THE DEATH of Gusty Spence and attendant publicity about his life and his role in bringing about a ceasefire by the Ulster Volunteer Force and the Ulster Defence Association in 1994, may have the capacity to rekindle political activism and community development within loyalist areas. The alternative, destructive avenue being followed by leaders of paramilitary organisations, involving murder, drug dealing, extortion and criminality, is currently being exposed in “supergrass” trials and through intense policing surveillance by the PSNI.
Spence was regarded by many as an archetypal sectarian loyalist who re-established the UVF in the mid-1960s and orchestrated a campaign of terror against Catholics that led to hundreds of deaths. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder in 1966, eventually serving 18 years in jail. In later years, however, he became heavily involved in politics and challenged many within loyalism to find a peaceful path. Believing that conservative unionists had exploited loyalist activities he encouraged several UVF prisoners, including the late David Ervine, to develop a political wing for the UVF.
With its roots in deprived communities that were often convulsed by paramilitary feuds, the Progressive Unionist Party failed to break out. The chief political contribution made by Gusty Spence was his success in convincing the leadership of the UVF and the UDA to declare a ceasefire. In May 2007, he announced that the UVF was putting its weapons beyond use and offered “abject and due remorse” to the loved ones of innocent victims.
The Progressive Unionist Party initially had some success. David Ervine was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2003 and, following his early death, was succeeded by Dawn Purvis in 2007. She resigned as party leader last year because of its links with the UVF, after a murder had been attributed to that group. Her replacement David Rose resigned for similar reasons. The party failed to win a seat in this year’s Assembly elections and is now led by Brian Ervine, a brother of David. Gusty Spence was forced out of the Shankill area by the local paramilitary leader because of his commitment to the political process and his opposition to criminal activity. Those tensions remain. The control loyalist bosses continue to exert contributes to an absence of investment and development in their communities. The death of Mr Spence should focus attention on that reality.