The Unionist Graduates' Association

The Unionist Graduates' Association was formed in 1993 by a number of members of the Ulster Young Unionist Council with the aim of providing graduates of a unionist disposition with an interesting and enjoyable blend of political and social activities.

There is no requirement that members of the UGA also be members of the Ulster Unionist Party, and joining the UGA does not mean joining the UUP. A firm belief in the intrinsic merits of the continuance of the union between Great Britain and Northern Ireland is sufficient.

An all consuming political commitment and a frantic level of participation is not expected. Members are drawn from graduates from a wide range of universities and third level institutions throughout the United Kingdom and beyond. The prominence of the UGA in spearheading the campaign against the dropping of the National Anthem at Queen's University, Belfast, has contributed to the erroneous impression that the UGA is solely made up of Queen's graduates. This is emphatically not the case.

Nevertheless that campaign has been the most visible evidence of the UGA's existence and activity over the past few years. The publicity that campaign generated however represents a small proportion of the work carried on by the UGA.

The following lists some of the major activities carried on by the UGA since 1993:


  1. The UGA has been in the vanguard of the fight against the increasingly Irish Nationalist agenda being promoted at Queen's University Belfast.

  2. It was responsible for the Extraordinary Meeting of Convocation that called for the reintroduction of the Natioanl Anthem at Graduation Ceremonies.

  3. Organised a seminar on the internal structure of the Ulster Unionist Party and its relationship with outside bodies such as the Orange Order.

  4. Organised a seminar for young politicians from the Republic of Ireland in order to inform them of the situation in Ulster and the way forward from a unionist perspective.

  5. Arranged for Marjorie Mowlam MP (Labour Party Northern Ireland spokesperson) to speak at a fringe meeting at the Ulster Unionist Party Conference.

  6. Taken a number of prospective Parliamentary Candidates from Great Britain on a study tour of Ulster.

  7. Holds an Annual Formal Dinner Dance in the spring with a leading persuader for the union as after dinner speaker.

  8. Holds a number of informal get to know you sessions with politicians, journalists and academics.

  9. Prepared a number of discussion documents to facilitate debate within wider unionist community.

  10. Launched the UUP onto the Internet and World Wide Web.

Membership of the Unionist Graduates Association costs £10.00 per year and is open to graduates and final year students of all universities and colleges of higher or further education as well as those who hold or are studying for a professional qualification.

For further information e-mail queries to uup@uup.org

Page Info by R Bradley © (1996) roger@bradley.thegap.com



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