John Hume - Beginnings, Political career, Reputation, Retirement, Further reading, Quotes

Northern Ireland politician, born in Londonderry, Co Londonderry, NW Northern Ireland, UK. He studied at the National University of Ireland, and was a founder member of the Credit Union Party, which was a forerunner to the Social Democratic Labour Party (SDLP). He sat in the Northern Ireland parliament (1969–72) and the Northern Ireland Assembly (1972–3), and became widely respected as a moderate, non-violent member of the Catholic community. He became SDLP leader in 1979, and in the same year was elected to the European Parliament. He has represented Foyle in the House of Commons since 1983. In 1993 he and Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams began a series of discussions, the Hume–Adams peace initiative, intended to bring about an end to violence in Northern Ireland. This helped create the climate for John Major and Albert Reynolds' Downing Street Declaration (1993), setting out general principles for peace talks in Northern Ireland. He shared the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize with David Trimble for his efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict, and in the same year was elected to the newly formed Northern Ireland Assembly. He stepped down as leader of the SDLP in 2001 and as an MEP in 2004. In 2002 he was awarded the Gandhi Peace Prize.

John Hume (born 18 January 1937) is a Northern Irish politician, and co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize, with David Trimble of the UUP. He has served as an MEP and a Member of Parliament for the Foyle (constituency), as well as a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in the modern political history of Northern Ireland and one of the architects of the Northern Ireland peace process there.

Beginnings

Hume was born in the predominantly Irish nationalist city of Derry, and educated at St. Columb's College and at St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, the leading Catholic seminary in Ireland and a recognised college of the National University of Ireland, where he intended to study for the priesthood. Hume became a leading figure in the civil rights movement in the late 1960s, having been prominent in the unsuccessful fight to have Northern Ireland's second university established in Derry in the mid-sixties.

Political career

Hume became an independent member of the Northern Ireland Parliament in 1969 at the height of the civil rights campaign. He has also served as one of Northern Ireland's three Member of the European Parliaments and has served on the faculty of Boston College, from which he received an honorary degree in 1995.

Hume was directly involved in 'secret talks' with the British government and Sinn Féin, in effort to bring Sinn Féin to the discussion table openly. Hume hadn't stopped there though, and continued dialogue with both the government and Sinn Féin.

Reputation

Hume is credited with being the thinker behind many of the recent political developments in Northern Ireland, from Sunningdale power-sharing to the Anglo-Irish Agreement and the Belfast Agreement.

On his retirement from the leadership of the SDLP in 2001 he was praised across the political divide, even by his longtime opponent, fellow MP and MEP, the Rev. Ian Paisley, although, ironically, Conor Cruise O'Brien, the iconoclastic Irish writer and former politician was a scathing critic of Hume, for what O'Brien perceived as Hume's anti-Protestant bias, but this is definitely a minority viewpoint.

Retirement

On 4 February 2004, Hume announced his complete retirement from politics, and shepherded Mark Durkan as the SDLP leader and successor.

Hume and his wife, Pat, continue to be active in promoting European integration, issues around global poverty and the Credit Union movement. One of the 44 honorary doctorates Hume has been awarded.

Further reading

John Hume, 'Personal views, politics, peace and reconciliation in Ireland,' Town House, Dublin, 1996. John Hume, ‘Derry beyond the walls: social and economic aspects of the growth of Derry,' Ulster Historical foundation, Belfast, 2002. Barry White, 'John Hume: a statesman of the troubles,' Blackstaff, Belfast, 1984 George Drower, 'John Hume: man of peace,' Gollancz, London, 1995. Paul Routledge, 'John Hume: a biography,' Harper-Collins, London, 1997 Gerard Murray, 'John Hume and the SDLP: impact and survival in Northern Ireland,' Irish Academic Press, Dublin, 1998.

Quotes

"Over the years, the barriers of the past--the distrust and prejudices of the past--will be eroded, and a new society will evolve, a new Ireland based on agreement and respect for difference."