Clifford Forsythe
Encyclopedia
Clifford Forsythe was a Northern Ireland
Ulster Unionist Party
politician. He served as Member of Parliament
for South Antrim
from 1983 to his death. He had previously been Mayor of Newtownabbey
Borough Council, and was also a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly from 1982 to 1986. He also once served as the President of the Northern Ireland Institute of Plumbing.
In his paper Quangopus Government published by the Ulster Unionist Party in June 1992, Forsythe - as the then UUP Spokesman on Local Government - argued passionately for an end to quango-rule and for devolution of responsibility to locally-elected representatives.
Like his predecessor in the old South Antrim constituency (James Molyneaux
), Forsythe opposed the Good Friday Agreement and supported proposals for a Northern Ireland-wide administrative assembly/regional council (with powers broadly analogous to the National Assembly for Wales
) to administer legislation and public services currently administered by Northern Ireland Office Ministers, civil servants and quangos of Government-appointed Yes-Men. On more than one occasion, Forsythe claimed that his experience - both in the 1982-86 Northern Ireland Assembly and as a Past Vice-Chairman of the Ulster Monday Club - led him to conclude that the unimplemented 1979 Conservative General Election Manifesto commitment to administrative devolution in Northern Ireland offered the way forward for Northern Ireland.
More recently, as a Member of the House of Commons' Social Security Select Committee (from 1991 to 1997) and the Commons' Environment, Transport and the Regions Select Committee (from 1997 until his death in 2000), Forsythe was an active Committee Member ensuring that Northern Ireland's interests were represented and needs were articulated. Shortly before his death Forsythe rounded on Government authorities for their failure to tackle social security fraud by paramilitary groups and reiterated Unionist calls for flights between Great Britain and Northern Ireland to be exempt from air passenger duty, arguing that the tax placed Northern Ireland at a crying disadvantage compared with the rest of the United Kingdom given the limited alternative means of travelling between Belfast and London.
He was a former professional footballer with Derry City
and Linfield
Football Clubs.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
Ulster Unionist Party
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
politician. He served as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for South Antrim
South Antrim (UK Parliament constituency)
South Antrim is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons.-Boundaries:From 1885, this constituency was one of four county divisions of the former Antrim constituency...
from 1983 to his death. He had previously been Mayor of Newtownabbey
Newtownabbey
Newtownabbey is a large town north of Belfast in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Sometimes considered to be a suburb of Belfast, it is separated from the rest of the city by Cavehill and Fortwilliam golf course...
Borough Council, and was also a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly from 1982 to 1986. He also once served as the President of the Northern Ireland Institute of Plumbing.
In his paper Quangopus Government published by the Ulster Unionist Party in June 1992, Forsythe - as the then UUP Spokesman on Local Government - argued passionately for an end to quango-rule and for devolution of responsibility to locally-elected representatives.
Like his predecessor in the old South Antrim constituency (James Molyneaux
James Molyneaux
James Henry Molyneaux, Baron Molyneaux of Killead, KBE, PC is a Northern Irish Unionist politician and was leader of the Ulster Unionist Party from 1979 to 1995. He was a leading member and sometime Vice-President of the Conservative Monday Club...
), Forsythe opposed the Good Friday Agreement and supported proposals for a Northern Ireland-wide administrative assembly/regional council (with powers broadly analogous to the National Assembly for Wales
National Assembly for Wales
The National Assembly for Wales is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs...
) to administer legislation and public services currently administered by Northern Ireland Office Ministers, civil servants and quangos of Government-appointed Yes-Men. On more than one occasion, Forsythe claimed that his experience - both in the 1982-86 Northern Ireland Assembly and as a Past Vice-Chairman of the Ulster Monday Club - led him to conclude that the unimplemented 1979 Conservative General Election Manifesto commitment to administrative devolution in Northern Ireland offered the way forward for Northern Ireland.
More recently, as a Member of the House of Commons' Social Security Select Committee (from 1991 to 1997) and the Commons' Environment, Transport and the Regions Select Committee (from 1997 until his death in 2000), Forsythe was an active Committee Member ensuring that Northern Ireland's interests were represented and needs were articulated. Shortly before his death Forsythe rounded on Government authorities for their failure to tackle social security fraud by paramilitary groups and reiterated Unionist calls for flights between Great Britain and Northern Ireland to be exempt from air passenger duty, arguing that the tax placed Northern Ireland at a crying disadvantage compared with the rest of the United Kingdom given the limited alternative means of travelling between Belfast and London.
He was a former professional footballer with Derry City
Derry City F.C.
Derry City Football Club is a professional football club based in Derry, Northern Ireland. It plays in the League of Ireland Premier Division...
and Linfield
Linfield F.C.
Linfield F.C. , is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club, whose home ground is Windsor Park in Belfast, which is also the home of the Northern Ireland international team....
Football Clubs.