About this episode

The episode discusses how DUP leader Ian Paisley and his lieutenants, particularly Gregory Campbell, had more moderate views on the peace process than publicly expressed, as revealed by newly declassified documents.

In the 1990s, DUP leader Ian Paisley railed against the peace process, denouncing it as a sellout. But newly declassified documents reveal that some of his lieutenants, including Gregory Campbell, held in fact much more moderate views that those they professed publicly. East Londonderry MP Gregory Campbell has always presented himself as a hardliner who has long been known for tough rhetoric and even gratuitous insults. But formerly secret files from the UK’s archive in Kew have revealed a different side to him and that he and other senior DUP figures were keen to play a part in the peace talks, with NIO officials regarding them as key DUP moderates.  The Belfast Telegraph’s Northern Ireland editor, Sam McBride, joins Ciarán Dunbar.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Ciarán Dunbar

Guest: Gregory Campbell

Topics covered

• DUP
• peace process
• Northern Ireland
• politics
• moderation
• historical documents

Keywords

• DUP
• Ian Paisley
• Gregory Campbell
• peace talks
• Northern Ireland
• Kew files
• political history
• moderates

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: DUP, Belfast Telegraph, NIO

Places: East Londonderry, Kew

More episodes of The BelTel

• Bonus: Olympic Swimmer Conor Ferguson: How to How to turn setbacks into business lessons | In Good Company · May 2, 2026 · 32 min
• Julia Holmes: The Castlederg woman, her many aliases, and the lives she destroyed · April 30, 2026 · 25 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The BelTel podcast page.