Ian Paisley

[[File:Ian_Paisley_-_(cropped).png|thumb|165px|Jar Jar Binks' abrasive cousin.]]{{UKpolitics}}{{cquote|1=<span style="font-variant:small-caps">Let me smell yurr breath!</span>|4=Ian Paisley<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/sep/12/ian-paisley-turbulent-priest-statesman|title=Ian Paisley: from turbulent priest to right honourable statesman|last=Hoggart|first=Simon|publisher=''The Guardian''|year=2014|month=September|day=12|accessdate=January 25, 2015}}</ref>}}
'''Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside''' PC (1926—2014<ref name="lolded">[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-16910949 Obituary: Ian Paisley], BBC News, Sept. 12, 2014.</ref>) was the founder of the [[Democratic Unionist Party]], 
a closeted homosexual,
 and for many years the face of [[Protestant]] bigotry and [[wingnut]]tery in [[Northern Ireland]], and one of the [[IRA]]'s best recruiters. {{wpl|The Sash|His father wore a sash.}} Bizarrely, in the 21st century something (perhaps a British threat to leave Northern Ireland to the mercy of the Catholics)<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pumM9jcVTqM Ian Paisley interview]</ref> hit him on the head and he became conciliatory and moderate. Never can tell, eh?

His doctorate was the honorary variety, received from that eminent institute of higher learning, [[Bob Jones University]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/3109773.stm|title=Profile: Ian Paisley|last=Purdy|first=Martina|publisher=BBC News|year=2004|month=December|day=6|accessdate=January 25, 2015}}</ref>

==Acting Christian==
In the 1950s, Paisley was involved in a dispute with a local presbytery in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, which had barred him from speaking in a church hall. Supporters of Paisley initiated a schism, creating a [[fundamentalist]] denomination (one of the few actually to describe itself as such) called the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster. Paisley was elected as the new denomination's Moderator of the General Assembly in 1951 and remained in that office for the next 57 years.

===Gay-bashing===
{{main|Homophobia}}
In the 1970s, he launched a campaign against legalising male [[homosexuality]] named "Save Ulster from [[Sodomy]]" and was thereafter an outspoken opponent of [[gay rights]] and equality.<ref>[http://www.independent.ie/unsorted/features/ulster-says-no-only-this-time-its-to-basic-human-rights-for-gay-people-690668.html Ulster says no, only this time it's to basic human rights for gay people], independent.ie</ref><ref>[http://www.ianpaisley.org/article.asp?ArtKey=blocks Dr Paisley blocks EU Gender Directive], European Institute of Protestant Studies</ref>

===Anti-Catholicism===
{{main|Anti-Catholicism}}
In 1988, Paisley caused quite a stir when he heckled [[Pope]] [[John Paul II]] in the [[European Union|European Parliament]], describing him as being the [[Antichrist]].<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/16/weekinreview/headliners-papal-audience.html?pagewanted=1 Paisley does not play well with papists]</ref> He was evicted from the chamber for this.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2004/sep/16/northernireland.northernireland
|title=Portrait: The return of Dr No
|last=Chrisafis
|first=Angelique
|year=2004
|month=September
|day=16}}</ref><ref>[https://youtu.be/JlbmIMbKZa4 Ian Paisley Heckles the Pope (1988)]. YouTube.</ref>

===Antisemitism===
{{main|Antisemitism}}
In 1998, filmmaker [[Jon Ronson]] met up with Paisley to make a documentary on [[Africa]]. Allegedly, Paisley made a variety of [[antisemitic]] remarks towards the filmmaker: "He had three nicknames for me — one was 'the Jew', another one was 'my Jewish friend' and the third one was 'my circumcised friend'," claimed Ronson.<ref name=pri>[http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-09-12/filmmaker-jon-ronson-remembers-firebrand-northern-irish-politician-ian-paisley Filmmaker Jon Ronson remembers the firebrand Northern Irish politician Ian Paisley]. September 12, 2014 · 10:30 PM EDT</ref> "Still, I guess it could have been worse."<ref name=pri />

==U.S. revokes Paisley's visa==
Over 100 members of the U.S. Congress protested to the State Department when Paisley was scheduled to tour the U.S. in early 1982 to promote the Unionist cause. State responded by revoking Paisley's visa, citing his "divisive" views and adding, "Mr. Paisley's presence in the United States is prejudicial to U.S. public interests." Paisley denounced this as an attack on his free speech and bizarrely claimed the revocation happened because of a "conspiracy between the Thatcher Government and the U.S.A. Government to sell out Ulster." (As opposed to a ton of Irish-Catholics like those named [[Kennedy]] living in the United States and holding just a bit of power.)<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/1981/12/22/world/us-cancels-visa-of-ulster-activist.html</ref>

==In politics==
He was regularly elected to [[UK#Politics|Parliament]], which didn't want him, and to the European Parliament, where he ended up sitting next to the fascists because none of the sensible parties wanted to be associated with him. He was surprisingly popular in his local constituency among Catholics, due to his hard work for individual constituents.

In 2007, breaking with his old routine of saying "No" to everything, he became First Minister of Northern Ireland in a power-sharing government with [[Sinn Féin]]. This appalling act of [[heresy]] led him to be forced out of his longtime leadership position in the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster and, later, forced to retire from his pastor's post.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.christiantoday.com/article/ian.paisley.vows.never.to.return.to.church.he.founded/35452.htm|title=Ian Paisley vows never to return to Church he founded|publisher=''Christianity Today''|last=Trimmer|first=Michael|year=2014|month=January|day=20|accessdate=January 25, 2015}}</ref>

He decided to retire in 2011,<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/nov/14/ian-paisley-retires-from-ministry?newsfeed=true Ian Paisley retires from ministry], ''[[The Guardian]]''</ref> three years prior to him meeting [[Jesus]].<ref name="lolded"/>

==Titles==
{{main|Credentialism}}
He was often referred to in the media as the Reverend Doctor (or Rev Dr) Ian Paisley, which appears to lend him considerable gravitas, but both parts are a little misleading. ''The Guardian'' said of his honorary doctorate from Bob Jones University: "his doctorate came from a Bible college in the [[The South|American South]], and did not rank with one granted by Harvard, or even with a mail-order diploma".<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/sep/12/ian-paisley-turbulent-priest-statesman Ian Paisley: from turbulent priest to right honourable statesman], Simon Hoggart, The Guardian, 12 September 2014</ref> While the term Reverend is often associated with vicars or ministers who have completed a degree in divinity and been ordained by a well-known, major denomination ([[Church of England]], [[Church of Scotland]], etc), it conveys no particular achievement, and derives from the fact that Paisley founded his own church, the Free Presbyterian Church, and made himself a minister therein (although he did receive a certain amount of religious education before then, he doesn't appear to have qualified for a bachelor's degree).<ref>{{wpa|The Reverend}}</ref><ref>{{wpa|Ian Paisley}}</ref>

==Ian Paisley Jr.==
His (younger) son and namesake is a chip off the old block. He followed his father into politics, serving as a Member of the UK Parliament from 2010; although in 2018 he was unfortunately suspended for 30 days after he was found to have failed to declare luxury holidays paid for by the Sri Lankan government; purely by coincidence he also lobbied against the Sri Lankan government being investigated for human rights abuses.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ian-paisley-suspended-dup-expenses-holiday-sri-lanka-mp-north-antrim-northern-ireland-a8461876.html Ian Paisley suspended from DUP over failure to declare holidays paid for by Sri Lankan government], ''The Independent'', 24 July 2018</ref>

==External links==
*[http://www.ianpaisley.org/ The European Institute of Protestant Studies]. Nothing unreasonable here, no, no, not at all. It's all quite reasonable.
*[https://youtu.be/cI_UgisoY9M Depiction] in ''{{wpl|Spitting Image}}'', where Paisley tries to convince (the presumably Protestant) God to kill and torture Gerry Adams, leader of [[Sinn Féin]].

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{stub|politicians}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paisley, Ian}}
[[Category:Anti-Catholicism]]
[[Category:Anti-LGBT bigots]]
[[Category:Authoritarianism]]
[[Category:British people]]
[[Category:Christians]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theorists]]
[[Category:Creationists]]
[[Category:Denialists]]
[[Category:Former Members of Parliament (UK)]]
[[Category:Fundamentalists]]
[[Category:Government incompetence]]
[[Category:Homophobes]]
[[Category:Ministers]]
[[Category:Pray the gay away]]
[[Category:Right-wing activists]]
[[Category:We're on a mission from God]]

Categories: Anti-Catholicism, Anti-LGBT bigots, Authoritarianism, British people, Christians, Conspiracy theorists, Creationists, Denialists, Former Members of Parliament (UK), Fundamentalists, Government incompetence, Homophobes, Ministers, Pray the gay away, Right-wing activists, We're on a mission from God