Gusty Spence - Move To Politics

Move To Politics

Spence soon became the UVF commander within the Maze Prison. Spence ran his part of the Maze along military lines, drilling inmates and training them in weapons use while also expecting a maintenance of discipline. As Maze commander Spence initially also had jurisdiction over the imprisoned members of the Ulster Defence Association although this came to an end in 1973 when, following a deterioration of relations between the two groups outside the prison walls, James Craig became the UDA's Maze commander.

Spence began to move towards a position of using political means and persuaded the UVF leadership to declare a temporary ceasefire in 1973. Following Merlyn Rees' decision to legalise the UVF in 1974 Spence encouraged them to enter politics and supported the establishment of the Volunteer Political Party. Spence's ideas were abandoned however as the UVF ceasefire fell apart that same year following the Ulster Workers' Council strike and the Dublin and Monaghan bombings; the carnage of the latter had shocked and horrified Spence. Furthermore, the VPP suffered a heavy defeat in West Belfast in the October 1974 general election, when the DUP candidate John McQuade captured six times as many votes as the VPP's Ken Gibson.

Spence was increasingly disillusioned with the UVF and he distilled these views to fellow inmates at Long Kesh. According to Billy Mitchell Spence quizzed him and others sent to the Maze about why they were there, seeking an ideological answer to his question. When the prisoner was unable to provide one Spence would then seek to convince them of the wisdom of his more politicised path, something that he accomplished with Mitchell. David Ervine and Billy Hutchinson were among the other UVF men imprisoned in the mid 1970s to become disciples of Spence. In 1977 he publicly condemned the use of violence for political gain, on the grounds that it was counter-productive. In 1978 Spence left the UVF altogether. His brother Bobby, also a UVF member, died in October 1980 inside the Maze, a few months after the death of their brother Billy.