United Ulster Unionist Council

synonyms: United Ulster Unionist Coalition; Unionist Coalition The UUUC was established in January 1974 to oppose the Sunningdale Agreement. The UUUC was made up of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), lead by Harry West, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), lead by Ian Paisley, and the Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party (VUPP), lead by William Craig. In the 1974 Westminster election UUUC candidates won 11 of the 12 Northern Ireland seats. The UUUC considered this a mandate to oppose the power-sharing Executive. (The UUUC had put forward one candidate in each constituency to maximise its chances of winning, but those parties which were a part of the Executive ended up competing against each and thus reduced the potential number of seats that could have been won.) The 11 UUUC Members of Parliament (MPs) joined together in the 'Unionist Parliamentary Coalition' which was headed by Harry West. The UUUC held a conference in April 1974 which called for the ending of the power-sharing Executive and an end to the Council of Ireland. The UUUC supported the Ulster Workers Council (UWC) strike of May 1974 and this political backing, to a stoppage that was mainly being conducted by Loyalist paramilitary groups, helped secure the eventual success of the strike. The UUUC also fought the 1975 Constitutional Convention election and its candidates won 46 of the 78 seats. In 1976 there was disagreement within the UUUC over William Craig's suggestion of working with the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) and this led to a split in the Vanguard part of the UUUC. In 1977 the UUUC steering committee formed a new group called the United Unionist Action Council (UUAC). The UUAC was heavily involved with the Loyalist strike of May 1977. The UUUC collapsed following the end of the 1977 strike. Selection of Publications by the UUUC: United Ulster Unionist Council (UUUC). (1975). A Guide to the Convention Report, (November 1975). Belfast: UUUC.