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Gregory Lloyd Campbell (born 15 February 1953)
is a British politician who has been 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)
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
(MP) for
East Londonderry since
2001.
He was previously a
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs; ga, Comhaltaí den Tionól Reachtach; sco-ulster, Laa-Makkan Forgaitherars) are representatives elected by the voters to the Northern Ireland Assembly.
About
The Northern Ireland Assembly has 90 ...
(MLA) for
East Londonderry, from 1998 to 2016. In May 2021, Campbell
was a candidate alongside
Paula Bradley
Paula Bradley (born 23 June 1969) is a Unionist politician from Northern Ireland, who has served as Deputy Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) since May 2021. She was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Belfast N ...
for the position as Deputy Leader of the DUP, following the resignation of the
Nigel Dodds
Nigel Alexander Dodds, Baron Dodds of Duncairn, (born 20 August 1958), is a British unionist politician who has been the Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in the House of Lords since 2021, and was the deputy leader of the DUP ...
; he was unsuccessful in getting elected.
Early life
Campbell was born and raised in
the Waterside area of
Derry
Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...
as an only child. He was educated at the city's technical college and at the
University of Ulster
sco, Ulstèr Universitie
, image = Ulster University coat of arms.png
, caption =
, motto_lang =
, mottoeng =
, latin_name = Universitas Ulidiae
, established = 1865 – Magee College 1953 - Magee Un ...
.
Political career
He joined the DUP in the 1970s and was first elected to
Londonderry City Council
Derry City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Dhoire; Ulster-Scots: ''Derry Cittie Cooncil'') was the local government authority for the city of Derry in Northern Ireland. It merged with Strabane District Council in April 2015 under local gover ...
in 1981. Campbell briefly led the local DUP members out of the council in 1984 when it changed its name to Derry City Council, although he returned to his seat not long after. He stood down in 2011 after 30 years as a councillor.
He was chosen to contest the
Foyle constituency in the
general election of 1983. He contested the same seat again in the general elections of
1987 and
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
, although each time he finished second behind
Social Democratic and Labour Party
The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) ( ga, Páirtí Sóisialta Daonlathach an Lucht Oibre) is a social-democratic and Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. The SDLP currently has eight members in the Northern Ireland ...
leader
John Hume
John Hume (18 January 19373 August 2020) was an Irish nationalist politician from Northern Ireland, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in the recent political history of Ireland, as one of the architects of the Northern Ire ...
.
He appeared in the BBC Real Lives documentary ''At the Edge of the Union'', which was temporarily blocked in August 1985 by direct government intervention from the then
Home Secretary
The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national ...
,
Leon Brittan
Leon Brittan, Baron Brittan of Spennithorne, (25 September 193921 January 2015) was a British Conservative politician and barrister who served as a European Commissioner from 1989 to 1999. As a member of Parliament from 1974 to 1988, he serv ...
. This led to a one-day strike by the
National Union of Journalists
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) is a trade union for journalists in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was founded in 1907 and has 38,000 members. It is a member of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
Structure
There is ...
to defend the independence of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
.
That same year, in an extensive interview with ''
Magill'' magazine, Campbell outlined his opposition to homosexuality, telling journalist
Fintan O'Toole
Fintan O'Toole (born 16 February 1958) is a polemicist, literary editor, journalist and drama critic for ''The Irish Times'', for which he has written since 1988. O'Toole was drama critic for the '' New York Daily News'' from 1997 to 2001 and ...
: "It's an evil, wicked, abhorrent practice. My opposition to that is based on the Bible and also based on natural justice and I know many people who do not share my Protestant faith but who would share my opposition to homosexuality because they believe it is something which would corrupt society as a whole and is something so radically awful as to merit total and utter opposition. You're not even talking about something which is a run of the mill sexual practice but something which is totally and utterly depraved, and to me anyway the AIDS scare which is currently running through America is proof that homosexual practice is something which calls upon the curse of God."
Given that Foyle had a predominantly
nationalist
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Th ...
population, the increasingly high-profile Campbell was transferred to the more winnable
East Londonderry seat, where he ran unsuccessfully in
1997. Campbell won the seat at his second attempt in the
2001 general election, gaining a majority of 1,901 over sitting MP
William Ross of the
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 ...
. He was re-elected in the
2005 general election, this time securing an increased majority of 7,498 over the new UUP candidate
David McClarty. Until 2016, he was also a member of the
Northern Ireland Assembly
sco-ulster, Norlin Airlan Assemblie
, legislature = 7th Northern Ireland Assembly, Seventh Assembly
, coa_pic = File:NI_Assembly.svg
, coa_res = 250px
, house_type = Unicameralism, Unicameral
, hou ...
, topping the
East Londonderry poll (from which six members are elected) in the elections of
1998,
2003,
2007 and
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
.
Government and subsequent activity
Campbell was appointed Minister of Regional Development in the
Northern Ireland Executive
The Northern Ireland Executive is the devolved government of Northern Ireland, an administrative branch of the legislature – the Northern Ireland Assembly. It is answerable to the assembly and was initially established according to the ter ...
in July 2000. On 9 June 2008, Campbell took over the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, replacing
Edwin Poots
Edwin Poots (born 27 April 1965) is a British politician in Northern Ireland who served as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from May to June 2021. He was first elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in 1998, and was ...
, following a reshuffle of the DUP's ministerial team by newly appointed First Minister
Peter Robinson. He was replaced in this role by party colleague
Nelson McCausland
Nelson McCausland (born 15 August 1951) is a former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician from Northern Ireland, who was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for North Belfast from 2003 until he lost his seat in 2017. and ...
following another reshuffle on 22 June 2009 and the announcement by Peter Robinson that DUP politicians would no longer hold office in the Assembly and serve as MPs at Westminster simultaneously.
In October 2008, Campbell spoke out against the American cartoon ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'', after the
Sex, Pies and Idiot Scrapes
"Sex, Pies and Idiot Scrapes" is the first episode of the twentieth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 28, 2008. In the episode, Homer meet ...
episode showed a fight between nationalists and unionists. The episode also featured references to the IRA. Campbell said, "The Simpsons is a humorous cartoon but the context of using a line like that about an organisation which caused so much death will lead people to have very mixed views."
In December 2008, Campbell criticised the singer
Dido
Dido ( ; , ), also known as Elissa ( , ), was the legendary founder and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage (located in modern Tunisia), in 814 BC.
In most accounts, she was the queen of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre (t ...
for her song "Let's Do the Things We Normally Do", which referenced lyrics from a song, "
The Men Behind the Wire
"The Men Behind the Wire" is a song written and composed by Paddy McGuigan of the Barleycorn folk group in the aftermath of Operation Demetrius.
The song was recorded by the Barleycorn in Belfast (produced by Billy McBurney) and pressed in Dubli ...
". The original song had been written in response to internment in Northern Ireland and Campbell suggested that Dido "should clarify her position so that her fans and the wider public knows where she stands on these things".
In 2009, Campbell declared his support for capital punishment in "some cases" during a
Westminster Parliament
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative supremacy ...
debate.
[House of Commons Hansard, Volume: 486, Part: 16](_blank)
, publications.parliament.uk; accessed 5 June 2016.
In 2011 a man was convicted and was given a suspended jail sentence and fined after posting a menacing message on Facebook about Campbell. In February 2012, Campbell voiced opposition to the redrawing of the electoral borders in Northern Ireland, stating that they "will have a detrimental effect on the north west."
Campbell supports a number of
evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
groups including a
creationist
Creationism is the religious belief that nature, and aspects such as the universe, Earth, life, and humans, originated with supernatural acts of divine creation. Gunn 2004, p. 9, "The ''Concise Oxford Dictionary'' says that creationism is 'th ...
lobby group, the
Caleb Foundation
The Caleb Foundation, created in 1998, is a creationist pressure group in Northern Ireland. It also lobbies on a range of social policy issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage from an evangelical Protestant perspective, and has been particul ...
.
He has been critical of some Twitter comments by Derry-born footballer
James McClean
James Joseph McClean ( ; born 22 April 1989) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a winger for EFL Championship club Wigan Athletic and the Republic of Ireland national team.
McClean played with Trojans, Institute, his hometown ...
and condemned McClean's decision not to wear a poppy on his shirt in the buildup to
Remembrance Sunday
Remembrance Sunday is held in the United Kingdom as a day to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts. It is held on the second Sunday in Nov ...
in 2012. McClean, who played for
Sunderland at the time, had stated on Twitter that his favourite song was "
The Broad Black Brimmer
"The Broad Black Brimmer" is an Irish Republican folk song written by Art McMillen.
The song narrates the story of a boy whose father died before he was born, fighting in the Irish Republican Army (IRA). The narrator is asked by his mother to try ...
" by the republican folk group
The Wolfe Tones
The Wolfe Tones are an Irish rebel music band that incorporate Irish traditional music in their songs. Formed in 1963, they take their name from Theobald Wolfe Tone, one of the leaders of the Irish Rebellion of 1798, with the double meaning of ...
. Campbell commented, "I've been watching him closely and knew he would slip up sooner or later." Subsequently, McClean was banned from using Twitter from his club. Campbell was offered an invitation to a Wolfe Tones concert, which he declined.
In March 2013, Campbell made a successful parliamentary motion to stop a one-off concept car made by the motor company
Kia
Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second lar ...
from ever going into production. The show car was unveiled at the
Geneva Motor Show
The Geneva International Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon is organised by th ...
and was named "Provo" after the Italian word ''Prova'', meaning trial or test. He put forward a motion at the House of Commons to stop any possible development of the car, due to the connotations the name might have in Ireland ("Provos" is a common shortened form of
Provisional IRA
The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republicanism, Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, fa ...
), although the car was never intended to go into production. A spokesperson for Kia said in a statement it would be certain not to market any future car as a "Provo" in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, adding: "This car is a showcase, it's a little bit of frivolity, it's for a motor show in Switzerland designed by an Italian at a design studio in Frankfurt."
In November 2014, Campbell became embroiled in a controversy after parodying the Irish language while addressing the Northern Ireland Assembly. Mocking the nationalist
MLAs' tradition of beginning addressing the Assembly with the
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
words "go raibh maith agat, Ceann Comhairle" ("thank you, Speaker"), he opened a question about minority language policy saying "curry my yoghurt, can coca coalyer", an
anglicised corruption of the Irish. Campbell was unwilling to apologise, and was temporarily censured. He said at the DUP's annual conference later that month: "On behalf of our party let me say clearly, and slowly so that
Caitríona Ruane
Caitríona Ruane (born 1962) is a Sinn Féin politician who served as the Principal Deputy Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly from 2016 to 2017, and was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for South Down from 2003 to 2017.
I ...
and
Gerry Adams
Gerard Adams ( ga, Gearóid Mac Ádhaimh; born 6 October 1948) is an Irish republican politician who was the president of Sinn Féin between 13 November 1983 and 10 February 2018, and served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for Louth from 2011 to 2020 ...
understand, we will never agree to an
Irish Language Act
The Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom providing "official recognition of the status of the Irish language" in Northern Ireland, with Ulster Scots being an officially recognised mi ...
at Stormont and we will treat their entire wish list as no more than toilet paper."
In March 2019, Campbell was one of 21 MPs who voted against LGBT inclusive sex and relationship education in English schools.
In February 2021, Campbell was urged by anti-racism organisations to apologise after describing, on
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
, an edition of ''
Songs of Praise'' that featured only black people as the "BBC at its BLM worst." Campbell wrote: "There were five singers, all of them black. There were three judges all of them black and one presenter who was incidentally, yes black. The singers were all very good but can you imagine an all white line up with an all white jury and presented by a white person? No I can't either."
Campbell is one of three DUP MPs on a list of journalists, military figures and MPs on list along with staff from most major British newspapers and broadcasters banned by the Russian authorities in June 2022, as a response to western sanctions and the “spreading of false information about Russia”, as well as “anti-Russian actions of the British government”.
References
External links
*
Guardian Unlimited Politics – Ask Aristotle: Gregory Campbell MP
{{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Gregory
1953 births
Living people
Politicians from County Londonderry
Alumni of Ulster University
Northern Ireland MPAs 1982–1986
Members of the Northern Ireland Forum
Ministers of the Northern Ireland Executive (since 1999)
Democratic Unionist Party MLAs
Northern Ireland MLAs 1998–2003
Northern Ireland MLAs 2003–2007
Northern Ireland MLAs 2007–2011
Northern Ireland MLAs 2011–2016
Presbyterians from Northern Ireland
Democratic Unionist Party MPs
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Londonderry constituencies (since 1922)
UK MPs 2001–2005
UK MPs 2005–2010
UK MPs 2010–2015
UK MPs 2015–2017
UK MPs 2017–2019
UK MPs 2019–present
Ulster Protestants
Ulster Scots people
Christian creationists