David Simpson
Encyclopedia
David Simpson is a Democratic Unionist
politician and proponent of intelligent design
in the United Kingdom.
, County Armagh
. He then studied at the College of Business Studies (now called Belfast Metropolitan College) in Belfast. Although having no political training, he has been a successful politician for many years.
He then worked in the food manufacturing industry, specifically Universal Meat Company in Portadown.
since the 2005 general election
when he defeated Ulster Unionist Party
leader David Trimble
.
He was, until 2010, also a Member of the Legislative Assembly
for the same seat (resigning after being returned to Westminster in the 2010 general election and a former Mayor of Craigavon Borough Council
which lies within the constituency.
, having signed several early day motion in support of its continued funding on the National Health Service
sponsored by Conservative MP David Tredinnick
.
Democratic Unionist Party
The Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson, it is currently the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the...
politician and proponent of intelligent design
Intelligent design
Intelligent design is the proposition that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a form of creationism and a contemporary adaptation of the traditional teleological argument for...
in the United Kingdom.
Early life
He went to Birches Primary School on Clonmacate Road then Killicomaine High School on Upper Church Lane in PortadownPortadown
Portadown is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about 23 miles south-west of Belfast...
, County Armagh
County Armagh
-History:Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid before the fourth century AD. It was ruled by the Red Branch, whose capital was Emain Macha near Armagh. The site, and subsequently the city, were named after the goddess Macha...
. He then studied at the College of Business Studies (now called Belfast Metropolitan College) in Belfast. Although having no political training, he has been a successful politician for many years.
He then worked in the food manufacturing industry, specifically Universal Meat Company in Portadown.
Parliamentary career
He has been the Member of Parliament for Upper BannUpper Bann (UK Parliament constituency)
Upper Bann is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. The current Member of Parliament for Upper Bann is David Simpson.-Boundaries:...
since the 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
when he defeated 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...
leader David Trimble
David Trimble
William David Trimble, Baron Trimble, PC , is a politician from Northern Ireland. He served as Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party , was the first First Minister of Northern Ireland , and was a Member of the British Parliament . He is currently a life peer for the Conservative Party...
.
He was, until 2010, also a Member of the Legislative Assembly
Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly
The Northern Ireland Assembly elected in November 2003, never met as such, since Northern Ireland's devolved government and representative institutions were suspended following the re-introduction of direct rule by the United Kingdom government on 14 October 2002....
for the same seat (resigning after being returned to Westminster in the 2010 general election and a former Mayor of Craigavon Borough Council
Craigavon Borough Council
Craigavon Borough Council is a local council in counties Armagh, Down and Antrim, in Northern Ireland. The headquarters of the council is in Craigavon, on the shores of Lough Neagh, a new town built between Lurgan and Portadown. The council area includes the large towns of Lurgan and Portadown, as...
which lies within the constituency.
Anti-scientific stance
In addition to being a proponent of creationism, he is a supporter of homeopathyHomeopathy
Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine in which practitioners claim to treat patients using highly diluted preparations that are believed to cause healthy people to exhibit symptoms that are similar to those exhibited by the patient...
, having signed several early day motion in support of its continued funding on the National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
sponsored by Conservative MP David Tredinnick
David Tredinnick (politician)
David Arthur Stephen Tredinnick is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom.He is a former officer in the Grenadier Guards and is Member of Parliament for Bosworth first elected in 1987....
.
Other Political Achievements
- Negotiated fundamental changes to the failed Belfast Agreement.
- Made it a requirement that no party can get into government without prior full, verifiable, witnessed and transparent decommissioning and an end to all paramilitary and criminal activity.
- Negotiated a testing period in which republican good faith could be proved (this would have caught the Northern Bank robbery and barred SF/IRA from government)
- Ensured proper ministerial accountability.
- Established the principle that policing and justice powers could not be devolved until unionists were satisfied.
- Secured a Victims' Commissioner
- Achieved de-rating of Orange Halls.
- Achieved an efficiency review of all aspects of government to investigate savings for the tax payer.
Personal life
He is married with a son and two daughters, and lives in Portadown. He is also involved in youth work and drugs rehabilitation programmes. He is also known to enjoy Gopsel Singing, to which he partakes. He is Chairman of the Upper Bann Constituency Association and is Deputy Master Loughgall District Loyal Orange Order.Westminster Elections
Northern Ireland Assembly Elections
| Northern Ireland Assembly election, 2007 Northern Ireland Assembly election, 2007 The third elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly were held on 7 March 2007 when 108 new members were elected. The election saw endorsement of the St Andrews Agreement and the two largest parties, the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin, along with the Alliance Party, increase their... |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | 1st Pref | Result | Count | |
| John O'Dowd John O'Dowd John O'Dowd MLA is an Irish Sinn Féin politician. He served as acting deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland from 20 September to 31 October 2011, and is also the current Minister for Education. O'Dowd is a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Upper Bann and a councillor on Craigavon... |
7,733 | Elected | 1 | ||
| David Simpson | 6,828 | Elected | 1 | ||
| Sam Gardiner Sam Gardiner Alderman Samuel Gardiner MBE JP MLA is a Unionist politician in Northern Ireland for the Ulster Unionist Party who is an MLA for Upper Bann... |
5,135 | Elected | 9 | ||
| Dolores Kelly Dolores Kelly Cllr Dolores Kelly is a Social Democratic and Labour Party politician and Member of the Legislative Assembly for Upper Bann.Kelly attended the University of Ulster, Jordanstown.... |
4,689 | Elected | 8 | ||
| Stephen Moutray Stephen Moutray Alderman Stephen Moutray MLA is a unionist politician from Northern Ireland. He is a member of the Democratic Unionist Party and is currently Mayor of Craigavon Borough Council.... |
3,663 | Elected | 11 | ||
| Dessie Ward | 3,118 | Not elected | 12 | ||
| John McCrum | 2,975 | Not elected | 10 | ||
| George Savage George Savage (politician) George Savage, is a unionist politician in Northern Ireland. A native of Donacloney, he served in the Northern Ireland Assembly as an Ulster Unionist Party member for Upper Bann from 1998 to 2003 and from 2007-11.-External links:... |
2,167 | Elected | 12 | ||
| Arnold Hatch | 1,815 | Not elected | 8 | ||
| Davy Calvert | 1,332 | Not elected | 7 | ||
| Helen Corry | 1,156 | Not elected | 7 | ||
| Sheila McQuaid | 798 | Not elected | 5 | ||
| Patrick McAleenan | 761 | Not elected | 4 | ||
| (Republican Sinn Féin Republican Sinn Féin Republican Sinn Féin or RSF is an unregisteredAlthough an active movement, RSF is not registered as a political party in either Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland. minor political party operating in Ireland. It emerged in 1986 as a result of a split in Sinn Féin... ) |
Barry Toman | 386 | Not elected | 3 | |
| David Fry | 248 | Not elected | 3 | ||
| Suzanne Peeples | 78 | Not elected | 3 | ||
| Northern Ireland Assembly election, 2003 Northern Ireland Assembly election, 2003 The second elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly, which at the time of the elections had been suspended for just over a year, were held on Wednesday 26 November 2003. Six members were elected by Single Transferable Vote from each of Northern Ireland's eighteen Westminster Parliamentary... |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | 1st Pref | Result | Count | |
| David Trimble David Trimble William David Trimble, Baron Trimble, PC , is a politician from Northern Ireland. He served as Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party , was the first First Minister of Northern Ireland , and was a Member of the British Parliament . He is currently a life peer for the Conservative Party... |
9,158 | Elected | 1 | ||
| David Simpson | 5,933 | Elected | 5 | ||
| John O'Dowd John O'Dowd John O'Dowd MLA is an Irish Sinn Féin politician. He served as acting deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland from 20 September to 31 October 2011, and is also the current Minister for Education. O'Dowd is a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Upper Bann and a councillor on Craigavon... |
5,524 | Elected | 11 | ||
| Stephen Moutray Stephen Moutray Alderman Stephen Moutray MLA is a unionist politician from Northern Ireland. He is a member of the Democratic Unionist Party and is currently Mayor of Craigavon Borough Council.... |
4,697 | Elected | 6 | ||
| Dara O'Hagan Dara O'Hagan Dara O'Hagan is a nationalist politician in Northern Ireland. She was elected in 1998 to the Northern Ireland Assembly as a Sinn Féin member for Upper Bann.... |
3,970 | Not elected | |||
| Dolores Kelly Dolores Kelly Cllr Dolores Kelly is a Social Democratic and Labour Party politician and Member of the Legislative Assembly for Upper Bann.Kelly attended the University of Ulster, Jordanstown.... |
3,661 | Elected | 11 | ||
| Kieran Corr | 3,157 | Not elected | |||
| Sam Gardiner Sam Gardiner Alderman Samuel Gardiner MBE JP MLA is a Unionist politician in Northern Ireland for the Ulster Unionist Party who is an MLA for Upper Bann... |
2,359 | Elected | 9 | ||
| Denis Watson Denis Watson (politician) Denis Watson is a former politician in Northern Ireland.Watson worked as a financial consultant and became the Grand Master of the County Armagh Orange Lodge. He was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 1998 as an independent Unionist representing Upper Bann... |
1,770 | Not elected | |||
| George Savage George Savage (politician) George Savage, is a unionist politician in Northern Ireland. A native of Donacloney, he served in the Northern Ireland Assembly as an Ulster Unionist Party member for Upper Bann from 1998 to 2003 and from 2007-11.-External links:... |
1,269 | Not elected | |||
| David Jones | 585 | Not elected | |||
| Sidney Anderson | 581 | Not elected | |||
| Francis McQuaid | 571 | Not elected | |||
| Tom French Tom French (politician) Tom French is a former President of the Workers' Party of Ireland and former member of Craigavon Borough Council.Born in Belfast in 1934, French joined Sinn Féin as a youth and remained with the party as it evolved into the Workers' Party.... |
247 | Not elected | |||