John Hunter (Northern Ireland politician)

John Hunter is a former Ulster unionist politician.

An active member of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), Hunter wrote A Brief History of the Ulster Unionist Council in 1993.[1] Hunter was close to David Trimble and, unenthusiastic about Jim Molyneaux's leadership of the party, he backed Trimble's successful candidacy in the September 1995 leadership election.[2] However, he rapidly became unhappy with Trimble's willingness to reconsider the party's views on the Irish republican movement.[3] He accompanied Trimble to a meeting with John Major in June 1996, at which Major announced that he intended to ask George J. Mitchell to chair talks relating to the Northern Ireland peace process.[4]

While Hunter occasionally attended the talks, which led to the Good Friday Agreement, he did not form part of the main talks team.[5] He was elected to the Northern Ireland Forum in South Antrim.[6] He opposed the Agreement, and although he was selected as a party candidate for the Northern Ireland Assembly election, 1998,[7] but he was not elected.[8]

Hunter was suggested as a possible UUP candidate in the South Antrim by-election, 2000,[9] but the party instead stood David Burnside.

References

  1. ↑ Richard English, Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA, p.444
  2. ↑ Graham Walker, A History of the Ulster Unionist Party, p.250
  3. ↑ Dean Godson, Himself Alone: David Trimble and the Ordeal of Unionism, p.168
  4. ↑ Dean Godson, Himself Alone: David Trimble and the Ordeal of Unionism, p.221
  5. ↑ Dean Godson, Himself Alone: David Trimble and the Ordeal of Unionism, p.298
  6. ↑ "1996 Forum Elections: Candidates in South Antrim", Northern Ireland Elections
  7. ↑ David McKittrick, "Splits open among Ulster Unionists", The Independent, 28 May 1998
  8. ↑ "South Antrim", Northern Ireland Elections
  9. ↑ John Mullin, "Death of MP splits Ulster Unionists over byelection", The Guardian, 28 April 2000