Eric Smyth

Who is Eric Smyth?

Eric Smyth is a unionist politician and religious minister in Northern Ireland.

Smyth was first elected to Belfast City Council for the Democratic Unionist Party in 1981, representing 'Area F' which was equivalent to the modern wards of Falls, Clonard, Blackstaff and Shaftesbury. However Area F was abolished in 1985, and Smyth moved to the Court district electoral area which covered the Greater Shankill area. He was elected and held his seat at each subsequent election.

In the 1990s, Smyth's two sons were jailed on drugs charges. Following this, he spent considerable time campaigning against drugs, and in 2003 he joined European Cities Against Drugs. In 1995 - 96, he served as Lord Mayor of Belfast, and during his term of office, he formally welcomed Bill Clinton on a visit to Belfast.

At the elections to the Northern Ireland Forum in 1996, Smyth stood in West Belfast, but was unsuccessful, the list he headed winning only 4.2% of the votes cast. However, he was indirectly elected, as being placed seventh on the DUP's regional list ultimately enabled him to take one of the party's two "top-up" seats.

In September 1996, Smyth announced "I have started my boycott. I will not shop in any Catholic shop". He also claimed that "the President [Bill Clinton] stands for republicanism and is a supporter of it". He reversed his boycott call a week later, describing his statement as "a bit hasty".