Editing David Ervine (section)

{{Short description|Northern Irish loyalist and politician (1953–2007)}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=September 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix =
|name         = David Ervine
|honorific-suffix =
|image        = David ervine.jpg 
|office=[[Progressive Unionist Party|Leader of the<br />Progressive Unionist Party]]
|deputy = [[David Rose (UK politician)|David Rose]] <br/> Andy Park
|term_start= 13 April 2002
|term_end= 8 January 2007
|predecessor=[[Hugh Smyth]]
|successor=[[Dawn Purvis]]
|constituency_AM1= [[Belfast East (Assembly constituency)|Belfast East]]
|assembly1    = Northern Ireland
|majority1    =
|term_start1  = 25 June 1998
|term_end1    = 8 January 2007
|predecessor1 = [[Belfast Agreement|''New Creation'']]
|successor1   = Dawn Purvis

|office2      = Member of [[Belfast City Council]]
|constituency2 = [[Pottinger (District Electoral Area)|Pottinger]]
|term_start2   = 21 May 1997
|term_end2     = 8 January 2007
|predecessor2  = [[Jim Walker (Northern Ireland politician)|Jim Walker]]
|successor2    = [[John Kyle (Northern Ireland politician)|John Kyle]]

|office3      = Member of the [[Northern Ireland Forum]]
|constituency3 = Top-up list
|term_start3   = 30 May 1996
|term_end3     = 25 April 1998
|predecessor3 = Forum created
|successor3   = Forum dissolved
|birth_date   = {{birth date |1953|7|21|df=yes}}
|birth_place  = [[Belfast]], Northern Ireland
|death_date   = {{death date and age|2007|1|8|1953|7|21|df=yes}}
|death_place  = Belfast, Northern Ireland
|restingplace =
|birthname    =
|nationality  = British
|party        = [[Progressive Unionist Party]]
|otherparty   =
|spouse       = {{marriage|Jeanette Cunningham|1971}}
|relations    =
|children     = Mark Owen
|residence    =
|alma_mater   =
|occupation   =
|profession   =
|cabinet      =
|committees   =
|portfolio    =
|signature    =
|website      = [http://www.pup-ni.org.uk/ PUP]
}}
'''David Ervine''' (21 July 1953 – 8 January 2007) was a [[Northern Ireland|Northern Irish]] [[Ulster Loyalist]] and politician who served as leader of the [[Progressive Unionist Party]] (PUP) from 2002 to 2007 and was also a [[Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly]] (MLA) for [[Belfast East (Assembly constituency)|Belfast East]] from 1998 to 2007.<ref name="sluggerotoole.com">{{cite web|title=Irish and Loyalist|url=https://sluggerotoole.com/2016/06/19/irish-and-loyalist/|access-date=30 March 2017|archive-date=31 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170331033032/https://sluggerotoole.com/2016/06/19/irish-and-loyalist/|url-status=live}}</ref> During his youth Ervine was a member of the [[Ulster Volunteer Force]] (UVF) and was imprisoned for possessing bomb-making equipment. Whilst in jail he became convinced of the benefits of a more political approach for loyalism and became involved with the PUP. As a leading PUP figure, Ervine helped to deliver the [[Combined Loyalist Military Command|loyalist ceasefire of 1994]].