Clifford Smyth (born 1944) is a

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

and former

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. Smyth stood for the

Democratic Unionist Party The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is a unionist, loyalist, and national conservative political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1971 during the Troubles by Ian Paisley, who led the party for the next 37 years. Currently led by J ...

(DUP) in North Antrim in the

1973 Northern Ireland Assembly election Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. P ...

, narrowly missing out on a seat. Following the death of David McCarthy, an

Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it led unionist opposition to the Irish Home Rule movem ...

(UUP) MPA, he easily won a by-election for a seat on the Assembly. He also became the secretary of the

United Ulster Unionist Council The United Ulster Unionist Council (also known as the United Ulster Unionist Coalition) was a body that sought to bring together the Unionists opposed to the Sunningdale Agreement in Northern Ireland. Formation The UUUC was established in Januar ...

. Smyth was elected to the

Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention The Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention (NICC) was an elected body set up in 1975 by the United Kingdom Labour government of Harold Wilson as an attempt to deal with constitutional issues surrounding the status of Northern Ireland. For ...

, again in North Antrim, in 1975. He was expelled from the DUP, however, in 1976, after he was accused of passing information to the then Secretary of State Merlyn Rees' office. He joined the

(UUP) and stood unsuccessfully as its candidate for the Westminster seat of North Down at the 1979 general election. From the 1980s onwards, Smyth turned increasingly to history and the

Orange Order The Loyal Orange Institution, commonly known as the Orange Order, is an international Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland and primarily associated with Ulster Protestants, particularly those of Ulster Scots heritage. It also ...

. He wrote a critical

biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...

Ian Paisley Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, (6 April 1926 – 12 September 2014) was a Northern Irish loyalist politician and Protestant religious leader who served as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from 1971 to 2008 and First ...

, ''Ian Paisley: Voice of Protestant Ulster''. He was also a leading member of the Campaign for Equal Citizenship, which was founded in 1986, and campaigned for the three main British political parties to fully organise in Northern Ireland.Dealing with my sexual brokenness - imported - Belfasttelegraph.co.uk
/ref> Smyth was also a history teacher at

Knockbreda High School Breda Academy is a controlled secondary school in Belfast, Northern Ireland, which opened in September 2015. History Breda Academy opened in 2015 as an amalgamation between Newtownbreda High School and Knockbreda High School. Enrollment ...

in Belfast for many years, and is also regarded as an expert on the Orange Order and its lodges. During the 1990s, Smyth resigned from the Orange Order. In 2005, he revealed that he had

transvestite Transvestism is the practice of dressing in a manner traditionally associated with the opposite sex. In some cultures, transvestism is practiced for religious, traditional, or ceremonial reasons. The term is considered outdated in Western c ...

compulsions. He criticised Ian Paisley and the DUP's decision to share power with

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Gri ...

and claimed the DUP would lose a lot of voters because of this. In 2011 it was revealed the BBC decided to drop him from its yearly live coverage of the twelfth of July parades in Belfast. Smyth who commentated on the programme for over 10 years was quoted as being 'sad' after being informed.Twelfth historian sad after axing by BBC
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smyth, Clifford Living people Male-to-female cross-dressers Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly 1973–1974 Members of the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention Ulster Unionist Party politicians 1944 births