1990s To Present
The body's membership was strongly opposed to the Belfast Agreement in 1998, and many campaigned against it. It lost members at a greater proportion and sooner than the rest of the party, with many former members such as Arlene Foster and Jeffrey Donaldson eventually defecting to the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). By the 2004 AGM only the outgoing Officers could vote due to a voting system designed for a much larger organisation. The officers voted to disband the group.
Its second chairman Peter Bowles left the UUP for the Conservatives in protest after the UUP began an association with the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) a political party that claims to represent, and have official links with, the Ulster Volunteer Force and the Red Hand Commando who are both proscribed organisations.
The group claims to have enjoyed a period of sustained growth since its emergence. The UYUC has branches at Queen's University, Belfast, the University of Ulster and branches at constituency level in the City of Belfast, Mid-Ulster/West Tyrone, Lagan Valley and also Newry and Armagh/South Down, as well as Fermanagh & South Tyrone. During the 2010 UUP leadership election, public disagreements between Branch representatives and UYUC Officers arose.
The youth wing has produced many current and former senior faces in the party including The Lord Laird, The Lord Rogan, Jeffrey Donaldson MP MLA and David McNarry MLA, all of whom are former Chairmen, as well as Sir Reg Empey MLA, who served as Vice Chairman.
Read more about this topic: Young Unionists
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