The Progressive Unionist Party of Northern Ireland: A Left-Wing Voice in an Ethnically Divided Society

Abstract

The Progressive Unionist party (PUP) was formed in the late 1970s and is one of the smallest political parties in Northern Ireland, both in terms of its membership size and its share of the vote, which translates into only a tiny number of elected representatives. Yet, supporters and critics alike have marked it out as one of the most distinctive voices in Northern Irish politics—in the main because of its democratic socialist ideology and its class-based character. This article examines the PUP's political programme, its membership and support base, its role in the peace process and its relationship with illegal loyalist terrorist organisations. It does so by drawing on current debates in the political science literature about ethnic parties in divided societies. Moreover, it focuses on the often neglected relationship between ethnicity and class in the PUP in order to explain how the party understands and contributes towards the peace process and democratic stability in Northern Ireland.