Democratic Socialism and Sectarianism: The Northern Ireland Labour Party and Progressive Unionist Party Compared

Abstract

Since the 1970s academic studies of the Protestant community in Northern Ireland have dwelt on either the conservative nature of its political culture or the phenomenon of paramilitary activism among its grass-roots. Few scholars have attempted to analyse the democratic socialist political discourse articulated by some of its ‘non-combatant’ actors. As a means of redressing this imbalance this article compares and contrasts the ideologies and discourse of the Northern Ireland Labour party (NILP) and the Progressive Unionist party (PUP). Although these two parties are separated by distinct historical and political circumstances, their significance nonetheless points to the existence of residual class sentiment among Ulster Protestants.