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David Ervine

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David Ervine
Leader of the
Progressive Unionist Party
In office
April 2002 – 8 January 2007
DeputyDavid Rose
Preceded byHugh Smyth
Succeeded byDawn Purvis
Member of theNorthern Ireland Assembly
forBelfast East
In office
25 June 1998 – 8 January 2007
Preceded byNew Creation
Succeeded byDawn Purvis
Member ofBelfast City Council
In office
21 May 1997 – 8 January 2007
Preceded byJim Walker
Succeeded byJohn Kyle
ConstituencyPottinger
Member of theNorthern Ireland Forum
In office
30 May 1996 – 25 April 1998
Preceded byForum created
Succeeded byForum dissolved
ConstituencyTop-up list
Personal details
Born(1953-07-21)21 July 1953
Belfast,Northern Ireland
Died8 January 2007(2007-01-08)(aged 53)
Belfast, Northern Ireland
NationalityBritish
Political partyProgressive Unionist Party
Spouse
Jeanette Cunningham
​
(m.1971)​
ChildrenMark Owen
WebsitePUP

David Ervine(21 July 1953 – 8 January 2007) was aNorthern IrishUlster Loyalistand politician who served as leader of theProgressive Unionist Party(PUP) from 2002 to 2007 and was also aMember of the Northern Ireland Assembly(MLA) forBelfast Eastfrom 1998 to 2007.[1]During his youth Ervine was a member of theUlster Volunteer Force(UVF) and was imprisoned for possessing bomb-making equipment. Whilst in jail he became convinced of the benefits of a more political approach for loyalism and became involved with the PUP. As a leading PUP figure, Ervine helped to deliver theloyalist ceasefire of 1994.

Early life

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David Ervine was the youngest of five children born to Walter and Elizabeth Ervine. He was raised in aProtestantworking-class area of eastBelfastbetween the Albertbridge and Newtownards roads. His household was not loyalist at all: his father Walter described himself as a socialist, had no time forIan Paisleyand didn't attend church.[2]When Ervine joined theOrange Orderaged 18, he said he was the first member of his family to ever be a member. His membership, however, did not last long.[3]Like many in his situation, he grew up closely identifying with his community and absorbed itsunionistideals and opinions. Ervine leftOrangefield High School(Orangefield Boys Secondary School) at 14 and, aged 19, joined the UVF, believing this step to be the only way to ensure the defence of the Protestant community after the events ofBloody Friday.A neighbour of Ervine's, William Irvine, who was a member of theUlster Defence Association(UDA), had died in one of the bomb blasts on that day.[4]

Before joining the UVF Ervine had attempted to join theRoyal Ulster Constabulary(RUC), but due to a misdemeanour in his childhood involving a stolen bicycle he was refused entry.[5]

Arrest and imprisonment

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Ervine was arrested in November 1974, while an active member of the UVF. He was driving a stolen car containing five pounds of commercial explosives, a detonator and fuse wire. After seven months on remand inCrumlin Road Gaol,he was found guilty of possession of explosives with intent to endanger life. He was sentenced to 11 years and imprisoned inThe Maze.While in prison, Ervine came under the influence ofGusty Spencewho made him question what the loyalist struggle was about. Spence's influence unquestionably changed Ervine's direction: after much study and self-analysis, Ervine emerged with the view that change through politics was the only option.[citation needed]He also became friends withBilly Hutchinsonwhile in prison.

Release

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Ervine was released from prison in 1980. He owned a newsagents' in Belfast for several years before taking up full-time politics. He stood in local council elections as a Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) candidate in1985.In 1998, he was elected to theNorthern Ireland Assemblyto represent Belfast East and was re-elected in 2003. He was also a member ofBelfast City Councilfrom1997.

Loyalist ceasefire

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Ervine is said[by whom?]to have played a pivotal role in bringing about theloyalist ceasefire of October 1994.He was part of a delegation to Downing Street in June 1996 that met then British Prime MinisterJohn Majorto discuss the loyalist ceasefire.

Forum

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In 1996 Ervine was elected to theNorthern Ireland Forumfrom the regional list, having been an unsuccessful candidate in theEast Belfastconstituency.[6][7]

Progressive

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Ervine was considered to be one of the most progressiveunionistsin Northern Ireland politics. He had been a strong supporter of theGood Friday Agreementand was one of the few unionist politicians actively to support the Agreement.[citation needed]At aLabour Partymeeting in 2001, thenNorthern Ireland Secretary,John Reid,described him as "one of the most eloquent politicians in Northern Ireland". Some[who?]of his opponents made references to him having swallowed a dictionary. Some[who?]saw Ervine as one of the few politicians actively engaged with conflict resolution.

In theNorthern Ireland Assembly,he was seen as a Unionist sympathetic to the short-term demands[clarification needed]ofSinn Féin,resisting attempts by theDemocratic Unionist Party(DUP) to exclude Sinn Féin from office in July 2000[8]and October 2001.[9]In April 2001, he provoked a direct political attack from the DUP over being the only unionist to vote against a motion condemning the display of lilies commemorating the 1916Easter Risingat Parliament Buildings.[10]Ervine also expressed support for the right of Sinn Féin members to make speeches in Irish (Gaelic) on the floor of the Assembly. Later, political commentators[who?]noted how he sat next to Sinn Féin'sMartin McGuinnessat the funeral of Northern Ireland football legendGeorge Bestin December 2005 as a sign of how Northern Ireland had moved on.

Independent Monitoring Commission

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In May 2005, theIndependent Monitoring Commission(IMC) recommended a continuation of the financial sanctions on Ervine's Assembly salary imposed following its report of April 2004. The IMC was of the opinion that the UVF and the PUP maintained strong links while the former was heavily involved in criminality such as drug dealing and tobacco and fuel smuggling. It further noted that the UVF was responsible for a number of acts of violence (including murder) and was actively maintaining its capacity to wage a terrorist campaign. It concluded that, 12 months after the sanctions were originally imposed, the PUP leadership was still not doing enough to address the UVF's criminal and paramilitary activities.

Ervine appealed against the IMC's recommendation to newly appointedNorthern Ireland SecretaryPeter Hainon the basis that he could not be held directly responsible for the UVF's actions and thus it was wrong to penalise him personally. Hain accepted his representations and his Assembly salary was fully restored.

The IMC again recommended financial sanctions against Ervine and the PUP. These came in a special report of September 2005 on the violent feud that had erupted between the UVF and theLoyalist Volunteer Force(LVF) that summer, in which a number of murders and attempted murders had been committed. It argued that the PUP leadership was still in a position significantly to influence the UVF: the party could not have it both ways by associating with an active paramilitary organisation without facing political consequences.

In its final regular reports of Ervine's life in April and October 2006, the IMC concluded that it was satisfied the PUP leadership had taken appropriate action to de-escalate UVF's violence and criminality, and it withdrew its punitive recommendations.[11]

[edit]

On 13 May 2006, it was announced that when theNorthern Ireland Assemblyreconvened, Ervine would join the Ulster Unionist assembly group, while remaining leader of the Progressive Unionist Party. Under theD'Hondt methodused for allocating places on the Northern Ireland Executive, this would entitle the Ulster Unionists to an additional place.[12]

The Presiding Officer (Speaker) of the Assembly,Eileen BellMLA indicated at the first meeting of the 'shadow' Assembly (15 May 2006) that she would take legal advice before ruling on whether Mr Ervine could be treated as a member of the UUP group.[13]

On 11 September 2006 Ms Bell announced that the Ulster Unionist Party Assembly Group did not have a headquarters, at least one party leader and a scheme for financial support; thus it did not qualify as a political party. This meant that the UUPAG could not sit in the Assembly, so the alliance was deemed as invalid.[14]

Identity

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Ervine was aProtestantand identified himself as both Irish and British. He once exclaimed "why can't I be an Irish citizen of the UK?" and remarked: “I am profoundly both British and Irish and those who have to deal with me have to take me on those terms."[1]

Allegations of collusion with security forces

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Ervine dismissed allegations of collusion between loyalists and British security forces as "sheer unadulterated nonsense", saying, "there comes a point when the concept insults me, insomuch as that aProvocould lie in bed and with a crystal ball... could pick their targets but a Prod could only do the same if there was anSASman driving the car ".[15]

Ervine cited his own arrest, and the number of UVF members in prison at the time, as evidence that widespread collusion did not exist:

"The Royal Ulster Constabulary arrested me on possession of explosives; now why did they do that if we lived in a process of collusion? When I went into jail there were 240 UVF men in three compounds, packed in like sardines, and the UVF were a relatively small organisation in comparison to some of the others, but they made up a hell of a percentage of that jail. Where’s collusion there?"[15]

Illness and death

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David Ervine commemorated in a mural painted at Montrose Street South, Albertbridge Road, east Belfast.

Ervine was reported as having suffered two massive heart attacks and a stroke[16]after attending a football match betweenGlentoranandArmagh CityatThe OvalinBelfaston Saturday 6 January 2007. It was later confirmed that he had one heart attack, a stroke and brain haemorrhage.[17]He was taken to theUlster Hospitalin Dundonald and was later admitted to theRoyal Victoria Hospitalin Belfast.[18]Ervine died on Monday 8 January 2007.[19]RTÉ News at 9pmand its website had reported the previous evening that he had died that day.[20][21]This incorrect reporting led RTÉ's Northern Editor, Tommie Gorman, to apologise for his error.[17]

Ervine's body was cremated at Roselawn Crematorium after a funeral service on 12 January in East Belfast. It was attended byMark Durkan,Gerry Adams,Peter Hain,Dermot Ahern,Hugh OrdeandDavid Trimble,among others.[22][23]

Tributes

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  • Brian Ervine,Ervine's elder brother: "He had the guts and the courage to climb out of the traditional trenches, meet the enemy in no-man's land and play ball with him."
  • Bertie Ahern(Taoiseach):"(Ervine) was a courageous politician who sought to channel the energies of loyalism in a positive political direction."[24]
  • Reg EmpeyMLA:"Northern Ireland has today lost a unique, charismatic and uncharacteristically spin-free politician."[24]
  • Gerry AdamsMLA/MP:"He made a valuable and important contribution to moving our society away from conflict."[24]
  • George Mitchell(Former US Senator):"His legacy is that he has led loyalism out of the Dark Ages."[25]
  • Mark DurkanMLA/MP:""David emerged from a paramilitary past to pursue a peaceful future. Throughout the talks he played a positive role and worked always to keep loyalism onboard for the Good Friday Agreement. "(...)" He also championed a more constructive unionism and argued that we can all gain from political accommodation. "[26]
  • Trevor SargentTD:"His death leaves a major vacuum in terms of the quality of political representatives in Northern Ireland. I hope that the legacy of Mr Ervine's bravery will be taken up by others after him."[27]
  • Tony Blair(British Prime Minister):"David was a man who, whatever his past, played a major part in this last 10 years in trying to bring peace to Ulster."[28]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ab"Irish and Loyalist".Archivedfrom the original on 31 March 2017.Retrieved30 March2017.
  2. ^Moloney, Ed (2010). Voices From the Grave: Two Men's War in Ireland. Faber & Faber. p.309
  3. ^Moloney, Ed (2010). Voices From the Grave: Two Men's War in Ireland. Faber & Faber. p.315
  4. ^Moloney, Ed (2010). Voices From the Grave: Two Men's War in Ireland. Faber & Faber. p.304
  5. ^Moloney, Ed (2010). Voices From the Grave: Two Men's War in Ireland. Faber & Faber. p.306
  6. ^"1996 Candidates – East Belfast".Archivedfrom the original on 10 November 2016.Retrieved6 February2017.
  7. ^"1996 Elections – List of Candidates".Archivedfrom the original on 10 November 2016.Retrieved6 February2017.
  8. ^"Northern Ireland Assembly Official Report, 4 July 2000".Archived fromthe originalon 26 September 2006.
  9. ^"Northern Ireland Assembly Official Report, 8 October 2001".Archived fromthe originalon 26 September 2006.
  10. ^"Northern Ireland Assembly Official Report, 10 April 2001".Archived fromthe originalon 26 September 2006.
  11. ^"Independent Monitoring Commission Website. All reports can be found in publications section".Archived fromthe originalon 2 February 2007.
  12. ^"Ervine to join UUP assembly group".BBC. 13 May 2006.Archivedfrom the original on 19 June 2006.Retrieved13 May2006.
  13. ^"Row as Ervine joins UUP grouping".BBC. 15 May 2006.Archivedfrom the original on 8 March 2008.Retrieved19 May2006.
  14. ^"UUP-PUP link 'against the rules'".BBC. 11 September 2006.
  15. ^abMoloney, Ed (2010).Voices From the Grave: Two Men's War in Ireland.Faber & Faber. p.349
  16. ^David Irivine critically illArchived27 September 2007 at theWayback Machinebreakingnews.ie
  17. ^ab"PUP leader Ervine dies in hospital".RTÉ. 8 January 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 29 September 2012.Retrieved8 January2007.
  18. ^"PUP leader 'critical' in hospital".BBC. 7 January 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 9 January 2007.Retrieved7 January2007.
  19. ^"PUP's Ervine has died in hospital".BBC Northern Ireland. 7 January 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 10 January 2007.Retrieved8 January2007.
  20. ^"PUP leader Ervine critical in hospital".RTÉ. 7 January 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 29 September 2012.Retrieved7 January2007.
  21. ^"Unionist leader Ervine remains in critical condition".breakingnews.ie. 7 January 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 27 September 2007.Retrieved7 January2007.
  22. ^"BBC NEWS – UK – Northern Ireland – Hundreds attend Ervine's funeral".12 January 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 14 January 2007.Retrieved12 January2007.
  23. ^"The ITV Hub".Archived fromthe originalon 14 January 2007.
  24. ^abc"Leaders' condolences after Ervine death".RTÉ. 8 January 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 3 November 2008.Retrieved8 January2007.
  25. ^Stormont silent in Ervine tributeArchived24 January 2007 at theWayback MachineBBC (9 January 2007)
  26. ^Progressive Unionist leader Ervine diesArchived26 October 2012 at theWayback MachineThe Independent, 8 January 2007
  27. ^"PUP's Ervine has died in hospital".BreakingNews.ie. 7 January 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 27 September 2007.Retrieved8 January2007.
  28. ^"Reaction to PUP leader's death".BBC. 8 January 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 23 January 2007.Retrieved4 March2007.

Bibliography

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[edit]
Northern Ireland Forum
New forum Regional Member
1996–1998 		Forum dissolved
Northern Ireland Assembly
New assembly MLAforBelfast East
1998–2007 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Leader of the Progressive Unionist Party
2002–2007 		Succeeded by
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