The Right Honourable William Craig (b. December 2, 1924) was a Northern Ireland politician best known for forming the Ulster Vanguard movement of Unionists. December 2 is the 336th day (337th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1924 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Those who are confused by the meaning of terms in this article such as Ulster, (Republic of) Ireland, (Great) Britain and United Kingdom should refer to British Isles - Clarification of Terms. ... A politician is an individual involved in politics. ... The Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party, also known as the Vanguard Ulster Progressive Party (and several variations of word order), was a unionist political party which existed in Northern Ireland between 1973 and 1978. ... In the Irish context, Unionists form a group of largely (though not exclusively) Protestant people in Ireland, of all social classes, who wish to see the continuation of the 1801 Act of Union, as amended by the Government of Ireland Act 1920, under which the Northern Ireland provincial state created...

William Craig

Craig was from Cookstown, County Tyrone. After serving in the Royal Air Force (as a Lancaster bomber rear gunner) during World War II he became a solicitor. He was active in the Ulster Unionist Party and led the Young Unionist Council. He was elected to the Stormont Parliament in a byelection in 1960 for Larne, and became a Minister in 1963. He held several portfolios under Terence O'Neill, eventually as Minister for Home Affairs. His most renowned action while in this office was to ban the march of NICRA (Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association) on 5th October 1968. He also accused the civil rights movement of being a political front for the IRA. Rt. ... Rt. ... Cookstown may refer to either of the following: Cookstown, County Tyrone Cookstown, Ontario This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... This article is about County Tyrone. ... The Royal Air Force (often abbreviated to RAF) is the air force branch of the UK Armed Forces. ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human sacrifice, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons—the atom bomb being the ultimate. ... In the United Kingdom and countries having a similar legal system the legal profession is divided into two kinds of lawyers: the solicitors who contact and advise clients, and barristers who argue cases in court. ... The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP) is a political party in Northern Ireland representing the unionist community, and was the party of government in Northern Ireland between 1921 and 1972. ... The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which existed from June 7, 1921 to March 30, 1972, when it was suspended. ... 1960 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Larne (Latharna in Irish which means the lands of Lathar who was an Irish prince) is a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland with a population of approximately 31,000 people. ... 1963 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Captain Terence ONeill, Baron ONeill of the Maine (September 10, 1914 - June 12, 1990), was the fourth Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. ... The West Cork Flying Column during the War of Independence. ...

On December 11, 1968 O'Neill dismissed Craig when he suspected Craig was a supporter of an independent Northern Ireland. Craig began to build a powerbase for himself within Unionism, becoming Head of the Ulster Loyalist Association. The official Unionist Party withdrew the whip from him in May 1970 and Craig then began to prepare his own political party. The Ulster Vanguard movement was formed on February 9, 1972 under Craig's leadership (the Deputy Leaders were the Rev. Martin Smyth and Captain Austin Ardill). December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... 1970 was a common year starting on Thursday. ... The Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party, also known as the Vanguard Ulster Progressive Party (and several variations of word order), was a unionist political party which existed in Northern Ireland between 1973 and 1978. ... February 9 is the 40th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... Reverend William Martin Smyth (born June 15, 1931) is a Northern Ireland unionist politician, and was Ulster Unionist Party Member of Parliament for South Belfast 1982-2005. ...

Ulster Vanguard advocated a semi-independent Northern Ireland. Vanguard held a large rally on March 18, 1972 in Belfast's Ormeau Park at which Craig said "We must build up the dossiers on the men and women who are a menace to this country, because one day, ladies and gentlemen, if the politicians fail, it will be our duty to liquidate the 'enemy'". Vanguard also staged a two-day strike in protest at the prorogation of the Stormont Parliament. In April 1972 Vanguard issued a policy statement 'Ulster - A Nation' which said that Northern Ireland might have to consider independence. In October he spoke at a meeting of right-wing MPs at Westminster. He told them he could mobilise 80,000 men to oppose the British government, adding "We are prepared to come out and shoot and kill. I am prepared to come out and shoot and kill, let's put the bluff aside. I am prepared to kill, and those behind me will have my full support." Vanguard progressed in March 1973 into the Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party. March 18 is the 77th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (78th in leap years). ... 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... This article is about the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland. ... The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which existed from June 7, 1921 to March 30, 1972, when it was suspended. ... The United Kingdom is a unitary state and a democratic constitutional monarchy. ... 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... The Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party, also known as the Vanguard Ulster Progressive Party (and several variations of word order), was a unionist political party which existed in Northern Ireland between 1973 and 1978. ...

The Vanguard Unionists under Craig formed part of the United Ulster Unionist Council which opposed the power-sharing Sunningdale Agreement. Craig was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly created under Sunningdale, and he won a seat in the UK Parliament at the February 1974 election for East Belfast. However, in the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention in the mid-1970s, Craig broke with the majority of his party to support voluntary power-sharing. The Vanguard Unionists fell apart, with one section forming the United Ulster Unionist Party, and Craig lead the remains of Vanguard to rejoin the Ulster Unionist Party in 1978, but lost his seat in the 1979 election. The Sunningdale Agreement on December 9, 1973, was an attempt to end the Northern Ireland troubles by forcing unionists to share power with nationalists. ... The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative institution in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories (it alone has parliamentary sovereignty). ... The UK general election of February 1974 was held on February 28, 1974. ... East Belfast is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... The United Ulster Unionist Party was a political party which existed in Northern Ireland between 1977 and 1982. ... 1978 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... The UK general election, 1979 was held on May 3, 1979 and is regarded as a pivotal point in 20th century British politics. ...

Craig subsequently broke with the Ulster Unionists once more. When in 1982 elections were held for the new Northern Ireland Assembly, Craig , revived the name Vanguard for his candidacy in East Belfast. However he failed to get elected. 1982 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The logo of the Northern Ireland Assembly is a six flowered linen or flax plant, chosen for the plants historical economic importance to the region. ... East Belfast is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ...

This marked the effective end of Craig's political career.