Sammy Wilson (politician)

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Unionists should be heartened that, despite the pressure from Dublin, the SDLP and the Catholic Church, there is still some will to make republican communities pay some of the cost of their support for IRA terrorism... The people of Crossmaglen have given support to the IRA and deserve every inconvenience they are now suffering as a result. [17] [18]

In July 1994, Wilson and DUP MP Peter Robinson were pallbearers at the funeral of UDA member Ray Smallwoods, who served half of a 15 year sentence for the attempted murder of Bernadette McAliskey in 1981. [19]

MLA for East Belfast

In May 1996, Wilson was elected to the Northern Ireland Forum for the constituency of East Belfast and went on to represent this area in the Northern Ireland Assembly upon its creation in June 1998. The DUP were opposed to the Good Friday Agreement and in March 1998 Wilson and fellow DUP politician Ian Paisley Jr gave speeches at a rally in Portadown organised by the paramilitary Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF), who were also opposed to the ongoing talks process. Their appearance was widely criticised; days earlier the LVF had murdered two men, Philip Allen and Damien Trainor - one a Protestant, one a Catholic - in a bar in Poyntzpass, County Armagh in an indiscriminate sectarian attack. [20] On 24 April 1998, Sammy Wilson and DUP councillor Jack McKee shared a platform with self-styled pastor Clifford Peeples, a member of the LVF and leader of the Orange Volunteers, at an anti-Good Friday Agreement rally in Antrim town. Peeples set a print copy of the Good Friday Agreement alight as attendees cried 'And burn Fenians too'. Police believed the Antrim-based Loyalists who murdered Catholic Ciaran Heffran in Crumlin several hours later attended the rally. [21]

Wilson again served as Lord Mayor of Belfast between June 2000 and June 2001. During his time as Mayor, the Andersonstown News set up a website to highlight Wilson's "naked sectarianism". The site included such quotes from Wilson as: "The GAA is the sporting wing of the IRA"; "I don't care if [gays] are ratepayers. As far as I am concerned they are perverts"; "Taigs don't pay rates"; and "They [Sinn Féin voters in the Oldpark area of Belfast] are sub-human animals". The Andersonstown News had challenged Wilson to take legal action if he felt he was being misrepresented. He did not. The website voluntarily shut down when he ended his tenure as Mayor. [22]

MLA and MP for East Antrim

In the 2003 Assembly election, Wilson stood successfully in the East Antrim constituency, alongside fellow DUP candidates George Dawson and David Hilditch. This momentum was carried through to the 2005 Westminster Election on 5 May, which saw Wilson defeat Roy Beggs of the Ulster Unionist Party, to become Member of Parliament for East Antrim with 49.6% of the vote.

Wilson is a former member of the Northern Ireland Policing Board and Northern Ireland Housing Council.

In his role as DUP education spokesman, Wilson was one of the most vocal critics of Education Minister Caitríona Ruane's plan to abolish academic selection and introduce a comprehensive school system in Northern Ireland. [23]

He resigned from his position as chair of the Education Committee when he took up his role as Minister for the Environment.

In March 2016, during a BBC Spotlight episode discussing the implications of the EU referendum, Wilson was recorded agreeing with a member of the public who said that they wanted to leave the European Union and "get the ethnics out". Wilson stated: "You are absolutely right". Wilson said he was agreeing with the desire to leave the European Union, not the "ethnics out" call. Wilson was criticised by the Polish consul in Northern Ireland and various other political parties. [24]

In July 2016, he called breastfeeding in the House of Commons chamber "voyeuristic" and said: "To me, anyone who chooses to do it in the chamber rather than who do it in the quietness of their office, is doing it for reasons other than simply feeding the child, to make a point". [25]

On 25 February 2017, he was interviewed by American broadcaster PBS in which he claimed there "has always been an affiliation between the Irish republicans and terrorist groups, especially in the Middle East". He also commented that he agreed with the message behind an Ulster loyalist mural which equated the IRA and Sinn Féin to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. [26]

In 2018, he argued against the suspension of his party colleague Ian Paisley Jr from the Westminster Parliament, after he was punished for accepting family holidays paid for by the government of Sri Lanka while speaking in favour of the regime in the House of Commons. [27]

In March 2019, Wilson was one of 21 MPs who voted against LGBT inclusive sex and relationship education in English schools. [28] [29]

Wilson was photographed on the London Underground without a face mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic in September 2020. [30]

Minister for the Environment (2008–2009)

On 9 June 2008, Wilson joined the Northern Ireland Executive as Minister of the Environment.

His appointment and tenure as Environment Minister were criticised by some environmental groups. [31] [32] Wilson rejects the scientific consensus on climate change. He has stated that man-made climate change is a "myth based on dodgy science". [33] Wilson says that "reasoned debate must replace the scaremongering of the green climate alarmists" and "resources should be used to adapt to the consequences of climate change, rather than King Canute-style vainly trying to stop it". [32] This, along with his opposition to the creation of an independent environmental protection agency and his support for nuclear power, led the Green Party to condemn Wilson's "deeply irresponsible message" and give him the 'Green Wash' award for being the MLA most likely to damage the environment. Wilson's beliefs on climate change have been likened to "a cigarette salesman denying that smoking causes cancer" by John Woods of Friends of the Earth, who added that "Ironically, if we listen to him Northern Ireland will suffer economically as we are left behind by smarter regions who are embracing the low carbon economy of the future". [32]

Wilson came under renewed criticism in February 2009 when he blocked the broadcast of climate change advertisements on television, calling them part of an "insidious propaganda campaign". [34] He also stated "that future ecological messages could only be promoted in Northern Ireland with his permission". [35] New Scientist magazine stated that despite the minister's comments, "the overwhelming majority of scientists do agree that there is a greater than 90% chance that the rate at which we burn fossil fuels is driving climate change". [36]

Minister for Finance and Personnel (2009–2013)

In the June 2009 Executive reshuffle, Wilson became Minister of Finance and Personnel. He was praised by First Minister Peter Robinson, who said that Wilson was the "most qualified Finance Minister that Northern Ireland has had in decades". [37]

In August 2009, Wilson was the subject of criticism from the Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities for saying that "jobs should go to people born in Northern Ireland before going to economic migrants". [38] Following racist attacks on Romanian people in Belfast, [39] Wilson commented that "charges of racism were always coincided with the holding out of the hand for more money". [38] The Northern Ireland Assembly Standards Committee dismissed complaints made against him over these remarks. [40]

Wilson's tenure as Finance Minister coincided with the worst recession in the history of Northern Ireland. [41] He criticised banks in Northern Ireland for not increasing lending to businesses. [42] Wilson was commended for displaying leadership and received cross-party support for stopping bonuses to civil servants during the recession. [40]

Wilson was replaced as Finance Minister in July 2013 by DUP colleague Simon Hamilton, in a planned reshuffle.

Brexit position

The Right Honourable
Sammy Wilson
MP
Official portrait of Sammy Wilson crop 2.jpg
Official portrait, 2017
Democratic Unionist Party Chief Whip in the House of Commons
In office
17 December 2019 –23 February 2024

On 9 February 2016, during a debate in the House of Commons regarding the upcoming Brexit referendum, Wilson gave his support to the UK government holding a referendum, as he wanted to "break down the walls of the prison in which we have been held for the last 40-odd years. In that time, we have been robbed of our money, our fishing grounds have been violated, our farmers have been destroyed and the EU Court of Justice has run over the rights of victims while upholding those of terrorists". [43] Shortly after this statement, Arlene Foster formally announced the Democratic Unionist Party's intention to campaign for a "Leave" vote in the Brexit referendum. [44]

In reply to a 2016 UK Treasury report that highlighted the negative economic impact of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union, with specific reference to the economy of Northern Ireland, Wilson accused the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne of "resorting to ever increasingly desperate tactics", adding "To suggest that any economic model can predict what our economy let alone the EU and world economy will look like in 14 years time is totally dishonest". [45] [46]

As the DUP's Brexit spokesman, Wilson said in January 2019 it was "perfectly possible" that Theresa May would be able to negotiate a revised withdrawal agreement which removes the Northern Ireland backstop. [47]

On 29 January 2019, during a debate in the House of Commons, Wilson responded to a suggestion from Scottish National Party MP Ian Blackford that a no-deal Brexit could lead to food shortages and that many supermarkets "warn of not having sufficient supplies and of shelves lying empty", [48] by saying people could simply "Go to the chippy" [49] [50] instead. DUP MP Gavin Robinson later said that the remark should "not be taken too seriously", but Caroline Lucas of the Green Party of England and Wales, said the DUP should be "ashamed". [51]

However, on 11 January 2021, during an Economic Update from the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak in the House of Commons, Wilson complained that in Northern Ireland "supermarket shelves are empty and thousands of people are being sent letters from suppliers in England saying that neither they personally nor their businesses will any longer be supplied with goods" [52] as a direct result of Brexit. [53] [54]

LGBT+ rights

In a 1 June 1992 Daily Express article, Wilson was quoted as saying "They are poofs. I don't care if they are ratepayers. As far as I am concerned they are perverts" after gay rights activists had requested the use of Belfast City Hall. [55] [56] [57]

Wilson has voted against legislation allowing same-sex marriage in both the mainland UK in 2013 [58] and Northern Ireland in 2019. [59]

In November 2016, while responding to a letter from a constituent, Wilson refused to support World AIDS Day as he felt the UK government had exhausted considerable resources on dealing with AIDS at the expense of other illnesses which were "not always as a result of lifestyle choices and which therefore deserve higher priorities". [60] [61] A subsequent statement by Chief Executive of the UK National AIDS Trust Deborah Gold asserted that the "misinformed response" from Wilson was the result of "prejudice". [62]

In March 2021, responding to an email from a constituent about gay conversion therapy, Wilson stated “I feel that those who wish to avail themselves of conversion therapy and those who wish to practice it should be allowed to do so". [63] A DUP spokesperson later moved to clarify Wilson’s comments by stating "while the practice is not something he would support; it is not for him to dictate to others the services they seek out". [64]

Climate change denial

Despite once serving as the Environment Minister for Northern Ireland, [65] Wilson has described environmentalism as "hysterical pseudo-religion". [66] [67] In 2009, Wilson blocked 'Act on CO2' television and radio campaign adverts (urging people to reduce their carbon output and use less energy in the home) from being broadcast in Northern Ireland, [68] [69] [70] saying he would not allow this "insidious New Labour propaganda campaign" to be imposed on the public. Furthermore, Wilson said he wrote to the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change to say that the Act on CO2 campaign "was not welcome", was contrary to his personal views, and that he did "not wish for climate change messages to be promoted by other Whitehall departments here". He has also warned that future ecological messages could only be promoted in Northern Ireland with his permission. [71]

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References

  1. ↑ "Who's Who".
  2. ↑ "Sammy Wilson: MP quits as DUP chief whip at Westminster". BBC News . 24 February 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  3. ↑ Northern Ireland Assembly Information Office (1 July 1998). "Northern Ireland Assembly Report Wednesday July 1, 1999". Niassembly.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 16 December 2010. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  4. ↑ Northern Ireland Assembly Information Office. "Ministers and their Departments, Northern Ireland Assembly". Niassembly.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 15 December 2010. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  5. ↑ Bowcott, Owen (20 May 2009). "Alzheimer's barbs spark row in Stormont". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  6. ↑ "Sammy Wilson MP MLA » Biography". Sammywilson.org. 5 May 2005. Archived from the original on 15 August 2010. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  7. ↑ Cassidy, John (8 October 2000). "MAYOR SETTLES NAKED ROMP PICTURES ROW; Sammy wins damages over &#124". Sunday Mirror. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  8. ↑ "Northern Ireland Assembly Archive Site". 1998.
  9. ↑ "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 5 Dec 1988". Archived from the original on 18 February 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  10. ↑ Fortnight Magazine , Issue 243, p. 22. Fortnight Publications, 1986.
  11. ↑ Fortnight Magazine , Issue 297, p. 23-24. Fortnight Publications, 1991.
  12. ↑ Fortnight Magazine , Issue 322, p. 32-33. Fortnight Publications, 1993.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Loyalists have right to stockpile arms, says Wilson",Sunday Tribune, 20 November 1988.
  14. ↑ Belfast Telegraph, 7 January 1992.
  15. 1 2 3 Wood, Ian S. Crimes of Loyalty: A History of the UDA. Edinburgh University Press, 2006. Pages 184–185.
  16. ↑ "CAIN". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  17. ↑ Belfast Telegraph, 13 April 1994.
  18. ↑ Belfast News Letter, 14 April 1994.
  19. ↑ Sydney Elliott & William D. Flackes, Conflict in Northern Ireland: An Encyclopedia, ABC-CLIO, 1999, p. 226
  20. ↑ Sunday Life, 8 March 1998.
  21. ↑ "'Demon pastors' are humbled". The Guardian. London. 31 October 1999.
  22. ↑ "Sectarian incidents and attacks June 2001". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
  23. ↑ "Sammy Wilson: A different shade of green". Agendani.com. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  24. ↑ "Sammy Wilson hits back over 'ethnics out' comment". BBC News. 1 March 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  25. ↑ "Women who breastfeed in the House of Commons chamber are 'exhibitionists', claims MP". The Telegraph. 22 July 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  26. ↑ "Sammy Wilson 'agrees' with murals comparing IRA to ISIS". Archived from the original on 27 February 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  27. ↑ "Ian Paisley 'has been punished enough' says Sammy Wilson". BBC News. 22 July 2018.
  28. ↑ "MPS vote for LGBT inclusive sex and relationship education from primary school". inews.co.uk. 28 March 2019.
  29. ↑ "Draft Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education (England) Regulations 2019 - CommonsVotes".
  30. ↑ Diver, Tony (25 September 2020). "DUP MP Sammy Wilson rails against 'Stasi state' after being caught on train without a face mask". The Telegraph. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  31. ↑ "New environment boss 'sceptical'". BBC News. 10 June 2008. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  32. 1 2 3 "Wilson row over green 'alarmists'". BBC News. 5 September 2008. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  33. ↑ "Sammy Wilson MP MLA » Issues". Sammywilson.org. Archived from the original on 15 August 2010. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  34. ↑ "Quit call over blocked green ad". BBC News. 9 February 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  35. ↑ McDonald, Henry (10 February 2009). "Calls for Stormont environment minister to quit over CO2 ad ban". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  36. ↑ Stingley, Jeremy (9 February 2009). "The environment minister who is anything but green – Short Sharp Science". New Scientist. London. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  37. ↑ "DUP reshuffle". BBC. 22 June 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  38. 1 2 "Finance Minister Sammy Wilson clashes with group over racism". Belfasttelegraph.co.uk. 7 August 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  39. ↑ "PM condemns Romanian hate attacks". BBC News. 17 June 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  40. 1 2 "Wilson displays leadership quality on public service bonuses". The Irish Times. 9 September 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  41. ↑ "NI enduring 'worst ever' slowdown". BBC News. 10 November 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  42. ↑ "Sammy Wilson cleared over jobs for locals complaint". BBC News. 25 March 2010. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  43. ↑ EU Referandum. Sammy Wilson parliament.uk 9 February 2016
  44. ↑ "DUP confirms it will campaign for Brexit in Leave/Remain referendum". belfasttelegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  45. ↑ "Treasury analysis of economic impact of the EU membership" (PDF). gov.uk. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  46. ↑ "EU exit is bad for Northern Ireland cross-border trade: Treasury". belfasttelegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  47. ↑ "DUP: 'Perfectly possible' for May 'to have the backstop removed'". 30 January 2019. Archived from the original on 1 February 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  48. ↑ European Union Debates. Ian Blackford parliament.uk
  49. ↑ Nsubuga, Jimmy (30 January 2019). "MP says 'go to the chippy' if supermarkets run out of food because of Brexit". Metro. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  50. ↑ "'Go to the chippy' if there are Brexit food shortages, says DUP MP". The Independent. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  51. ↑ "'Go to the chippy'". BBC News. 29 January 2019.
  52. ↑ "Commons Chamber - UK Parliament". Hansard. 11 January 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  53. ↑ "N Ireland shoppers face empty shelves as Brexit snags supply chains". Financial Times. 11 January 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  54. ↑ "Commons Chamber - UK Parliament". Hansard. 11 January 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  55. ↑ Svoboda, Martin. "They are poofs. I don't care if they are ratepayers. As far…". Quotepark.com. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  56. ↑ Collins, Jude (16 March 2021). "The wit and wisdom of Sammy Wilson". Jude Collins. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  57. ↑ "Unionist hypocrisy elects Belfast mayor | An Phoblacht". www.anphoblacht.com. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  58. ↑ "Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill — Third Reading: Recent Votes". TheyWorkForYou. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  59. ↑ "Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Bill — New Clause 1 — Marriage of Same-Sex Couples: Recent Votes". TheyWorkForYou. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  60. ↑ "Sammy Wilson: Aids funding 'at the expense of other illnesses'". The Irish News. 1 December 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  61. ↑ Duffy, Nick (30 November 2016). "MP refuses to support World AIDS Day because 'HIV is the result of lifestyle choices'". PinkNews. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  62. ↑ "Sammy Wilson MP's comment on HIV - National AIDS Trust response | National AIDS Trust". www.nat.org.uk. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  63. ↑ "DUP MP says practice of torturous, traumatising conversion therapy should continue". 12 March 2021.
  64. ↑ Keers, Russell (12 March 2021). "Sammy Wilson slammed for gay conversion comments". NorthernIrelandWorld. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  65. ↑ "Sammy Wilson MP". DUP. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  66. ↑ "George Monbiot: Top 10 climate change deniers". The Guardian. 9 March 2009. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  67. ↑ "'Keen environmentalist' Sammy Wilson brands COP26 'a climate circus'". belfasttelegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  68. ↑ "Northern Ireland environment minister receives no-confidence vote". The Guardian. 12 February 2009. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  69. ↑ "Sack Sammy call after climate change ad ban". belfasttelegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  70. ↑ "Democratic Unionist party stands by climate change sceptic environment minister Sammy Wilson". The Guardian. 10 February 2009. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  71. ↑ "Calls for Stormont environment minister to quit over CO2 ad ban". The Guardian. 10 February 2009. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
Northern Ireland Forum
New forum Member for East Belfast
1996–1998		Forum dissolved
Northern Ireland Assembly
New assembly MLA for Belfast East
1998–2003		Succeeded by
Preceded by MLA for East Antrim
2003–2015		Succeeded by
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for East Antrim
2005–present		Incumbent
Civic offices
Preceded by Lord Mayor of Belfast
1986–87		Succeeded by
Preceded by Lord Mayor of Belfast
2000–01		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of the Environment
2008–09		Succeeded by
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