Ian Paisley Jr

The Honourable Ian Paisley, Jr. , MP MLA
Junior Minister in the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister
In office 8 May 2007 – 26 February 2008 Serving with Gerry Kelly
Preceded by	Office Suspended Last officeholder: James Leslie
Succeeded by	Jeffrey Donaldson
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for North Antrim
Incumbent
Assumed office 25 June 1998
Preceded by	New Creation
Personal details
Born	(1966-12-12) 12 December 1966 Belfast, Northern Ireland
Nationality	British
Political party	Democratic Unionist Party
Spouse	Fiona Paisley
Alma mater	Queen's University Belfast
Website	http://www.ipjr.net/

Ian Paisley, Jr., MP MLA (born 12 December 1966 in Belfast, Northern Ireland) is the MP for North Antrim and member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and an author. He is the son of the party founder and former leader, the Rev. Ian Paisley.

In 1990, he married Fiona, and they have four children. He is a member of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster.

Childhood

Born in Belfast in 1966, Paisley is the youngest child of the Reverend Ian Paisley and his wife Eileen Paisley. He was brought up in a large detached house on Cyprus Ave, Belfast with his three elder sisters, Sharon, Rhonda and Cherith, and his twin-brother, Kyle. Being the younger of the twins, he was named after his father who was the younger of two brothers. He regularly attended the Free Presbyterian Church where his father preached since he was a small child of 2 or 3 years. In August 2007 he was the subject of the third episode of the BBC radio 4 series The House I Grew Up In, in which he talked about a happy childhood and secure family life, despite political problems known as 'The Troubles' in Northern Ireland, which marginally only affected the Republic of Ireland or mainland Britain during that time.

Education

After leaving primary school, he was educated at Shaftesbury House College, and then in the sixth form at Methodist College Belfast, before gaining admission to the Queen's University of Belfast. At university, he read Modern History and Irish Politics, and gained a BA (Hons) and MSSc respectively. After finishing his post-graduate studies, he worked for his father as a political researcher and parliamentary aide.

Political career

In 1996, Paisley was elected to the Northern Ireland Forum for North Antrim. Then, in 1998 he was again returned for the constituency to the Northern Ireland Assembly. He is one of three DUP members who have taken their seats on the Northern Ireland Policing Board, and is also the party's justice spokesman and press officer.

Paisley successfully ran to succeed his father as the Westminster MP for North Antrim in the 2010 United Kingdom general election, winning 46.4% of the vote share.

Controversy

Views on homosexuality

In 2005, Ian Paisley Jr. came under some criticism for his vocal objections to same-sex marriages. Upon learning that David Trimble's aide, Steven King, had married his partner in Canada, Mr. Paisley was quoted as saying, "It is really astounding that David Trimble should have had a man such as this giving him advice - and must surely cast grave doubts on his own political judgement. I think these sorts of relationships are immoral, offensive and obnoxious". Vagant bishop Pat Buckley described him as the "baby dinosaur of the 21st century", and the Northern Ireland-based gay men's advocacy group, The Rainbow Project, called for his removal from the Policing Board.

He caused further controversy in May 2007, when in an interview with journalist Jason O'Toole, in Hot Press magazine, he said "I am pretty repulsed by gay and lesbianism. I think it is wrong. I think that those people harm themselves and - without caring about it - harm society. That doesn't mean to say that I hate them - I mean, I hate what they do". Dolores Kelly, the Social Democratic and Labour Party equality spokesman called on the Northern Ireland Assembly to censure Mr Paisley, saying "Ian Paisley is a junior minister in the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister, the department which is charged with promoting equality and bringing forward the Single Equality Bill. Vulnerable groups who are potential victims of discrimination should be able to look to him for help, not attack". However, the DUP denied that Paisley Jr.'s comments were discriminatory.

Political scandal

Main article: Ian Paisley, Jr. scandal

After a series of public blunders and further controversy in February 2008 following scrutiny on the employment of family members by politicians after the Derek Conway scandal when it emerged that Mr Paisley was on his father's payroll as a researcher in the constituency of North Antrim in addition to his roles as an MLA and a Junior Minister

As a result of the scandal Paisley resigned his Junior Minister position on 18 February 2008

Dissident Republican comments

Further controversy occurred in August 2008 when Paisley, speaking after a number of attacks on the Police Service of Northern Ireland said that dissident republicans should be "shot on sight."

See also

• Ian Paisley
• Democratic Unionist Party
• Unionism
• Demographics and politics of Northern Ireland

External links

• Ian Paisley Jr.'s website
• Democratic Unionist Party
• DUP Developer's link 'no bearing'

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