My Life in Loyalism

by Gareth Mulvenna, Billy Hutchinson

Growing up in the Shankill area of Belfast and living through the sectarian turmoil of the late 1960s, Billy Hutchinson joined the UVF in the early 1970s. In 1974, at the age of just 19, he was sentenced to life in prison, and it was in the cages of Long Kesh that he first came under the influence of loyalist icon Gusty Spence. Hutchinson spent much of the 1980s as overall Commanding Officer of UVF/Red Hand Commando prisoners, and upon his release, became involved with the recently established Progressive Unionist Party. As an authentic link between the UVF and the PUP, he was at the forefront of negotiations that led to the Belfast Agreement and was the UVF’s point of contact during the weapons decommissioning programme. Written with candour and honesty, this is a lively first-hand account of an extraordinary life and reveals previously hidden episodes of both the Northern Ireland Troubles and the high-profile negotiations that led to the Belfast Agreement of 1998. From Tartan gang member to leading loyalist paramilitary, and from progressive unionist politician to respected Belfast City Councillor, My Life in Loyalism is Billy Hutchinson’s remarkable story.

300 pages, Paperback

Published December 23, 2020

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was both an interesting and a difficult one to read. Given that Billy Hutchinson was convicted of murder during the early years of the Northern Ireland "Troubles", and has never expressed remorse for actions that he believed were militarily necessary, I read it for reasons of empathy rather than sympathy. The subject of the autobiography is someone whom I know to see, and have exchanged pleasantries with, but do not "know" in any meaningful sense. His version of Ulster Loyalism is very different to mine in some respects, with his being secular, mine being overtly Protestant; his being of a paramilitary variety, mine being focused on the loyal orders and other more genteel unionist outlets.

In other respects, we do share certain similarities. We are both from working-class backgrounds (though mine would be seen as more "respectable" and distant from inner-city Belfast), and we both left school at the earliest opportunity, only to go into higher education later in life. We both support Linfield Football Club, which is where I have seen him in person. We both share a certain scepticism towards the politics of Paisleyism, though my critique of Ian Paisley would be more nuanced and less bitter than Mr Hutchinson's. Ironically, though, Mr Hutchinson and Dr Paisley agreed on the issue of teetotalism. While I cannot go that far, I agree with his observations regarding the effects of alcohol consumption on people. It is for that reason I am warier of it than some Christians who overreact to teetotalism by becoming triumphalists.

I cannot condone the Ulster Volunteer Force owing to its campaign of sectarian murder. Nevertheless, it is wrong to dismiss those involved in either it or the Ulster Defence Association as uneducated thugs. It is clear from both this book and Ian Wood's monograph on the UDA that people in the loyalist paramilitaries were often highly intelligent, deep thinkers. Relevant to this point is the fact that Mr Hutchinson spent a lot of his childhood and youth reading in Shankill Library. Visiting libraries and reading physical books are lost in a generation raised on tablets and smartphones. During Mr Hutchinson's time in prison, he did think long and hard about how to seek a peaceful solution to the Northern Ireland conflict. While I differ with his support for the Belfast Agreement of 1998, I do understand what he and other pro-agreement unionists were trying to achieve.

The sort of Progressive Unionism he advocates is, to my mind, something of a contradiction. While he criticises "Big House" unionism for being insufficiently "socialist" and aloof from the Protestant working class, he fails to appreciate that unionism, by its very nature, is a conservative outlook. That does not mean that it cannot accommodate some "socialist" elements such as the post-1945 Welfare State, but, fundamentally, unionism is about preserving what is good in opposition to the wild utopianism of Irish Republicanism.

Despite his harsh reflections on Ian Paisley, I got the impression that Mr Hutchinson was less opposed to other evangelical Christians. In the context of criticising the Protestant clergy, perhaps a bit unfairly, for going missing during "The Troubles" in Belfast, he said that he was "a devout atheist" at that stage in his life. This comment implied that he was less dogmatic in his opinions nowadays. As someone who had a hard start to life, was convicted of murder, and spent many years in prison, and who is now in his late sixties, I could not help but feel great pity for his lost condition. In all honesty, I hope that he comes to saving faith in Christ.

Given that I got the book for £3.00, including postage, from Amazon, I consider it money well spent.

[Senioreuge · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a work that I was eagerly wanting to read. I was seeking some knowledge that would assist me in my own understanding of the sectarian conflict as seen from the unionist perspective by a participant, which has been on going in Northern Ireland since the "bloody" inception of the Unionist statelet 100 years ago. Just what was it in Billy Hutchinson's background that lead him on his journey? Unfortunately there was no real reason or series of reasons offered to allow a better understanding of his rationale. It could not be reaction to armed IRA actions, since the UVF were on a murderous campaign several years before the PIRA came into existence and the OIRA showed that they were useless to defend "catholic areas" from being bombed and burned during the August 1969 pogroms.
I had also hoped that he would explain what he meant by the terms "loyalism and loyalist", and what differentiated him or them from other unionists, Alas he was not forthcoming.
In this bio he charts his progress from football hooligan to fully fledged sectarian terrorist, a progression he willingly sought. And despite years of reflection he can see no contradiction in how he reacts to the murders in McGurks with his reaction to the murders in the 4 step inn, among other atrocities. A great pity really, missed opportunity..