from the Union, the Irish Republic remains a component part of the British Isles economy. Northern Ireland (N.I.) chose to remain within the Union and her people have continued to do so regardless of the Republic’s illegal claim over their territory and a concerted terrorist campaign having been waged against them.
Ulster (Northern Ireland) has always been distinct from the rest of the island of Ireland. It is a hybrid of Scots and Irish culture and was marked as a place apart in the ancient Celtic legends. Scots culture became the predominant influence with the last great wave of migration which occurred before most European settlers arrived in North America. Ulster’s relationship is not defined by legislation alone nor are the ties with Great Britain (GB) merely historical. It should be noted that today there is net immigration to NI from GB while there continues to be net emigration from the Irish Republic to GB. This is the tangible reality of the Union.
The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) was formed in 1905 in response to the threat to the Union posed by the Home Rule crisis in Ireland. The founding father of the Ulster Unionist Party, Sir Edward Carson, viewed the establishment of a parliament at Stormont to be a dilution of the Union. However, once Stormont was in place, the UUP willingly and fully played its role in the political system of the day. Being the largest party in NI, the UUP was called upon to form the first Government. Over the next fifty years, while in government, the party worked to good effect for the peace and prosperity of the country.
The UUP remain true to their founding principles - commitment to the Union and British citizenship. The UK is a multi-cultural entity and as such British citizenship safeguards the civil liberties of all its peoples. The UUP is opposed to any form of nationalism which it views as exclusive and confrontational. The effects of nationalism are still evident in parts of Europe today. It remains a threat to the peaceful co-existence of the people of NI.
The stand-point of the UUP has time and again been supported by the electorate (see our election page). At local government level the party has 201 councillors (NI total - 582) The party returns the only full-time Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from this region (one of three NI MEPs). The UUP is a member of the Europe of Nations group in the European Parliament. Given the UUP’s commitment to the European Union, it is unfortunate that co-operation with our nearest EU partner, the Irish Republic, is frustrated by that state’s aggressive extra-territorial claim which is incompatible with the principles of the EU.
The party is committed to representing the greater number of people in NI, both within the Protestant and Catholic traditions who wish to see NI remain an integral part of the Kingdom. Throughout the campaign of terrorism which has been waged against the community in NI the UUP has remained steadfast in its opposition to violence and in its commitment to democratic and constitutional politics.
