fbpx Ian Paisley to deliver Attlee Lecture - Haileybury

Ian Paisley to deliver Attlee Lecture

The Rt Hon Rev Dr Ian Paisley MP, MLA will deliver the 18th Attlee Memorial Lecture in Big School on Thursday, 15 October 2009 from 5.25pm.

Dr Paisley is an iconic and long-serving figure in the politics of unionism in Northern Ireland. Born in County Armagh in 1926, he was ordained as a Presbyterian Minister and joined the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster, serving as Moderator for several decades. His political philosophy revolved around organising the Northern Ireland Protestant community’s defence against expected activities of the anti-British Irish Republican Army.

At the 1970 General Election, he was elected Member of Parliament for North Antrim and went on to found the Democratic Unionist Party, remaining as its leader until 2008, when he stepped down after serving also as First Minister of Northern Ireland.

As a major figure at the heart of the troubles over many years, Dr Paisley will bring both personal experience and deep political understanding to the questions of leadership.

The annual Attlee Memorial Lecture honours our famous OH, Clement Attlee, who left Haileybury in 1901 and went on to become Prime Minister from 1945 to 1951.

The general title of the Attlee Lecture addresses is “Leadership”, in the belief that at least some of our pupils will in time go on to take up positions of leadership and responsibility in the years after they leave Haileybury.