Volunteer Political Party

The Volunteer Political Party (VPP) was a loyalist political party launched in Northern Ireland on 22 June 1974 by members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).[1] The Chairman was Ken Gibson from East Belfast, an ex-internee and UVF chief of staff at the time.[2] The success of the Ulster Workers Council Strike had shown some UVF leaders the political power they held and they sought to develop this potential further. The UVF had been banned by the Government of Northern Ireland in 1966, but was legalised at the same time as Sinn Féin by Labour Secretary of State Merlyn Rees in April 1974 to encourage a political path for Loyalist and republican paramilitary groups.

It launched its manifesto "The Volunteer Political Party - a progressive and forward thinking unionist party" at a press conference on 27 September.[3] Influenced by the thinking of the Northern Ireland Labour Party, it opposed internment without trial and the idea of independence for Northern Ireland and supported a more equitable distribution of resources to deprived parts of the United Kingdom. The party applied to join the United Ulster Unionist Council (UUUC) but was rebuffed, with the mainstream unionist parties wary of being linked to paramilitaries.

Ken Gibson contested the West Belfast seat, which included parts of the Shankill district, in the October 1974 general election. Despite the security risks, the VPP also carried out some limited canvassing on the Catholic Falls Road.[4] The VPP claimed to stand for the working class and an election pamphlet attacked the disgraceful social conditions on the Shankill. In the election, Gibson was supported by Glen Barr of Vanguard, Charles Harding Smith, the leader of the West Belfast Ulster Defence Association and the independent Shankill councillor Hugh Smyth, who went on to become one of the founders of the Progressive Unionist Party. Standing against the official UUUC candidate, Johnny McQuade of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), they won only 2,690 votes (6%), 14% of the total unionist vote.

Because of this failure, the party was dissolved the following month by a meeting of all UVF commanders. A statement announced; "The low poll for the VPP candidate indicates that the general public does not support the political involvement of the UVF. It would therefore be fruitless to promote the Volunteer Party as a party political machine". Most of its members returned to the UVF (some of whom were later to form the Progressive Unionist Party). The UVF turned back to violence and was banned again by the British government on 4 October 1975.

## References

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1. ^ Frenett, Ross. "‘Protestant Socialists’? Ulster Loyalism and Working-Class Politics:1969-1974," Scrinium, University College Cork (2010), p.35
2. ^ Coogan, p. 209
3. ^ Frenett, Ross. "‘Protestant Socialists’? Ulster Loyalism and Working-Class Politics:1969-1974," Scrinium, University College Cork (2010), p.37
4. ^ Frenett, Ross. "‘Protestant Socialists’? Ulster Loyalism and Working-Class Politics:1969-1974," Scrinium, University College Cork (2010), p.39

## Sources

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* Steve Bruce, The Red Hand, 1992, ISBN 0-19-215961-5
* Jim Cusack & Henry McDonald, UVF, 2000, ISBN 1-85371-687-1
* Sarah Nelson, Ulster's Uncertain Defenders, 1984, ISBN 0-904651-99-1
* Tim Pat Coogan, The Troubles: Ireland's Ordeal, 1966-1996, and the Search for Peace. ISBN 0-09-179146-4. Hutchinson, 1995.
* Frenett, Ross. "‘Protestant Socialists’? Ulster Loyalism and Working-Class Politics:1969-1974," Scrinium, University College Cork (2010). https://www.academia.edu/24559678/_Protestant_Socialists_Ulster_Loyalism_and_Working-class_Politics_1969-1974/

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* t
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Defunct political parties of Northern Ireland

Unionist / Loyalist|

* Commonwealth Labour Party
* Independent Unionist Association
* NI21
* Northern Ireland Unionist Party
* Protestant Unionist Party
* UK Unionist Party
* Ulster Constitution Party
* Ulster Democratic Party
* Ulster Popular Unionist Party
* Ulster Progressive Unionist Association
* Ulster Unionist Coalition Party
* Ulster Unionist Labour Association
* Unionist Party of Northern Ireland
* United Ulster Unionist Council
* United Ulster Unionist Party
* United Unionist Coalition
* Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party
* Volunteer Political Party

Nationalist / Republican|

* All Ireland Anti-Partition League
* Federation of Labour
* Fianna Uladh
* Irish Anti-Partition League
* Irish Independence Party
* Irish Union Association
* National Democratic Party
* Nationalist Party
* National League of the North
* National Unity
* Northern Council for Unity
* Official Sinn Féin
* People's Democracy
* Red Republican Party
* Republican Socialist Collective
* Saor Éire
* Socialist Republican Party
* Unity

Left-wing1|

* Belfast Labour Party
* Communist Party of Ireland (Marxist–Leninist)
* Communist Party of Northern Ireland
* Democratic Left
* Dock Labour Party
* Independent Labour Group
* Independent Socialist Party
* Labour coalition
* Labour Party of Northern Ireland
* Labour and Trade Union Group
* League for a Workers' Republic
* Northern Ireland Labour Party
* Republican Labour Party
* Socialist Labour Alliance
* Socialist Party of Northern Ireland
* United Labour Party
* World Socialist Party

Ulster nationalist|

* British Ulster Dominion Party
* Ulster Independence Movement
* Ulster Independence Party
* Ulster Movement for Self-Determination
* Ulster Third Way

Others|

* Democratic Partnership
* Natural Law Party
* Newtownabbey Ratepayers' Association
* Northern Ireland Women's Coalition
* Ulster Liberal Party
* Unbought Tenants' Association

1 Excluding those left-wing parties avowedly nationalist / republican or unionist / loyalist.

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Ulster Volunteer Force

During the Troubles

Chiefs of Staff|

* Gusty Spence (1966)
* Samuel McClelland (1966–1973)
* Jim Hanna (1973–1974)
* Ken Gibson (1974)
* Unnamed Chief of Staff (1974–1975)
* Tommy West (1975–1976)
* John "Bunter" Graham (1976-date)

Belfast Brigade members|

* Robert Bates
* John Bingham
* Frankie Curry
* David Ervine
* Billy Giles
* Mark Haddock
* Billy Hutchinson
* Trevor King
* Bobby McKee
* Jackie Mahood
* William "Frenchie" Marchant
* Billy Mitchell
* William Moore
* John Murphy
* Lenny Murphy
* Clifford Peeples
* Brian Robinson
* George Seawright
* Robert "Squeak" Seymour
* William Smith
* Billy Spence
* Harry "Harmless" Stockman
* James "Tonto" Watt

Mid-Ulster Brigade members|

* Harris Boyle
* Mark "Swinger" Fulton
* William James Fulton
* Billy Hanna
* Robin Jackson
* Richard Jameson
* Robin King
* Billy McCaughey
* Robert McConnell
* David Alexander Mulholland
* Lindsay Robb
* Wesley Somerville
* John Weir
* Billy Wright

Red Hand Commando members|

* Frankie Curry
* Billy Elliot
* John McKeague
* Winston Churchill Rea
* Wiliam Smith
* Michael Stone

Units and groups|

* Glenanne gang
* Shankill Butchers
* Protestant Action Force
* Young Citizen Volunteers

Actions|

* RTÉ Studio bombing (1969)
* Battle of St Matthew's (1970)
* McGurk's Bar bombing (1971)
* Battle at Springmartin (1972)
* Imperial Hotel bombing (1972)
* Belturbet bombing (1972)
* 1972 and 1973 Dublin bombings
* Rose & Crown Bar bombing (1974)
* Dublin and Monaghan bombings (1974)
* 1975 Conway's Bar attack (1975)
* Bleary Darts Club shooting (1975)
* Strand Bar bombing (1975)
* Miami Showband killings (1975)
* Donnelly's Bar and Kay's Tavern attacks (1975)
* October 1975 Northern Ireland attacks
* Reavey and O'Dowd killings (1976)
* Hillcrest Bar bombing (1976)
* Charlemont pub attacks (1976)
* Chlorane Bar attack (1976)
* Ramble Inn attack (1976)
* Glasgow pub bombings (1979)
* Avenue Bar shooting (1988)
* 1991 Cappagh killings (1991)
* 1991 Drumbeg killings
* 1991 Craigavon killings
* Loughinisland massacre (1994)
* 1994 Dublin-Belfast train bombing (1994)
* Quinn brothers' killings (1998)
* Murders of Andrew Robb and David McIlwaine (2000)

Prominent victims|

* Jim Hanna (1974)
* John Francis Green (1975)
* Billy Hanna (1975)
* The Miami Showband (1975)
* Maire Drumm (1976)
* Larry Marley (1987)
* Martin Doherty (1994)
* Jackie Coulter (2000)
* Tommy English (2000)

Related articles|

* Combined Loyalist Military Command
* Loyalist feud
* Loyalist Volunteer Force
* Progressive Unionist Party
* Tara
* Ulster Army Council
* Ulster Constitution Defence Committee
* Ulster loyalism
* Ulster Loyalist Central Co-ordinating Committee
* Ulster Volunteers
* Ulster Workers' Council strike
* Volunteer (Ulster loyalist)
* Volunteer Political Party

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