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Gary McMichael (born 1969〔(Biography on CAIN website )〕) is a Northern Irish former politician, who served as leader of the now defunct Ulster Democratic Party (UDP). McMichael led the UDP during the early stages of the peace process and was instrumental in delivering the loyalist ceasefire of 1994. He is the eldest son of former Ulster Defence Association (UDA) leader John McMichael by his first wife, Phyllis. ==Early years== McMichael left school in his native Lisburn in 1985 to start a job with the civil service, although he subsequently also worked as a youth worker and an insurance salesman.〔Gary McMichael, ''An Ulster Voice: In Search of Common Ground in Northern Ireland'', Roberts Rinehart, 1999, pp. 16–17〕 He became involved in local protests against the Anglo-Irish Agreement soon after it was signed.〔McMichael, ''An Ulster Voice'', p. 18〕 McMichael joined the Lisburn Club, the local branch of the pan-Unionist Ulster Clubs movement that his father had helped to establish, and for a while served as chairman of this branch.〔McMichael, ''An Ulster Voice'', p. 19-20〕 John McMichael was killed on 22 December 1987 and Gary McMichael was informed by police when his name was read out over the public address system at the Ulster Hall in Belfast where he was attending a concert.〔McMichael, ''An Ulster Voice'', p. 26-27〕 In 1988 McMichael became involved with the Ulster Loyalist Democratic Party (as the UDP was then known).〔McMichael, ''An Ulster Voice'', p. 32〕 McMichael served as election co-ordinator for the group and helped to ensure the election of Ken Kerr to Derry City Council in 1989.〔McMichael, ''An Ulster Voice'', p. 34-35〕 He was the UDP candidate in the 1990 Upper Bann by-election, although he finished eighth with 600 votes in a contest won by David Trimble.〔(Westminster By-Election (NI) 17 May 1990 )〕 Although he regularly gave political advice to the UDA's controlling Inner Council he was never a member of the paramilitary organisation, concentrating solely on the political wing.〔Ian S. Wood, ''Crimes of Loyalty: A History of the UDA'', Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2004, p. 191〕 McMichael became a close ally of Ray Smallwoods, serving his political apprenticeship under the UDP chairman.〔McMichael, ''An Ulster Voice'', p. 40-41〕 Smallwoods was killed in 1994 and McMichael succeeded him as UDP leader. Although McMichael roundly condemned the killing of Smallwoods he later conceded that the shooting of Smallwoods, as well as that of Joe Bratty and Raymie Elder soon afterwards, convinced him that a Provisional IRA ceasefire was near as all three had been long-standing targets for the republican group.〔Wood, ''Crimes of Loyalty'', p. 189〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gary McMichael」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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