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Unionists
DEMOCRATIC UNIONIST PARTY
The Democratic Unionist Party was founded in 1971 to try to stop the "Official Unionist" Party from leading them down the road to Dublin. It's lead by the Reverand Dr. Ian Paisley and has been since its inception. The DUP has been a voice of protest since its beginnings but has also been more of a worker's party, more lower class than the UUP. The party didn't take much of a role in the negotiations leading up to the Good Friday Agreement, they were there for a while but most people knew that no deal would be agreed to by Ian Paisley. However, ironically, it's the Good Friday Agreement that has led to the upsurge in popularity for the DUP. Opposition to the GFA has been led from day one by the DUP with them capitalising in the polls. They were more successful than people predicted in the Assembly elections and capitalised greatly on the UUP's uncertainty at the General Elections, winning some spectacular victories like Nigel Dodds win over Cecil Walker. They won five seats in total putting them within one of the UUP. Despite their opposition to the GFA, the DUP hold two ministries in the Executive and a number of places on committee's. Despite their position, the DUP don't appear to be quite as hardline as they were before with softer elements of the DUP coming to the fore like Nigel Dodds. DUP are calling for a re-negotiation of the Agreement and not a total scrapping.
Many observers have put the DUP's electoral success down to their leader Ian Paisley, however it's not just their leader who is responsible for their successes. The party have the image of beng one big happy, united family and can present a united party at election times, also they're capitalising very well on the concerns and fears of the Unionist community and using that to their electoral advantage. If the institutions bed down and the IRA finally decomission people have forecasted the DUP's share of the poll to drop signifcantly, however I don't think so. People like Nigel Dodds, Gregory Campbell and Peter Robinson have shown themselves to be able politicans and ministers and will do well at the next election. On the other hand if the IRA haven't fully decommissioned you could be looking at the DUP comfortably taking over as the largest Unionist party which would be a disaster for the GFA.
Ian Paisley
Ian Paisley has led the DUP since its inception in 1971 and is viewed by most hardliners as the Second Carson. Ian Paisley has been the voice of opposition in Northern Ireland for well over 30 years and has never lost his popularity. Paisley has always viewed Dublin with distrust and suspicion and he was instrumental in bringing down the Sunningdale Agreement. Unionists main oppostition was the Council of Ireland which is one of the DUP's main problems with the GFA.
By the same token Nationalists have viewed Paisley with derision, for his anti-Catholic rhetoric and political power. Ian Paisley is a great orator, probably one of the best in the world, and has led Hardline Unionists against any and every attempt to give the Republic some influence in Northern affairs. However some of his views and speechs smack of paranoia at times, believing that every and any Unionist who talked to anyone down South to be a traitor. One of the main reasons for the inception of the DUP was because of the talks the Captain Terrence O'Neil (former Premier of Northern Ireland) held with then Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Sean Lemass which were aimed at smoothing relations between the two states and encouraging trade but was viewed by Paisley as an attempt to sell Ulster out. It's these extreme fears that Paisley has capitalised on very well. The DUP gained a new body of support after the GFA when oppostion to the GFA increased the DUP's profile enormously. Paisley holds three representative positions: MLA, MP and MEP
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