William recalls Council 'Hay' days

WHEN Alderman William Hay steps away from his seat on Derry City Council next month his place will be filled by a 20-year-old.

Londonderry's newest unionist representative, Gary Middleton, readily admits he will have "big shoes to fill" when he takes over. But, for William Hay handing the political baton over to a man 40 years his junior represents not only the end of an era but in his view is also testament to the continued growth of his party, the DUP.

William Hay has been an elected representative on the city's local authority for almost thirty years. First elected to Council with Gregory Campbell back in 1981, William Hay's association with unionist politics stretches back much further than that.

Active in politics since the age of 16, William has also enjoyed a life-long association with all of the Loyal Orders, but of course would have a particularly high profile as a member of the Apprentice Boys of Derry and the Orange Order.

In terms of family involvement in politics, William's late mother Anna was foremost amongst the pioneering members of the DUP in Londonderry. It is easy to tell from listening to Mr Hay that the maternal influence imparted by his mother still plays a role in his every day life and work. Mrs Hay was elected to local authority for the DUP in 1973 and it was from her that William took over the seat in the early '80s. The family connection at council level was also added to by William's twin sister Annette also serving as a DUP councillor for a period.

In a political career that has taken him from packing envelopes with party literature, to becoming a councillor, Deputy Mayor and Mayor of Londonderry and eventually Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, William Hay is adamant that the constant factor for success in political life is constituency work, and that work, he told the Sentinel, remains his "first love."

Commenting on his time in local government William said: "They were difficult years, but it's a different time now. Young people can now view politics as a career. Back then, there was no financial gain. Yet, our hearts were in it, that's why we were involved.

"Then, we were in the middle of a terrorist campaign. When you turned the radio on each morning all we heard about was another dead body being found in an alleyway. Still, I'll look back on those years in local government with fondness.

"I can remember my mother going for election back in 1973. That was just after the reorganisation of local government and it was a difficult election. Then in 1977 John Henry was elected and next time in 1981, Gregory and myself were elected. So very quickly, over a period of three elections we had a few representatives on council.

"Back in 1973, I remember the UUP telling my mother that they had only lent her the seat, but time after time, it was the DUP who gained ground. And, working on the ground was the key."

Whilst a 30 year career in any field is a laudable achievement, surviving thirty years as an elected representative at the mercy of the electorate every couple of years is a different prospect entirely.

However, William Hay is still appreciative of those people, family and colleagues, who helped him along the way.

"I would like to pay tribute to Gregory for the leadership, sometimes very courageous leadership, he has shown on Council.

"When we were beginning at local authority level, unionists in Londonderry, were going through very difficult times," said William.

The demographic shift of many thousands from within the Protestant community from the city side because of the conflict in Londonderry, was a pressing issue in the '70s and '80s. Whilst it still remains a thorny topic in this city, back then the Exodus as it has become known, was for the unionist community a matter of providing safety for those from that section of the community.

Mr Hay said: "My father was a milkman in those days and I remember his van being given over to help shift people to the Waterside."

However, it was another issue, also still prevalent for unionists here, that would provide the first real political test for an electorally successful DUP, just three years into their first council term.

In 1984, the notion of changing the official name of the city from Londonderry to Derry first arose.

William told the Sentinel: "It was a different type of politics back in 1984. Bear in mind that back then council was the only elected body that people could come and speak to. It was difficult for unionist people because here was a nationalist dominated council taking away their Britishness and digging away at the heart of unionism.

"We had people in those days determined to push this through. Chris Patten, then Minister for the Department of the Environment will never be forgotten by the unionist people for pushing through the final decision to change the name of the council area.

"After all these years, there are people who still refer back to that on the doorsteps. The lesson was never learned by some of how divisive for the communities this issue actually is. But, at the moment the issue has been put to bed. 8,000 signatures recently presented to council opposing this helped achieve this.

"Throughout the last challenge to the name I maintained that we should hold our nerve and we could win on this point.

"Unionists want to play a part in this city, we want to live in peace with our nationalist neighbours, we want to see jobs being delivered, economic investment and development take place."

Successful politicians of all hues often prove to be the ones prepared to take risks that will either make or break a career. To this end, the issue of parading during the mid-1990s, was for William on a personal basis, one that set him at odds not only with the nationalist community, but with elements of his own community as well.

He said: "Personally, I have always been involved with all the loyal orders, but particularly with the Apprentice Boys and the Orange Order.

"I saw this as a seriously divisive issue for the city as a whole as well as a threat to Protestant culture. But, the Apprentice Boys took a level headed approach to it and fought hard to gain recognition of the fact that 75 per cent of the population of the city was nationalist and we were trying to get an area that for us was historically significant but had demographically changed over the years. We were also faced with educating the nationalist population about our culture. We eventually managed to convince people that we were part of the city.

"Most of the places that matter to the loyal orders and unionism are contained on the West Bank. The world head quarters of the Apprentice Boys is there, St Columb's Cathedral is there as are some other very important churches, the Siege took place there, the War Memorial is there.

"Parades had to take place there - if they had been confined to the Waterside then this city would have been truly divided once and for all."

The DUP MLA candidly admits that he did suffer criticism from within his own community in that fraught and violent era 15 years ago.

"I kept telling people that if they had another way forward that they should come and tell us. We were not going cap in hand to ask people to allow us to celebrate our culture, but we did need to talk and let people know what our culture was about and therefore continue to celebrate it on the West Bank.

"We could not continue with a situation where 3 to 4 million of damage was being caused to the city every time we had a parade. In that respect the Londonderry Chamber of Commerce and the other business leaders who stuck their heads above the parapet to help in those days have to be thanked as well. These are the people who helped to keep open our traditional routes.

"To have done nothing in that era would have resulted in no parades taking place on the West Bank, I am still convinced of that. I believe the city centre should be a shared place for everyone.

"There were long hours spent talking in those years, they were very difficult negotiations. I almost contemplated failure at one point. But, all those who took risks in that time need to be congratulated. There is still work to be done and I am still involved in this even yet on a weekly, sometimes daily basis," said William.

A decade and a half on from the violence of 1995 and 1996, where Londonderry and the rest of Northern Ireland saw the worst outbreak of civil unrest since the early 1970s, the now speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, further reinforced the stand he took in those years.

He told the Sentinel: "Its the easiest thing in the world to stand up in a hall and shout abuse. But, if you want to defend your culture, you need to be in there and not worry about who else was sometimes at the table.

"However, they were crazy times. At Drumcree and across Northern Ireland there was severe unrest, but in this city we were going to meetings in order to make sure we could celebrate our culture in a way that would not offend anyone."

Heavy political debate and intrigue aside, William Hay recalled that despite the murder and mayhem on the streets there were many moments of humour in the early days.

"In fact I was talking to the SDLP's Mary Bradley, who has recently announced retirement from the Assembly, and who has been a friend of mine for a long time about how there is no fun in politics any more.

"I can remember the time when Gregory Campbell chained himself to the desk in the council chamber in a protest and threw the key for the lock away and had to be cut free by the police.

"We were also expelled from the chamber by the police. We also took over the Guildhall several times in rates protests and against the Anglo-Irish Agreement.

"I also remember two nationalist councillors threatening to go outside to fight each other, and blows were actually thrown.

"But, I suppose these were serious enough issues, and I am thankful its not the same as that any more," laughed William.

He continued: "But at the end, all through those difficult years, I suppose the party was only finding its feet. I have witnessed a lot of change in local government and not all for the good. While we will retain 26 councils for another couple of years or so, slimming local government down will eventually prove more effective for everyone."

When asked by the Sentinel what his response would have been in 1973 when campaigning on behalf of his mother, if someone had told him he would be Speaker of a newly generated Northern Ireland Assembly, William said: "I would have told them they needed their head looked at!"

A perennial theme that has run through William Hay's electioneering has been the need to preserve the remaining unionist Assembly seat in Foyle.

As another poll beckons in May 2011, the DUP man is already back on the hustings.

"Even though we have lost Claudy and Banagher to East Londonderry, which would represent around 800 unionist votes we can still retain the seat in Foyle.

"Unionists in Londonderry cannot afford the luxury of having three or four unionist parties to choose from because it shreds the vote. We must retain the seat this time again.

"I have demonstrated time and again that I can deliver the seat. It would be a tragedy if unionism in Londonderry lost the seat. I am not criticising any other unionist party here, but we need to guard against the possibility of losing it."

William Hay has now almost completed an entire electoral term as Speaker of the Assembly - a role, as said, he never envisaged taking on.

"I was given the great privilege of being asked to be Speaker in 2007. I didn't jump at the job, to be honest I didn't know a great deal about it. But, I thought, if I could guide the Assembly through a full term, the first full term without suspension in its history, it would provide a stabilising effect and move politics on in Northern Ireland.

"We are not operating an ideal political system in Northern Ireland, but we had to start somewhere. Down the line we will be looking at a much more democratic system, and hopefully take decisions a lot more quickly. I think as the Assembly beds down it will become more lean with less MLAs, less ministers and departments. I think this will help move politics on for everyone.

"I am delighted that again the members of the DUP's Foyle Association have chosen to send me forward to stand in an election for the Assembly. And, I as come up to my full term as Speaker, I would accept the role again for another term should it be offered to me.

"I feel that rather than hamper local representation when fulfilling the role of Speaker it has actually improved it because I can get access to ministers and department heads much more quickly than before.

"I hope I have done the Speaker's job in an even handed way. It is always with a very heavy heart that I have had to discipline MLAs and I have always tried to reach a compromise with them behind the scene rather than have to do it in the Chamber.

"Local representation is vitally important to me. My mother always told me, no matter what position you attain in life, you should never forget where you come from. So as my time at council comes to an end, I hope people think I have done good work and that I have left something good behind."

William Hay says that he will remain in touch will his party's councillors and is willing to offer advice on the issues that they are confronted with. In the current climate he says that the major issues that need to be addressed particularly concern senior citizens and the youth of the city.

"We are reaching a point where in 2011 the unemployed figures in Northern Ireland could reach 60,000. Senior citizens, people who have worked all their lives are facing making choices between heating and food. That is not right.

"But, we are lucky that our representatives in Foyle and our party workers are a very good team and are working on a range of issues.

"Whilst I leave the council with a lot of sadness I know that in the form of Gary Middleton, there is someone that will do a great job."

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