Just to prove that the revision of N.Ireland's recent history is occuring on both sides....
The 19th most infuential "right-winger in the UK?
19.IAN PAISLEY
First Minister of Northern Ireland
Some people may raise an eyebrow at seeing Dr Paisley so high up this list, but he deserves his position by dint of both his position and his consistent advocacy of social conservatism.
He has proved himself to be far more adept than anyone would have thought during the latter stages of the peace process in Northern Ireland, and the province is now reaping the rewards.
"consistent advocacy of social conservatism"....if by social conservatism, you mean homophobia, racism, sectarianism, and all-round fundamentalist religious bigotry....then yeah, I suppose he deserves his place.
If I had a subscription to the Daily Tele, I'd be now cancelling it.
6 comments:
Is there any secular people in the DUP or would you have to be right wing
There are a few who don't belong to Paisley's church, but I wouldn't really describe them as "secular" in the accepted sense of the word; what I mean is that I doubt there are any who would not describe themselves as "Christian" and almost all of them hold pretty fundamentalist views on social issues
The collective DUPs' views on gay rights or abortion for example would qualify as pretty right-wing in anyone's book.
It just says that he’s influential, it doesn’t say if his influence is for good or bad.
I’m not making a comparison, but Stalin and Hitler were in anyone’s top ten influential people of the Twentieth Century.
It just says that he’s influential, it doesn’t say if his influence is for good or bad.
Nick Griffin of the BNP isn't on the list and if you are going to adopt that same criteria he should be. And yes, I'd put both in the same "baddies'" category
Another point, is Paisley the only one the list who is economically anti the free-market?
If there was a merger into one Unionist party would that make the party even a little bit more left wing about gay rights and abortion.I hope you wont mind me asking this but as someone from the south who has never really met anyone from the north are most unionist people v religious
If there was a merger into one Unionist party would that make the party even a little bit more left wing about gay rights and abortion
No, it's more likely that any liberals/secularists in the UUP would not join such a party. NI is a socially conservative society, across the board, I suppose you could say the DUP simply reflect that fact, but they do take it to extremes.
I hope you wont mind me asking this but as someone from the south who has never really met anyone from the north are most unionist people v religious
Generally church attendances are higher across the board, although like everywhere else, this generation are less likely to listen to its teachings. There is also a Belfast/countryside divide, people outside the city tend to take their religion a bit more seriously. But I don't think Unionists are any more religious than their nationalist counterparts, it's just that too many of their political representatives, especially in the DUP, see no divide between their faith and their political beliefs.
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