DUP deal: Party founder Wallace Thompson says 'hardline unionism' has to give way to the 'real world' and embrace compromise

One of the founding members of the DUP has embraced the fact the party looks poised to re-enter Stormont after a nearly two-year absence.
By Adam Kula
Published 30th Jan 2024, 16:46 GMT
Updated 30th Jan 2024, 17:28 GMT
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Wallace Thompson was among those to have signed up to the party at its very inception in 1971, and remains a member to this day in its east Belfast branch.

He told the News Letter that despite the “gross betrayal” committed by Boris Johnson when he forged the Northern Ireland Protocol in 2019, some concessions had been won by the DUP 11 months ago, in form of the Windsor Framework.

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He said today: “I'm delighted they're going back. I've publicly and privately urged them to go back for some time.”

Wallace Thompson, second from left, in 1976; to his immediate right is Jim Wells, another DUP member from that era (the other two young men in the photo, Gordon Lucy in glasses and John Hiddleston on the right, were not in the DUP)Wallace Thompson, second from left, in 1976; to his immediate right is Jim Wells, another DUP member from that era (the other two young men in the photo, Gordon Lucy in glasses and John Hiddleston on the right, were not in the DUP)
Wallace Thompson, second from left, in 1976; to his immediate right is Jim Wells, another DUP member from that era (the other two young men in the photo, Gordon Lucy in glasses and John Hiddleston on the right, were not in the DUP)

The deal which Sir Jeffrey has agreed to “will not be perfect – we will not get all we were wanting to get,” said Mr Thompson.

"But that's the nature of politics, the nature of life.

"I want to assure them just of support and prayer going forward.

"Really, the time has come for us to move on. Hardline unionism would say it holds to its principles.

Wallace ThompsonWallace Thompson
Wallace Thompson
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"That's an honourable enough thing to do, but we live in the real world where there needs to be compromise and pragmatism.

"So from my point of view we can continue to demand this, demand that, refuse to do certain things, but the time has come to move on.”

He acknowledged Northern Ireland is somewhat “detached” from the mainland UK now, “but we've always been a place apart in different ways – we had a unionist government for 50 years where there was no devolved government anywhere else”.

He also said that, while he was once “an ardent Brexiteer”, if the 2016 referendum was re-run today, “I may vote to stay in, and I say that with some embarrassment – I hadn't thought through the implications for Northern Ireland. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.”

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As for the idea of a Sinn Fein First Minister, he said that the “big emotional moment” for the DUP in that regard was back in 2007, when Ian Paisley agreed to join Martin McGuinness in government, so therefore he has no objection to Michelle O’Neill holding the top post now.