John Laird, Baron Laird

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John Dunn Laird, Baron Laird (born 1944) is a Ulster Unionist life peer and former chairman of the cross border Ulster-Scots Agency.

1 Career
2 Ulster Scots
3 Sinn Fein campaign
4 2007 Election: Donegal
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Career

Whilst Chairman of the Ulster Young Unionist Council in 1970, he became youngest member of the Parliament of Northern Ireland, after winning the seat of Belfast St Anne's in a by election caused by the death of his father, Dr Norman Laird. He was created a life peer in 1999 as Baron Laird, of Artigarvan in the County of Tyrone.

[edit] Ulster Scots

A proponent of the Ulster Scots language, Lord Laird wants road signs in both Irish, English and Ullans on all road signs in Ireland, as "parity of esteem" as signed up for under the Good Friday Agreement. Similarly, as part of Garda reform he wants the Garda renamed to An Garda Siochana/Hannin Polis.^[1]

[edit] Sinn Fein campaign

Laird has campaigned to expose closet republicans in the Republic of Ireland government, where he claims that Sinn Fein have a "state within a state".^[2]

[edit] 2007 Election: Donegal

He announced a plan to stand in Donegal North East and Donegal South West on what he terms as a radical Ulster-Scots ticket. He said he intended to use the publicity platform of his candidacy to highlight what he called the double standards of the Irish Government in relation to the Ulster-Scots movement. However, he has since suffered a mild heart attack and is unlikely to stand.^[3]