Beschreibung:
This paper will consider how sections of Ulster Unionism and Loyalism have responded to contemporary events in Northern Ireland. Recent political positions have been largely determined by reactions to the peace process and the search for a negotiated settlement. One of the more important outcomes of this has been the increased fragmentation within the politics and social relations of Unionism. Central to this has been the surfacing, from deep from within working-class Loyalism, of those openly challenging many of the values and structures of traditional Unionism. The core of this centres on those politics that have emerged from the loyalist paramilitaries. In particular this paper will discuss the development of the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) , the origins of which can be found in one of the largest loyalist paramilitary organisations, the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).