NCJ Number
192105
Journal
Terrorism and Political Violence Volume: 13 Issue: 2 Dated: Summer 2001 Pages: 27-48
Date Published
2001
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This article reviews the history of various political parties associated with the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and the Ulster Defense Organization (UDA).
Abstract
This article examines the two main loyalist or Protestant organizations in Northern Ireland: the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and the Ulster Defense Organization (UDA). Although the loyalist paramilitaries in Northern Ireland have seen themselves primarily as soldiers and defenders, their organizations have periodically engaged in electoral politics. It is notable that these organizations have been markedly less successful than Sinn Fein. It is also notable that there has been a reversal in fortune of the politics associated with the UVF and the UDA. The UDA was more successful than the UVF in establishing a political presence in the 1970's and 1980's, partly because it had the more distinct political philosophy and partly because its political leaders were able to distance themselves from the organization’s terror campaign. However, since the ceasefires of 1994, fortunes have been reversed. The UVF’s political party has been more successful, partly because it has managed to create the more distinct political position and partly because the new climate has made close association with terrorism something of a political advantage. This essay presents a brief history of the political initiatives of the two terror organizations, considers the performance of their associated parties, draws attention to the reversal in those fortunes, and attempts to explain it. 19 notes