Ian Parsley

This article uses bare URLs, which may be threatened by link rot. Please consider converting them to full citations to ensure the article remains verifiable and maintains a consistent citation style. Several templates and tools are available to assist in formatting, such as reFill (documentation). (May 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Ian James Parsley (born 3 May 1977) is a businessman and former, part-time politician from Northern Ireland. He was the Alliance Party candidate at the 2009 European elections,^[1] and served as Deputy Mayor of North Down.

He attracted considerable criticism and caused much controversy by endorsing the Conservatives and Unionists^[2] and standing as a parliamentary candidate for North Down in the 2010 General Election, but later that same year he left the Conservative Party having completed a year-long project with the Centre for Social Justice and subsequently rejoined the Alliance Party. He is an outspoken opponent of Brexit.

Background[]

Although of Northern Irish heritage on his mother's side, Parsley was born in Yorkshire and educated at Merchant Taylors' School and Newcastle University, graduating in Modern Languages.^{[citation needed]}

Parsley currently works in public relations, as a media commentator on languages, welfare reform and football, and is a Director of Northern Ireland Screen.^[3] He was also Chair of the European Movement in Northern Ireland.

Other activities[]

Parsley is a writer in and about Ulster Scots^[4] and, despite having run against her at the 2010 General Election, he has campaigned alongside Lady Hermon on support for people with dementia and their carers.^[5]

Personal life[]

Parsley has been married to South Belfast Alliance MLA Paula Bradshaw since 2011. He is an avid Arsenal FC fan and a keen language hobbyist, a subject about which he often writes.^[6]

References[]

Further reading[]

• "Alliance star jumps ship to join the Tories". Belfast Telegraph. Independent News & Media. 12 September 2009. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
• "Hermon no garnish for Ian Parsley". The Irish Times. 4 April 2010. Retrieved 29 March 2012. (subscription required)
• "Tories threaten to go it alone in assembly poll". News Letter. JPI Media. 10 June 2010. Retrieved 29 March 2012.^{[dead link]}
• "Ian Parsley leaves the Tories". Belfast Telegraph. Independent News & Media. 22 November 2010. Retrieved 29 March 2012.

This article about a Northern Ireland politician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

• v
• t