Progressive Unionist Party

Progressive Unionist Party

Páirtí Aontachtach Forásach
Progressive Unionist Party Páirtí Aontachtach Forásach
Abbreviation	PUP
Leader	Russell Watton
President	Billy Hutchinson
Chairman	Brian Lacey
Founder	Hugh Smyth
Founded	1979
Headquarters	182 Shankill Road, Belfast, BT13 2BH
Paramilitary wing	Ulster Volunteer Force; Red Hand Commando
Ideology	British unionism; Ulster loyalism; Democratic socialism; Social democracy
Political position	Centre-left to left-wing
Colours	Blue and red
Northern Irish seats in the House of Commons	0 / 18
Northern Ireland Assembly	0 / 90
Local government in Northern Ireland	1 / 462
Website
	www.pupni.com
	Politics of Northern Ireland; Political parties; Elections;

The Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) is a minor unionist^[6] political party in Northern Ireland. It was formed from the Independent Unionist Group operating in the Shankill area of Belfast, becoming the PUP in 1979. Linked to the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and Red Hand Commando (RHC), for a time it described itself as "the only left of centre unionist party" in Northern Ireland, with its main support base in the loyalist working class communities of Belfast.^[7]

Since the Ulster Democratic Party's dissolution in 2001, the PUP has been the sole party in Northern Ireland representing paramilitary loyalism.^[8]

^ Edwards, Aaron (2007). "Democratic Socialism and Sectarianism: The Northern Ireland Labour Party and Progressive Unionist Party Compared". Politics. 27 (1): 24–31. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9256.2007.00275.x. S2CID 145393084.
^ New Statesman: Volume 131, Issues 4569-4576. London: New Statesman. 2002. p. 56.
^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 July 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ Coulter, John (11 September 2019). "A socialist alternative for Northern Ireland?". Northern Slant. Archived from the original on 4 July 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
^ Coulter, John (11 September 2019). "A socialist alternative for Northern Ireland?". Northern Slant. Archived from the original on 4 July 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
^ Nordsieck, Wolfram (2011). "Northern Ireland/UK". Parties and Elections in Europe. Archived from the original on 29 December 2015.
^ "Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) - Your Questions". Pup-ni.org.uk. Archived from the original on 6 December 2009. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
^ Albert, Cornelia (2009). The Peacebuilding Elements of the Belfast Agreement and the Transformation of the Northern Ireland Conflict. p. 60. ISBN 9783631585917.