Getting to Know Democratic Unionist Party: Is It a Boon or Bane for the U.K.?
With British Prime Minister Theresa May announcing that she is forming a government with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the world now has its eyes on the conservative Northern Irish party.
According to reports, the DUP is set to be power-brokers for May's Conservative Party, who lost its Parliamentary majority in last Thursday's snap election. While the 10 seats of the DUP can help May secure the 326 parliamentary majority needed, some British political observers have expressed concerns about the political marriage.
The DUP was founded in 1971 by Iain Paisley, a Protestant preacher turned politician. It is currently the largest party in the territory with Arlene Foster as its helm. The party campaigned to leave the European Union (E.U.), although the majority of Northern Ireland voters voted to remain.
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Many DUP members, including the chair of its Education Committee, Mervyn Story, belong to the Caleb Foundation, the leading creationist lobby group in Northern Ireland. The foundation believes that Earth has been in existence for less than 10,000 years, and it wants its members to embrace the literal interpretation of the Book of Genesis in the Bible, in particular that God created Earth in only six days.
The DUP is also known for its strong resistance to same-sex marriage. In fact, Northern Ireland is the only U.K. territory that has not moved to permit gay marriages. It is also against any liberalization of abortion laws, leaving Northern Ireland as the only U.K. territory that has not loosened abortion laws, and it currently does not allow abortion except in cases where the pregnancy puts the mother's life at risk.
Some opine now that DUP's being part of the government may be a chance for the party to push for the kind of policies seen in Northern Ireland.
For DUP leader, Foster, though, it's a "good night for the Union".
"We are very pleased with the way in which people have reacted to the positive message of the campaign – it was about the Union, the importance of the Union, and unionists have really come out in their numbers," Foster said.
