Rhonda Paisley

Rhonda Paisley (styled "The Hon."Fact|date=July 2008) is an artist, author, and former politician from Northern Ireland. She is the daughter of DUP leader and Northern Irelands First Minister Ian Paisley, is unmarried, and lives with her parents in the family home. [See Irish Examiner news report dated 17 Nov 2005 available [http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2005/11/17/story343539481.asp here] .] She attended Bob Jones University in the United States (the same institution her father received his honorary degree from), where she was awarded a BA in Fine Art.

Political career

Paisley has served as a Belfast City councillor for the DUP. Sammy Wilson named her as Lady Mayoress during his tenure as Lord Mayor of Belfast

Media career

Paisley once guest presented "Saturday Live", a TV chat-show on the Republic of Ireland's RTÉ One channel. Her father was one of her guests.

Controversy

The day after a series of Ulster Freedom Fighter (UFF) incendiary bombings on shops in the Republic of Ireland during July 1991, Paisley claimed the bombings had been "perfectly understandable" given the "betrayal" of Northern Ireland by the British government. [CAIN project Chronology of the Conflict available [http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch91.htm here.] ] A serving DUP councillor at the time, Paisley was widely condemned in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Legal action

Paisley has previously taken a case to a Fair Employment Tribunal in 1998. The case was against the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, in which she alleged religious discrimination. [Religious discrimination is valuing a person or group lower because of their religion, or treating someone differently because of what they do or don't believe.] The case was raised in 1998 and Paisley was awarded £24,249. The ruling was that she had been discriminated against on account of her religious beliefs and political opinions when applying for the post of an arts co-operation officer in 1995.

Up until 2004, Paisley worked as her father's assistant while he was a member of the European Parliament. When he stood down, she became unemployed and stood forward for a position within the DUP. In March 2005 Paisley launched a legal action alleging gender discrimination against the DUP, which names her father Ian Paisley, after she failed in her application for a post in the policy and communications unit in the DUP. [Details on the case and background to proceedings available [http://www.villagemagazine.ie/article.asp?sid=1&sud=40&aid=811 here] .]

References

External links

* [http://www.claregallery.com/gallery.aspx?browse=artist&artist=17 Profile of Rhonda Paisley the artist]