Northern Ireland Elections 2007

Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)

SNAPSHOT

Leader: Sir Reg Empey

Website: www.uup.org

38 candidates

TOMMIE'S TAKE

This is an important election for the Ulster Unionist party and its leader, Sir Reg Empey.

Under David Trimble, the UUP helped negotiate the Belfast or Good Friday Agreement in 1998 and entered a power-sharing administration with the SDLP, Sinn Féin and the DUP. But faced by constant sniping from their rival DUP, in a stop-start administration, the UUP lost confidence in itself and it also saw its support base reduced in the 2003 elections.

After eight years as party leader, David Trimble resigned from the position and while he is now a member of the House of Lords, he will not be recontesting his Assembly seat in March.

Sir Reg Empey is attempting to present the UUP as a party committed to the Union but with elaborate policies on important issues such as health, the economy, education and the environment.

Sir Reg is in a difficult position - as well as protecting its hard-core support base, the DUP has been encroaching on what is traditional UUP terrain, the middle ground.

In the 2005 Westminister elections, the UUP took just one seat to the DUP's nine. It is highly unlikely the UUP will overtake the DUP in the March contest but Sir Reg will hope to end up close to the 24 seat total delivered in 2003.

2007 CANDIDATES

David McClarty MLA
Norman Hillis MLA
Edwin Stevenson
Peter Munce
Derek Hussey MLA
Angus Carson
Michael Henderson
David McNarry MLA
Kenny Donaldson
Tom Elliott MLA
Rev Robert Coulter MLA
Robin Swann
David Burnside MLA
Danny Kinahan
Stephen Nicholl
Roy Beggs Jnr MLA
Mark Dunn
Ken Robinson MLA
Fred Cobain MLA
Esmond Birnie MLA
Michael McGimpsey MLA
Bob Stoker
Sir Reg Empey MLA
Michael Copeland MLA
Jim Rodgers
Louis West
Leslie Cree MLA
Alan McFarland MLA
Marion Smith
John McCallister
Billy Armstrong MLA
Billy Bell MLA
Ronnie Crawford
Basil McCrea
Samuel Gardiner MLA
Arnold Hatch
George Savage
Danny Kennedy MLA

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Have we learned nothing whatsoever in the past decade? Does anyone in this party actually believe that this sort of media coverage helps us?
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