First Political Career (1982-1987)
Allister joined the DUP at its founding in 1971. He served as a European Parliament assistant to Ian Paisley from 1980 to 1982. In 1982 he was elected as a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont for North Antrim and served as the DUP Assembly Chief Whip. He was also as the Vice-Chairman of Scrutiny Committee of Department of Finance and Personnel from October 1982 to June 1986. Outside the Stormont Assembly, he was a member of Newtownabbey Borough Council from 1985-87. In 1983, he had stood as a DUP candidate in the Westminster election for East Antrim. Although he was the favourite to win he narrowly lost to Roy Beggs by 367 votes.
Following the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement in November 1985 by the Thatcher/FitzGerald governments, he was one of the most vocal and active opponents of the treaty. He was also a prominent member of the Joint Unionist Working Party, a body set up by his party and the Ulster Unionist Party to oversee the unionist campaign against the Agreement. His colleagues Peter Robinson and Sammy Wilson were also members. During the Unionist "Day of Action" on Monday, 3 March 1986, against the Anglo-Irish Agreement, which saw most of Northern Ireland electricity power supplies cut off and its main industry closed down, Allister led numerous Ulster loyalist street protests.
His departure from active politics in June 1987 followed a reported disagreement with Ian Paisley over a voting pact with James Molyneaux's Ulster Unionist Party. The situation resembled fellow unionist politician and barrister Robert McCartney in the North Down constituency. McCartney was later expelled from the UUP around the same time for not accepting the policy of the leadership. Allister and McCartney share the same assessment of the current political process in Northern Ireland, claiming it will ultimately lead to the creation of the political and economic unification of Ireland. The former North Down MP was invited by Allister to speak to the TUV's 2009 annual party conference in Belfast, which McCartney accepted.
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