Editing David Ervine

{{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]].

== Early life ==
David Ervine was the youngest of five children born to Walter and Elizabeth Ervine. He was raised in a [[Protestant]] working-class area of east [[Belfast]] between the Albertbridge and Newtownards roads. His household was not loyalist at all: his father Walter described himself as a socialist, had no time for [[Ian Paisley]] and didn't attend church.<ref>Moloney, Ed (2010). Voices From the Grave: Two Men's War in Ireland. Faber & Faber. p.309</ref> When Ervine joined the [[Orange Order]] aged 18, he said he was the first member of his family to ever be a member. His membership, however, did not last long.<ref>Moloney, Ed (2010). Voices From the Grave: Two Men's War in Ireland. Faber & Faber. p.315</ref> Like many in his situation, he grew up closely identifying with his community and absorbed its [[Ulster Unionism|unionist]] ideals and opinions. Ervine left [[Orangefield High School]] (Orangefield Boys Secondary School) at 14 and, aged 19, joined the UVF, believing this step to be the only way to ensure the defence of the Protestant community after the events of [[Bloody Friday (1972)|Bloody Friday]]. A neighbour of Ervine's, William Irvine, who was a member of the [[Ulster Defence Association]] (UDA), had died in one of the bomb blasts on that day.<ref>Moloney, Ed (2010). Voices From the Grave: Two Men's War in Ireland. Faber & Faber. p.304</ref>

Before joining the UVF Ervine had attempted to join the [[Royal Ulster Constabulary]] (RUC), but due to a misdemeanour in his childhood involving a stolen bicycle he was refused entry.<ref>Moloney, Ed (2010). Voices From the Grave: Two Men's War in Ireland. Faber & Faber. p.306</ref>

== Arrest and imprisonment ==
Ervine was arrested in November 1974, while an active member of the UVF. He was driving a stolen car containing five pounds of commercial explosives, a detonator and fuse wire. After seven months on remand in [[Crumlin Road Gaol]], he was found guilty of possession of explosives with intent to endanger life. He was sentenced to 11 years and imprisoned in [[Maze (HM Prison)|The Maze]]. While in prison, Ervine came under the influence of [[Gusty Spence]] who made him question what the loyalist struggle was about. Spence's influence unquestionably changed Ervine's direction: after much study and self-analysis, Ervine emerged with the view that change through politics was the only option.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bowcott |first=Owen |last2= |first2= |date=2007-01-09 |title=David Ervine, loyalist bomber turned Ulster peacemaker, dies at 53 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2007/jan/09/uk.northernireland |access-date=2025-02-07 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> He also became friends with [[Billy Hutchinson]] while in prison.

== Release ==
Ervine was released from prison in 1980. He owned a newsagents' in Belfast for several years before taking up full-time politics. He stood in local council elections as a Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) candidate in [[1985 Northern Ireland local elections|1985]]. In 1998, he was elected to the [[Northern Ireland Assembly]] to represent Belfast East and was re-elected in 2003. He was also a member of [[Belfast City Council]] from [[1997 Northern Ireland local elections|1997]].

== Loyalist ceasefire ==
Ervine played a pivotal role in bringing civil disorder to the [[Combined Loyalist Military Command|loyalist ceasefire of October 1994]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=McDonald |first=Henry |date=2007-01-08 |title=David Ervine |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2007/jan/08/obituaries.northernireland |access-date=2025-02-07 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> He was part of a delegation to Downing Street in June 1996 that met then British Prime Minister [[John Major]] to discuss the loyalist ceasefire.

== Forum ==
In 1996 Ervine was elected to the [[Northern Ireland Forum]] from the regional list, having been an unsuccessful candidate in the [[East Belfast (Assembly constituency)|East Belfast]] constituency.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/96eb.htm|title=1996 Candidates – East Belfast|access-date=6 February 2017|archive-date=10 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110230345/http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/96eb.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/96cands.htm|title=1996 Elections – List of Candidates|access-date=6 February 2017|archive-date=10 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110230339/http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/96cands.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Progressive ==
Ervine was considered to be one of the most progressive [[Unionists (Ireland)|unionists]] in Northern Ireland politics. He had been a strong supporter of the [[Good Friday Agreement]] and was one of the few unionist politicians actively to support the Agreement.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-06 |title=Good Friday Agreement: ten key people who helped bring about peace in Northern Ireland 20 years ago |url=https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/news-events/news/2018/04/good-friday-agreement-ten-key-people-who-helped-bring-about-peace-in-northern-ireland-20-years-ago/ |access-date=2025-02-07 |website=www.northumbria.ac.uk |language=en}}</ref> At a [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] meeting in 2001, then [[Northern Ireland Secretary]], [[John Reid, Baron Reid of Cardowan|John Reid]], described him as "one of the most eloquent politicians in Northern Ireland". Some of his political peers, such as [[John Reid, Baron Reid of Cardowan|John Reid]], made references to him having swallowed a dictionary, in reference to coming more informative and educated.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ADAMS: The Man Who Swallowed A Dictionary |url=https://www.irishecho.com/2023/10/adams-the-man-who-swallowed-a-dictionary |access-date=2025-02-07 |website=Irish Echo Newspaper |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=McCann |first=Fiona |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Carceral_Network_in_Ireland/e4vtDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22swallowed%20a%20dictionary%22%20david%20ervine&pg=PA147&printsec=frontcover |title=The Carceral Network in Ireland: History, Agency and Resistance |date=2020-06-26 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-3-030-42184-7 |language=en}}</ref> In ''Landscapes of Defense'', Ervine was seen as one of the few politicians actively engaged with conflict resolution.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gold |first=John R. |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Landscapes_of_Defence/JkmDBAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=david%20ervine%20engaged&pg=PA97&printsec=frontcover |title=Landscapes of Defence |last2=Revill |first2=George |date=2014-09-15 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-87752-3 |language=en}}</ref>

In the [[Northern Ireland Assembly]], he was seen as a Unionist sympathetic to the short-term demands of [[Sinn Féin]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Preiss |first=Bert |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Conflict_at_the_Interface/0wm9DwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=ni%20assembly%20david%20ervine%20sinn%20fein&pg=PA400&printsec=frontcover |title=Conflict at the Interface: Local Community Divisions and Hegemonic Forces in Northern Ireland |date=2020-02-18 |publisher=LIT Verlag Münster |isbn=978-3-643-91191-9 |language=en}}</ref> resisting attempts by the [[Democratic Unionist Party]] (DUP) to exclude Sinn Féin from office in July 2000<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/record/reports/000704.htm#4|title=Northern Ireland Assembly Official Report, 4 July 2000|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060926045216/http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/record/reports/000704.htm#4|archive-date=26 September 2006}}</ref> and October 2001.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/record/reports/011008.htm#3|title=Northern Ireland Assembly Official Report, 8 October 2001|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060926043902/http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/record/reports/011008.htm#3|archive-date=26 September 2006}}</ref> In April 2001, he provoked a direct political attack from the DUP over being the only unionist to vote against a motion condemning the display of lilies commemorating the 1916 [[Easter Rising]] at Parliament Buildings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/record/reports/010410.htm |title=Northern Ireland Assembly Official Report, 10 April 2001 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060926051102/http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/record/reports/010410.htm |archive-date=26 September 2006 }}</ref> Ervine also expressed support for the right of Sinn Féin members to make speeches in [[Irish language|Irish]] on the floor of the Assembly. Later, editors and political commentators such as John Laverty noted how he sat next to Sinn Féin's [[Martin McGuinness]] at the funeral of Northern Ireland football legend [[George Best]] in December 2005 as a sign of how Northern Ireland had moved on.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2005-12-03 |title=Forget the rain; the streets would have been damp with tears anyway |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/forget-the-rain-the-streets-would-have-been-damp-with-tears-anyway/28232545.html |access-date=2025-02-07 |work=BelfastTelegraph.co.uk |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}</ref>

== Independent Monitoring Commission ==
In May 2005, the [[Independent Monitoring Commission]] (IMC) recommended a continuation of the financial sanctions on Ervine's Assembly salary imposed following its report of April 2004. The IMC was of the opinion that the UVF and the PUP maintained strong links while the former was heavily involved in criminality such as drug dealing and tobacco and fuel smuggling. It further noted that the UVF was responsible for a number of acts of violence (including murder) and was actively maintaining its capacity to wage a terrorist campaign. It concluded that, 12 months after the sanctions were originally imposed, the PUP leadership was still not doing enough to address the UVF's criminal and paramilitary activities.

Ervine appealed the IMC's recommendation to newly appointed [[Northern Ireland Secretary]] [[Peter Hain]] on the basis that he could not be held directly responsible for the UVF's actions and thus it was wrong to penalise him personally. Hain accepted his representations and his Assembly salary was fully restored.

The IMC again recommended financial sanctions against Ervine and the PUP. These came in a special report of September 2005 on the violent feud that had erupted between the UVF and the [[Loyalist Volunteer Force]] (LVF) that summer, in which a number of murders and attempted murders had been committed. It argued that the PUP leadership was still in a position significantly to influence the UVF: the party could not have it both ways by associating with an active paramilitary organisation without facing political consequences.

In its final regular reports of Ervine's life in April and October 2006, the IMC concluded that it was satisfied the PUP leadership had taken appropriate action to de-escalate UVF's violence and criminality, and it withdrew its punitive recommendations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independentmonitoringcommission.org |title=Independent Monitoring Commission Website. All reports can be found in publications section |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202034106/http://www.independentmonitoringcommission.org/ |archive-date= 2 February 2007 }}</ref>

== Links with Ulster Unionists ==
On 13 May 2006, it was announced that when the [[Northern Ireland Assembly]] reconvened, Ervine would join the Ulster Unionist assembly group, while remaining leader of the Progressive Unionist Party. Under the [[D'Hondt method]] used for allocating places on the Northern Ireland Executive, this would entitle the Ulster Unionists to an additional place.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4766733.stm|title=Ervine to join UUP assembly group|date=13 May 2006|publisher=BBC|access-date=13 May 2006|archive-date=19 June 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060619204828/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4766733.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Presiding Officer (Speaker) of the Assembly, [[Eileen Bell]] MLA indicated at the first meeting of the 'shadow' Assembly (15 May 2006) that she would take legal advice before ruling on whether Mr Ervine could be treated as a member of the UUP group.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4772777.stm|title=Row as Ervine joins UUP grouping|date=15 May 2006|publisher=BBC|access-date=19 May 2006|archive-date=8 March 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080308074312/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4772777.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 11 September 2006 Ms Bell announced that the Ulster Unionist Party Assembly Group did not have a headquarters, at least one party leader and a scheme for financial support; thus it did not qualify as a political party. This meant that the UUPAG could not sit in the Assembly, so the alliance was deemed as invalid.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/5335004.stm|title=UUP-PUP link 'against the rules'|date=11 September 2006|publisher=BBC}}</ref>

== Identity ==
Ervine was a [[Protestant]] and identified himself as both Irish and British. He once exclaimed "why can't I be an Irish citizen of the UK?" and remarked: "I am profoundly both British and Irish and those who have to deal with me have to take me on those terms."<ref name="sluggerotoole.com"/>

== Allegations of collusion with security forces ==
Ervine dismissed allegations of collusion between loyalists and British security forces as "sheer unadulterated nonsense", saying, "there comes a point when the concept insults me, insomuch as that a [[Provisional IRA|Provo]] could lie in bed and with a crystal ball... could pick their targets but a Prod could only do the same if there was an [[Special Air Service|SAS]] man driving the car".<ref name="Moloney 2010 p.349">Moloney, Ed (2010). ''Voices From the Grave: Two Men's War in Ireland''. Faber & Faber. p.349</ref>

Ervine cited his own arrest, and the number of UVF members in prison at the time, as evidence that widespread collusion did not exist:<blockquote>"The Royal Ulster Constabulary arrested me on possession of explosives; now why did they do that if we lived in a process of collusion? When I went into jail there were 240 UVF men in three compounds, packed in like sardines, and the UVF were a relatively small organisation in comparison to some of the others, but they made up a hell of a percentage of that jail. Where’s collusion there?"<ref name="Moloney 2010 p.349"/></blockquote>

== Illness and death ==
Ervine was reported as having suffered two massive heart attacks and a stroke<ref>[http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/?jp=CWSNCWMHCWGB David Irivine critically ill] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927201034/http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/?jp=CWSNCWMHCWGB |date=27 September 2007 }} breakingnews.ie</ref> after attending a football match between [[Glentoran F.C.|Glentoran]] and [[Armagh City F.C.|Armagh City]] at [[The Oval (Belfast)|The Oval]] in [[Belfast]] on Saturday 6 January 2007. It was later confirmed that he had one heart attack, a stroke and brain haemorrhage.<ref name="RTE_dies">{{cite web | url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0108/ervined.html | title=PUP leader Ervine dies in hospital | date=8 January 2007 | publisher=RTÉ | access-date=8 January 2007 | archive-date=29 September 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929193925/http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0108/ervined.html | url-status=live }}</ref> He was taken to the [[Ulster Hospital]] in [[Dundonald, County Down|Dundonald]] and was later admitted to the [[Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast|Royal Victoria Hospital]] in Belfast.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6239263.stm|title=PUP leader 'critical' in hospital|date=7 January 2007|publisher=BBC|access-date=7 January 2007|archive-date=9 January 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070109093043/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6239263.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> Ervine died on Monday 8 January 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6242215.stm|title=PUP's Ervine has died in hospital|date=7 January 2007|publisher=BBC Northern Ireland|access-date=8 January 2007|archive-date=10 January 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070110084934/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6242215.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> [[RTÉ News: Nine O'Clock|RTÉ News at 9pm]] and its website had reported the previous evening that he had died that day.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0107/ervined.html|title=PUP leader Ervine critical in hospital|date=7 January 2007|publisher=RTÉ|access-date=7 January 2007|archive-date=29 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929194115/http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0107/ervined.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=CWSNCWMHKFOJ|title=Unionist leader Ervine remains in critical condition|date=7 January 2007|publisher=breakingnews.ie|access-date=7 January 2007|archive-date=27 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927200913/http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=CWSNCWMHKFOJ|url-status=live}}</ref> This incorrect reporting led RTÉ's Northern Editor, Tommie Gorman, to apologise for his error.<ref name="RTE_dies" />

Ervine's body was cremated at Roselawn Crematorium after a funeral service on 12 January in East Belfast. It was attended by [[Mark Durkan]], [[George Cassidy (jazz musician)|George Cassidy]], [[Gerry Adams]], [[Peter Hain]], [[Dermot Ahern]], [[Hugh Orde]] and [[David Trimble]], among others.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Holland |first=Curtis C. |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Inequality_Identity_and_the_Politics_of/zq97EAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=david%20ervine%20cassidy&pg=PA112&printsec=frontcover |title=Inequality, Identity, and the Politics of Northern Ireland: Challenges of Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation |date=2022-07-26 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-7936-4883-9 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6252921.stm|title=Hundreds attend Ervine's funeral|date=12 January 2007|access-date=12 January 2007|archive-date=14 January 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070114115245/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6252921.stm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://u.tv/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=79239&pt=n|title=The ITV Hub|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070114213427/http://u.tv/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=79239&pt=n|archive-date=14 January 2007}}</ref>

=== Tributes ===
*[[Brian Ervine]], Ervine's elder brother: "''He had the guts and the courage to climb out of the traditional trenches, meet the enemy in no-man's land and play ball with him''."
*[[Bertie Ahern]] (Taoiseach): ''"(Ervine) was a courageous politician who sought to channel the energies of loyalism in a positive political direction."''<ref name="RTE">{{cite web | url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0108/ervined1.html | title=Leaders' condolences after Ervine death | date=8 January 2007 | publisher=RTÉ | access-date=8 January 2007 | archive-date=3 November 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081103090640/http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0108/ervined1.html | url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Reg Empey]] MLA: ''"Northern Ireland has today lost a unique, charismatic and uncharacteristically spin-free politician."''<ref name="RTE" />
*[[Gerry Adams]] MLA/MP: ''"He made a valuable and important contribution to moving our society away from conflict."''<ref name="RTE" />
*[[George J. Mitchell|George Mitchell]] (Former US Senator): ''"His legacy is that he has led loyalism out of the Dark Ages."''<ref name="stormont">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6243575.stm Stormont silent in Ervine tribute] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070124112027/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6243575.stm |date=24 January 2007 }} BBC (9 January 2007)</ref>
*[[Mark Durkan]] MLA/MP: ''"David emerged from a paramilitary past to pursue a peaceful future. Throughout the talks he played a positive role and worked always to keep loyalism onboard for the Good Friday Agreement." (...) "He also championed a more constructive unionism and argued that we can all gain from political accommodation."<ref>[http://www.independent.ie/national-news/progressive-unionist-leader-ervine-dies-58295.html Progressive Unionist leader Ervine dies] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026092444/http://www.independent.ie/national-news/progressive-unionist-leader-ervine-dies-58295.html |date=26 October 2012 }} The Independent, 8 January 2007</ref>
*[[Trevor Sargent]] TD: ''"His death leaves a major vacuum in terms of the quality of political representatives in Northern Ireland. I hope that the legacy of Mr Ervine's bravery will be taken up by others after him."''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=CWSNCWEYMHQL|title=PUP's Ervine has died in hospital|date=7 January 2007|publisher=BreakingNews.ie|access-date=8 January 2007|archive-date=27 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927201007/http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=CWSNCWEYMHQL|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Tony Blair]] (British Prime Minister): ''"David was a man who, whatever his past, played a major part in this last 10 years in trying to bring peace to Ulster."''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6242353.stm|title=Reaction to PUP leader's death|date=8 January 2007|publisher=BBC|access-date=4 March 2007|archive-date=23 January 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070123232550/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6242353.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
A memorial for David Ervine was erected on the Albertbridge Road, East Belfast.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-01-08 |title=East Belfast service marks 10 years since death of PUP leader David Ervine |url=https://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2017/01/08/news/east-belfast-service-marks-10-years-since-death-of-pup-leader-david-ervine-874624/ |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=The Irish News |language=en}}</ref>

In 2023, Robert Niblock wrote a play about David Ervine, named ''The Man Who Swallowed a Dictionary''. Niblock said attendees ranged from republicans to ex-prisoners and politicians, all of whom had praised the play.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-10-07 |title=David Ervine: New play marks life of former unionist leader |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-67021017 |access-date=2025-01-29 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> It premiered in the [[Lyric Theatre, Belfast|Lyric Theatre]] in August of that year.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-01 |title=Review: The Man Who Swallowed A Dictionary a dramatic eulogy to the late, great David Ervine |url=https://www.irishnews.com/arts/stage/2023/09/01/news/review_the_man_who_swallowed_a_dictionary-3578295/ |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=The Irish News |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Unionism (Ireland)]]
*[[Progressive Unionist Party]]
*[[Ulster Volunteer Force (1966)|Ulster Volunteer Force]]
*[[Ulster Loyalist]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*''David Ervine: Uncharted Waters'' by Henry Sinnerton (2003), {{ISBN|0-86322-312-5}}
*''Loyalists'' by Peter Taylor (1999), {{ISBN|0-7475-4519-7}}

==External links==
*[http://www.pup-ni.org.uk/ PUP Website]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070121081123/http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/article2138120.ece obituary] from [[The Belfast Telegraph]]
*  Ervine Foundation http://davidervine.com/

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{{s-ttl
  | title  = Regional Member
  | years = 1996–1998
}}
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{{s-par|ni/ass}}
{{s-new | assembly }}
{{s-ttl
  | title  = [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (Northern Ireland)|MLA]] for [[Belfast East (Assembly constituency)|Belfast East]]
  | years = 1998–2007
}}
{{s-aft | after = [[Dawn Purvis]] }}
{{s-off}}
{{succession box | title=[[Progressive Unionist Party|Leader of the Progressive Unionist Party]] | before=[[Hugh Smyth]] | after= [[Dawn Purvis]] | years= 2002–2007}}
{{s-end}}
{{Ulster Volunteer Force}}
{{PUP leaders}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ervine, David}}
[[Category:1953 births]]
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
[[Category:Northern Ireland politicians convicted of crimes]]
[[Category:Leaders of political parties in Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:Members of Belfast City Council]]
[[Category:Members of the Northern Ireland Forum]]
[[Category:Northern Ireland MLAs 1998–2003]]
[[Category:Northern Ireland MLAs 2003–2007]]
[[Category:Politicians from Belfast]]
[[Category:Progressive Unionist Party MLAs]]
[[Category:Ulster Volunteer Force members]]
[[Category:Ulster loyalists imprisoned on terrorism charges]]