Gregory Campbell (politician)
Encyclopedia
Gregory Lloyd Campbell (born 15 February, 1953) is a Northern Irish
unionist politician, and the Democratic Unionist Party
Member of Parliament
(MP) of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
, representing the East Londonderry constituency
of Northern Ireland.
's Waterside
area and was educated at the city's technical college and the University of Ulster (Magee College site)
. He joined the DUP in the 1970s and was first elected to the City Council in 1981. Campbell briefly led the local DUP members out of the Council in 1984 when the council changed its name from Londonderry to Derry City Council
, although he returned to his seat not long after and still holds it.
in the general election of 1983
. He contested the same seat again in the general elections of 1987
and 1992
, although each time he finished second behind Social Democratic and Labour Party
(SDLP) leader John Hume
.
Given that Foyle had a predominantly nationalist
population, the increasingly high profile Campbell was transferred to the more winnable East Londonderry seat, where he ran unsuccessfully in 1997
. Campbell won the seat at his second attempt in the 2001 general election
, gaining a majority of 1,901 over sitting MP William Ross
of the Ulster Unionist Party
. He was re-elected in the 2005 general election
, this time securing an increased majority of 7,498 over the new UUP candidate David McClarty
. He is also a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
, topping the Londonderry East poll (from which 6 members are elected) in the 1998 election
, 2003
and again in March 2007
. He was appointed Minister of Regional Development in the Northern Ireland Executive
in July 2000.
On 9 June 2008, Campbell took over the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, replacing Edwin Poots, following a reshuffle of the DUP's Ministerial team by newly-appointed First Minister Peter Robinson. He was replaced in this role by colleague Nelson McCausland following another reshuffle on 22 June 2009 and the announcement by First Minister and DUP leader Peter Robinson that DUP politicians would no longer hold office in the Assembly and serve as MPs at Westminster simultaneously.
He appeared in the BBC Real Lives documentary "At the Edge of the Union", which was temporararily blocked in August 1985 by direct government intervention from the then Home Secretary Leon Brittan. This led to a one-day strike by the National Union of Journalists
to defend the independence of the BBC
.
In 2011 a man was convicted,was given a suspended jail sentence and fined after posting a menacing message on Facebook
about Campbell.
in "some cases" during a Westminster Parliament
debate. In doing so, he joined other members of his party including First Minister of Northern Ireland Peter Robinson
. Alban Maginness
of the Social Democratic and Labour Party
strong criticised the minister's remarks as did Sinn Féin
MLAs.
People of Northern Ireland
Northern Irish people or people of Northern Ireland are "all persons born in Northern Ireland and having, at the time of their birth, at least one parent who is a British citizen, an Irish citizen or is otherwise entitled to reside in Northern Ireland without any restriction on their period of...
unionist politician, and the Democratic Unionist Party
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...
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,...
(MP) of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
, representing the East Londonderry constituency
East Londonderry (UK Parliament constituency)
East Londonderry is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons.-Boundaries:The seat was created in boundary changes in 1983, as part of an expansion of Northern Ireland's constituencies from 12 to 17, and was predominantly made up from the old Londonderry constituency...
of Northern Ireland.
Early life
Campbell was born and raised in DerryDerry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
's Waterside
Waterside, Derry
The Waterside is an urban neighbourhood on the east side of the River Foyle opposite the Cityside of Derry, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Traditionally, the Waterside ends at the Caw roundabout near the Foyle Bridge...
area and was educated at the city's technical college and the University of Ulster (Magee College site)
Magee College
Magee College is a campus of the University of Ulster located in Derry, Northern Ireland. It opened in 1865 as a Presbyterian Christian arts and theological college...
. He joined the DUP in the 1970s and was first elected to the City Council in 1981. Campbell briefly led the local DUP members out of the Council in 1984 when the council changed its name from Londonderry to Derry City Council
Derry City Council
Derry City Council is a district council in County Londonderry in Northern Ireland. The Council is is responsible for the city of Derry and the immediate environ, providing services to an estimated population of , making it the third largest district council in Northern Ireland by population.The...
, although he returned to his seat not long after and still holds it.
Political career
He was chosen to contest the Foyle constituencyFoyle (UK Parliament constituency)
Foyle is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.-Boundaries:The seat was created in boundary changes in 1983, as part of an expansion of Northern Ireland's constituencies from 12 to 17, and was predominantly made up from the old Londonderry constituency...
in the general election of 1983
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
. He contested the same seat again in the general elections of 1987
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
and 1992
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
, although each time he finished second behind Social Democratic and Labour Party
Social Democratic and Labour Party
The Social Democratic and Labour Party is a social-democratic, Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. Its basic party platform advocates Irish reunification, and the further devolution of powers while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom...
(SDLP) leader John Hume
John Hume
John Hume is a former Irish politician from Derry, Northern Ireland. He was a founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, and was co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize, with David Trimble....
.
Given that Foyle had a predominantly nationalist
Irish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
population, the increasingly high profile Campbell was transferred to the more winnable East Londonderry seat, where he ran unsuccessfully in 1997
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
. Campbell won the seat at his second attempt in the 2001 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
, gaining a majority of 1,901 over sitting MP William Ross
William Ross (Northern Ireland politician)
William Ross is a Northern Ireland unionist politician. He served as the Ulster Unionist Party member of Parliament for Londonderry from February 1974 until 2001...
of the 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...
. He was re-elected in 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....
, this time securing an increased majority of 7,498 over the new UUP candidate David McClarty
David McClarty
Councillor David McClarty, MLA is an Independent Unionist politician from Northern Ireland.He is from Coleraine and was educated at Coleraine Academical Institution and Magee College...
. He is also a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland Assembly
The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive...
, topping the Londonderry East poll (from which 6 members are elected) in the 1998 election
Northern Ireland Assembly election, 1998
-Seats summary:-Details:Although the SDLP won the most first preference votes, the Ulster Unionists won the most seats in the Assembly. This has been attributed to several reasons, including:...
, 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...
and again in March 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...
. He was appointed Minister of Regional Development in the Northern Ireland Executive
Northern Ireland Executive
The Northern Ireland Executive is the executive arm of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the devolved legislature for Northern Ireland. It is answerable to the Assembly and was established according to the terms of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, which followed the Good Friday Agreement...
in July 2000.
On 9 June 2008, Campbell took over the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, replacing Edwin Poots, following a reshuffle of the DUP's Ministerial team by newly-appointed First Minister Peter Robinson. He was replaced in this role by colleague Nelson McCausland following another reshuffle on 22 June 2009 and the announcement by First Minister and DUP leader Peter Robinson that DUP politicians would no longer hold office in the Assembly and serve as MPs at Westminster simultaneously.
He appeared in the BBC Real Lives documentary "At the Edge of the Union", which was temporararily blocked in August 1985 by direct government intervention from the then Home Secretary Leon Brittan. This led to a one-day strike by the National Union of Journalists
National Union of Journalists
The National Union of Journalists is a trade union for journalists in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1907 and has 38,000 members. It is a member of the International Federation of Journalists .-Structure:...
to defend the independence of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
In 2011 a man was convicted,was given a suspended jail sentence and fined after posting a menacing message on Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
about Campbell.
Support for capital punishment
In 2009, Campbell declared his support for capital punishmentCapital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
in "some cases" during a Westminster Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
debate. In doing so, he joined other members of his party including First Minister of Northern Ireland Peter Robinson
Peter Robinson (politician)
Peter David Robinson is the current First Minister of Northern Ireland and leader of the Democratic Unionist Party...
. Alban Maginness
Alban Maginness
Alban Maginness is a Nationalist politician in Northern Ireland.Maginness was born in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland. He completed his secondary education at St. Malachy's College, Belfast. He then attended the New University of Ulster and subsequently Queen's University of Belfast where...
of the Social Democratic and Labour Party
Social Democratic and Labour Party
The Social Democratic and Labour Party is a social-democratic, Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. Its basic party platform advocates Irish reunification, and the further devolution of powers while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom...
strong criticised the minister's remarks as did Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
MLAs.