Paul Butler (politician)

{{Infobox officeholder

|honorific-prefix =

|name = Paul Butler

|honorific-suffix =

|image =

|imagesize = 150px

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|constituency_AM = Lagan Valley

|assembly = Northern Ireland

|majority =

|term_start = 7 March 2007

|term_end = 5 May 2011

|predecessor = Marietta Farrell

|successor = Brenda Hale

| office1 = Member of
Lisburn City Council

| constituency1 = Dunmurry Cross

| term_start1 = 21 May 1997

| term_end1 = 5 May 2011

| predecessor1 = Patrick Rice

| successor1 = David Bell

|birth_date =

|birth_place = Lisburn, Northern Ireland

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|party = Sinn Féin

|otherparty =

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|website = [http://www.sinnfein.ie/contents/14969 Sinn Féin]

|footnotes =

}}Paul Butler (Irish: Pól de Buitléir[http://www.seelb.org.uk/board_publications/pdfs/annual_report_2004-05.pdf Microsoft Word – PC1928.doc] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717130212/http://www.seelb.org.uk/board_publications/pdfs/annual_report_2004-05.pdf |date=17 July 2011 }}) is an Irish republican politician in Northern Ireland. He is a former member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and served 15 years in prison after being convicted of murdering a police officer. He served as a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Lagan Valley from 2007 to 2011.{{cite web| work=The Belfast Telegraph| url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/election07/article2341427.ece| title=Lagan Valley: Sinn Féin secure first seat| date=9 March 2007}}{{cite web|publisher=BBC | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/vote2007/nielection/html/353.stm| title=Lagan Valley: Election results| date=9 March 2007}}

Involvement in the Troubles

In 1974 (aged 17) Butler confessed to, and was convicted of, the murder of 50-year-old reserve Royal Ulster Constabulary officer John Rodgers. Rogers was murdered in an IRA gun attack near the Glen Inn in Glengormley. Butler was given a life sentence, for which he spent 15 years in jail.{{cite web| publisher=Hansard| url=http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.com/pa/cm199798/cmhansrd/vo980610/debtext/80610-42.htm| title=Hansard – UK Parliament| date=10 June 1998| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716220257/http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.com/pa/cm199798/cmhansrd/vo980610/debtext/80610-42.htm| archive-date=16 July 2011}}{{Cite web |last=Thompson |first=David |date=19 Jun 2024 |title=Police killer Ex-MLA endorses Alliance Lagan Valley candidate in general election after Sinn Fein pulls out of race |url=https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/politics/police-killer-ex-mla-endorses-alliance-lagan-valley-candidate-in-general-election-after-sinn-fein-pulls-out-of-race-4672580}}

Lisburn City Council

Paul Butler was the leader of the Sinn Féin group on the Lisburn City Council. The party held four seats on the council at the time, making it the third party and the largest nationalist party.

Butler had a served as a Councillor for Lisburn City Council from 1997 until 2011 and was a member of their Strategic Policy, Planning and Finance Committees.{{cite web| publisher=Sinn Féin| url=http://www.irelandofequals.com/constituencies/1159| title=Ard Fheis speech by Paul Butler, Sinn Féin councillor on Lisburn City Council| date=10 March 2007| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://archive.today/20120903145049/http://www.irelandofequals.com/constituencies/1159| archive-date=3 September 2012}}{{cite web|work=The Guardian |location=UK| url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,,-8416,00.html| title=Candidate Profile – Paul Butler| date=10 March 2007}} Butler campaigned against discrimination on the council, culminating in the Irish Government sending a representative to witness council proceedings. Nationalists claim that the unionist majority on the council has prevented nationalists from taking council positions. Butler successfully campaigned for the town to gain city status.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}

Westminster elections

Butler stood in the UK general elections in 2001 and 2005 in the Lagan Valley constituency but was not elected.{{cite web| publisher=Ark| url=http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/alv.htm| title=Lagan Valley election history| date=10 March 2007}}

In October 2023, he called on Sinn Féin and the SDLP to not stand a candidate in Lagan Valley in the 2024 general election.{{Cite web |last=Breslin |first=John |date=2023-10-23 |title=Former Sinn Féin MLA calls on his party and SDLP to stand aside in Lagan Valley in general election |url=https://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2023/10/23/news/former_sinn_fein_mla_calls_on_his_party_and_sdlp_to_stand_aside_in_lagan_valley_in_general_election-3721296/ |access-date=2023-12-08 |website=The Irish News |language=en}}

Standing down

Butler announced that he will not contest the May Assembly elections after only one term as an MLA. "I am standing down," confirmed Butler. "The Party's position on this is that anyone who is a councillor and an MLA should only have one job."{{cite web|last=Baker|first=Pete|title=Slugger O'Toole - SF MLA Paul Butler to stand down|url=http://sluggerotoole.com/2011/01/13/sf-mla-paul-butler-to-stand-down/|publisher=Slugger O'Toole|access-date=29 August 2012}}

Assembly elections

=Results of the election to the Northern Irish Assembly, Lagan Valley, 2003=

class="wikitable"

! colspan="2" rowspan="1" align="center" valign="top" | Party

! valign="top" | Candidate

! valign="top" | 1st Pref

! valign="top" | Result

| align="right" |Jeffrey Donaldson

| align="right" |14,104

| align="right" |Elected

| align="right" |Edwin Poots

| align="right" |5,175

| align="right" |Elected

| align="right" |Seamus Close

| align="right" |4,408

| align="right" |Elected

| align="right" |Andrew Hunter

| align="right" |3,300

| align="right" |Not Elected

| align="right" |Paul Butler

| align="right" |3,242

| align="right" |Not Elected

| align="right" |Patricia Lewsley*

| align="right" |3,133

| align="right" |Elected

| align="right" |Billy Bell

| align="right" |2,782

| align="right" |Elected

| align="right" |Ivan Davis

| align="right" |2,223

| align="right" |Not elected

| align="right" |Norah Beare

| align="right" |1,508

| align="right" |Elected

| align="right" |Jim Kirkpatrick

| align="right" |675

| align="right" |Not elected

| align="right" |Joanne Johnston

| align="right" |395

| align="right" |Not elected

| align="right" |Andrew Park

| align="right" |212

| align="right" |Not elected

| align="right" |Frances McCarthy

| align="right" |97

| align="right" |Not elected

Patricia Lewsley was appointed as Children's Commissioner and was replaced as an MLA by Marietta Farrell

=Results of the election to the Northern Irish Assembly, Lagan Valley, 2007=

Butler became the first Sinn Féin member for Lagan Valley in the Northern Irish Assembly. He won the SDLP seat previously held by Patricia Lewsley and subsequently Marietta Farrell. Butler was the only nationalist elected in the six-seater constituency.

class="wikitable"

! colspan="2" rowspan="1" align="center" valign="top" | Party

! valign="top" | Candidate

! valign="top" | 1st Pref

! valign="top" | Result

! valign="top" | Count

| align="right" |Jeffrey Donaldson

| align="right" |9,793

| align="right" |Elected

| align="right" |1

| align="right" |Paul Butler

| align="right" |5,098