The controversary surrounds Jefferey Donaldson, the former leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Donaldson was also once a prominent member of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) when he had a falling out with then party leader, the late David Trimble over the latter’s support for the Good Friday Agreement (GFA).
Back in 1983 and 1986 Jeffery Donaldson was the election campaign agent for the UUP candidate, the former far right Conservative and Unionist Party member and MP, Enoch Powell. Powell defected to the UUP back in the early eighties leaving the Tory party for a political restart in the six counties as a unionist. Powell was the man who made Hitlerite speeches about immigration in Britain and immigrants in general, claiming in a somewhat lunatic way that “rivers of blood” would flow if immigration did not cease. Donaldson obviously felt he had something in common with this racist, thus becoming his election agent.
In 2003 Donaldson left the UUP defecting to the party’s main rival the DUP under the stewardship of religious nutter, the late Ian Paisley. Paisley was also an opponent, at the time, of the GFA shouting or perhaps ranting would be a better term; Never, Never, Never! By this the firebrand meant never would he accept the GFA. Paisley, the man of God he would have us all believe did more to stoke up sectarian hatreds among an already volatile Protestant population than perhaps any other man. Jefferey Donaldson obviously felt he had more in common politically with the likes of the bigot Paisley and the racist Powell than the slightly more moderate brand of unionism in the UUP. Donaldson was also a member of the Orange Order and had served as a Corporal in the Ulster Defence Regiment, the successors to the murderous B. Specials.
Paisley eventually came to accept, if not at first embrace the GFA becoming the six county Stormont Assembly’s inaugural First Minister. Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness was the Deputy First Minister and the pair became known, at least in public, as the “Chuckle Brothers”. How much genuine likeness the men had for each other is anybody’s guess. Was this “Chuckle Brothers” purely for the general public? As the DUP entered Stormont so too did Donaldson even though he claimed to oppose the GFA. Between 2008 and 2009 he became a Junior Minister in the Stormont Assembly under the then leader, Peter Robinson who had succeeded Ian Paisley. In 2022 Jefferey Donaldson was once again elected to the ‘Northern Ireland Assembly but he subsequently chose to remain as a Westminster MP, rather than ‘double job’, with Emma Little-Pengelly taking his seat and is now the Deputy First Minister after Sinn Fein's Michelle O’Neil.
In March 2024 Donaldson stepped down as leader of the DUP having been charged with rape and historical sexual offences. The party immediately suspended his membership from the DUP. These are very serious charges and at the moment that is all they are, charges. As we are supposedly all equal before the law - a myth which has developed in the annals of liberal democracy over the years and that is all this equality before the law is, a myth - it would come as no surprise if these charges against a Knight of the realm aren’t dropped. However, at the moment these allegations of rape are very much on the table and time will tell whether my sceptical approach bears any fruit. The fact is, whether I agree with any of Jefferey Donaldson’s policies, which I do not, or any other of the DUP’s 16th century Christian beliefs, is of no consequence,. H is still entitled, as are all of us, to the presumption of innocence until proved guilty if he is. Donaldson strongly denies these allegations so will, as things stand, be pleading not guilty it must be assumed.
Whether he is found guilty or not where does this leave ‘Ulster Unionism’? Jeffrey Donaldson has been a high-profile member of the two largest unionist parties, the UUP and DUP so in the event of a guilty verdict will there be an investigation by his former colleagues in the UUP as to whether he was up to these games while a member of their organisation? The third party of mainstream unionist politics is the much smaller Traditional Unionist voice (TUV). This group appear much more militant than either the UUP or DUP and are led by a firebrand, bordering on lunacy, called Jim Allister. At the moment the TUV are unaffected by the allegations against Donaldson and depending how far these investigations go the UUP can certainly not sit comfortably.
The other smaller parties in the Unionist/Loyalist camp are the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) who aligned very closely with the loyalist paramilitary group the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). The other loyalist party is the Ulster Political Research Group, formerly the Ulster Democratic Party formed by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA)/Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) and the Red Hand Commando. Irrespective of the outcome of the Donaldson investigations the result is hardly likely to affect either of these two small groups in any negative way. If he is found guilty, thus throwing mainstream unionism into turmoil that could have positive electoral results for these two smaller organisations.
Guilty or innocent, Jefferey Donaldson will not be the first well known politician to be brought down by scandal involving sex. In 1963 Jack Profumo, Minister for War, was brought down after his affair with escort girl, Christine Keeler. Keeler was also sleeping with Profumo’s opposite number in the Soviet Union, a situation which could not be allowed to continue. Later on Liberal Leader, Jeremy Thorpe. although acquitted, was brought down after it was discovered he was having a homosexual affair, something which at the time was very much frowned upon. There were also allegations of child abuse against Margaret Thatcher’s Government, according to the Derry Journal; “former Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, was aware of rumours linking a senior MP with the sexual abuse of young boys but did nothing”. Thatcher soon had such reports quashed!
Jeffrey Donaldson must be afforded a fair trial, if that is possible, and by given the presumption of innocence until proven beyond all reasonable doubt otherwise. Once this rule is overlooked or dumped then the legal system is really in trouble. In many cases in both the 26 and 6 counties trial by jury have long been done away with for the trials of Irish Freedom Fighters, will they one day extend this even more unfair system to civilian trials. Such a violation of human rights has already been caried out in the twenty-six-counties against ‘Thomas Slab Murphy’ who was tried in the non-jury Special Criminal Court on income tax charges. This is something human rights activists should be watching closely because if they, the so-called authorities can get away with this once with no public outcry, they can do it time and time again.
Whatever the outcome of the Donaldson trial, assuming there will be one, it will be interesting to see where it leaves ‘Ulster Unionist’ politics in the future. Could it give nationalist parties, Sinn Fein and the SDLP more votes? Could it strengthen Alliance Party or the appeal of the two smaller loyalist parties in the future? Time will tell and whatever the outcome the political landscape in the six counties will be worth keeping an eye on!
In 2003 Donaldson left the UUP defecting to the party’s main rival the DUP under the stewardship of religious nutter, the late Ian Paisley. Paisley was also an opponent, at the time, of the GFA shouting or perhaps ranting would be a better term; Never, Never, Never! By this the firebrand meant never would he accept the GFA. Paisley, the man of God he would have us all believe did more to stoke up sectarian hatreds among an already volatile Protestant population than perhaps any other man. Jefferey Donaldson obviously felt he had more in common politically with the likes of the bigot Paisley and the racist Powell than the slightly more moderate brand of unionism in the UUP. Donaldson was also a member of the Orange Order and had served as a Corporal in the Ulster Defence Regiment, the successors to the murderous B. Specials.
Paisley eventually came to accept, if not at first embrace the GFA becoming the six county Stormont Assembly’s inaugural First Minister. Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness was the Deputy First Minister and the pair became known, at least in public, as the “Chuckle Brothers”. How much genuine likeness the men had for each other is anybody’s guess. Was this “Chuckle Brothers” purely for the general public? As the DUP entered Stormont so too did Donaldson even though he claimed to oppose the GFA. Between 2008 and 2009 he became a Junior Minister in the Stormont Assembly under the then leader, Peter Robinson who had succeeded Ian Paisley. In 2022 Jefferey Donaldson was once again elected to the ‘Northern Ireland Assembly but he subsequently chose to remain as a Westminster MP, rather than ‘double job’, with Emma Little-Pengelly taking his seat and is now the Deputy First Minister after Sinn Fein's Michelle O’Neil.
In March 2024 Donaldson stepped down as leader of the DUP having been charged with rape and historical sexual offences. The party immediately suspended his membership from the DUP. These are very serious charges and at the moment that is all they are, charges. As we are supposedly all equal before the law - a myth which has developed in the annals of liberal democracy over the years and that is all this equality before the law is, a myth - it would come as no surprise if these charges against a Knight of the realm aren’t dropped. However, at the moment these allegations of rape are very much on the table and time will tell whether my sceptical approach bears any fruit. The fact is, whether I agree with any of Jefferey Donaldson’s policies, which I do not, or any other of the DUP’s 16th century Christian beliefs, is of no consequence,. H is still entitled, as are all of us, to the presumption of innocence until proved guilty if he is. Donaldson strongly denies these allegations so will, as things stand, be pleading not guilty it must be assumed.
Whether he is found guilty or not where does this leave ‘Ulster Unionism’? Jeffrey Donaldson has been a high-profile member of the two largest unionist parties, the UUP and DUP so in the event of a guilty verdict will there be an investigation by his former colleagues in the UUP as to whether he was up to these games while a member of their organisation? The third party of mainstream unionist politics is the much smaller Traditional Unionist voice (TUV). This group appear much more militant than either the UUP or DUP and are led by a firebrand, bordering on lunacy, called Jim Allister. At the moment the TUV are unaffected by the allegations against Donaldson and depending how far these investigations go the UUP can certainly not sit comfortably.
The other smaller parties in the Unionist/Loyalist camp are the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) who aligned very closely with the loyalist paramilitary group the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). The other loyalist party is the Ulster Political Research Group, formerly the Ulster Democratic Party formed by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA)/Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) and the Red Hand Commando. Irrespective of the outcome of the Donaldson investigations the result is hardly likely to affect either of these two small groups in any negative way. If he is found guilty, thus throwing mainstream unionism into turmoil that could have positive electoral results for these two smaller organisations.
Guilty or innocent, Jefferey Donaldson will not be the first well known politician to be brought down by scandal involving sex. In 1963 Jack Profumo, Minister for War, was brought down after his affair with escort girl, Christine Keeler. Keeler was also sleeping with Profumo’s opposite number in the Soviet Union, a situation which could not be allowed to continue. Later on Liberal Leader, Jeremy Thorpe. although acquitted, was brought down after it was discovered he was having a homosexual affair, something which at the time was very much frowned upon. There were also allegations of child abuse against Margaret Thatcher’s Government, according to the Derry Journal; “former Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, was aware of rumours linking a senior MP with the sexual abuse of young boys but did nothing”. Thatcher soon had such reports quashed!
Jeffrey Donaldson must be afforded a fair trial, if that is possible, and by given the presumption of innocence until proven beyond all reasonable doubt otherwise. Once this rule is overlooked or dumped then the legal system is really in trouble. In many cases in both the 26 and 6 counties trial by jury have long been done away with for the trials of Irish Freedom Fighters, will they one day extend this even more unfair system to civilian trials. Such a violation of human rights has already been caried out in the twenty-six-counties against ‘Thomas Slab Murphy’ who was tried in the non-jury Special Criminal Court on income tax charges. This is something human rights activists should be watching closely because if they, the so-called authorities can get away with this once with no public outcry, they can do it time and time again.
Whatever the outcome of the Donaldson trial, assuming there will be one, it will be interesting to see where it leaves ‘Ulster Unionist’ politics in the future. Could it give nationalist parties, Sinn Fein and the SDLP more votes? Could it strengthen Alliance Party or the appeal of the two smaller loyalist parties in the future? Time will tell and whatever the outcome the political landscape in the six counties will be worth keeping an eye on!
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| Caoimhin O’Muraile is Independent Socialist Republican and Marxist. |
Powell is a tremendously complex character (criticising the SAS for killing IRA volunteers) that many misinterpret (was a crank though). Consider this except from Powell's speech about the Hola Massacre in Kenya, which can hardly be described as Hitlerite:
ReplyDelete"...I would say that it is a fearful doctrine, which must recoil upon the heads of those who pronounce it, to stand in judgement on a fellow human being and to say, 'Because he was such-and-such, therefore the consequences which would otherwise flow from his death shall not flow'."
I think it's safe to say that he was more of an old colonialist, lamenting the demise of the British Empire and being anti-American (his various conspiracy theories about Airey Neave's assassination being a CIA operation) But there's little doubt: he legitimised racism for many people, but the social change Britain was undergoing at that time was new to the average person on the street. Half a century of living and learning with people of different faiths and ethnicity has demonstrated that diversity is good but it was a different story 50 years ago.