Editing Ian Paisley (section)

===Unionist Action Council strike===
In 1977 the [[United Unionist Action Council]] (UUAC) was formed out of the UUUC. The council was chaired by [[Joseph Burns (Northern Ireland politician)|Joseph Burns]] and included Paisley, [[Ernest Baird]] (leader of the [[United Ulster Unionist Movement]]), members of the Ulster Workers' Council, and leaders of loyalist paramilitaries including the UDA, [[Orange Volunteers (1972)|Orange Volunteers]] and [[Down Orange Welfare]]. The UUAC also established its own loyalist vigilante group called the [[Ulster Service Corps]] (USC).<ref name=cain-u/>

On 3 May 1977, the UUAC organised a general strike. It was seen by the public as "Paisley's strike", due to his prominent role in it.<ref name=1977strikesummary>[http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/uuac/sum.htm United Unionist Action Council (UUAC) Strike (1977) – Summary of Events] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141007033000/http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/uuac/sum.htm |date=7 October 2014 }}. [[Conflict Archive on the Internet]] (CAIN). Retrieved 22 September 2014.</ref> The main aims of the strike were to restore devolved government to Northern Ireland under a system of simple majority (i.e. unionist) rule and to force the British Government to introduce tougher security measures against the IRA.<ref name=1977strikesummary/> As in 1974, loyalist paramilitaries tried to enforce the strike by blocking roads, intimidating workers and attacking businesses that refused to co-operate.<ref name=1977strikechronology>[http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/uuac/chron.htm United Unionist Action Council (UUAC) Strike (1977) – Chronology of Events] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314171433/http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/uuac/chron.htm |date=14 March 2012 }}. [[Conflict Archive on the Internet]] (CAIN). Retrieved 22 September 2014.</ref> However, unlike in 1974, many workers refused to join the strike and the security forces were better prepared.<ref name=1977strikechronology/> The Ulster Service Corps set up roadblocks and carried out patrols in rural areas. Some members carried guns, although these were generally legally-held firearms.<ref>Wood, Ian S., ''Crimes of Loyalty: A History of the UDA'', Edinburgh University Press, 2006, p. 64</ref> During a speech in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]], Paisley claimed to have taken part in some of these patrols and encouraged his supporters to join the group.<ref>Wood, ''Crimes of Loyalty'', pp. 64–65</ref> On 10 May, Protestant bus driver Harry Bradshaw was shot dead by loyalists for working during the strike, and UDR soldier John Geddis was killed when loyalists bombed a petrol station that had stayed open.<ref name=1977strikechronology/> That same day, Paisley, Baird and other members of the UUAC were arrested at a roadblock outside Ballymena. Paisley was charged with obstruction of the highway and then released.<ref name=1977strikechronology/>

On 13 May, the strike was called off. The strike was widely seen as a failure, but Paisley—who had said he would quit politics if it failed—declared it a success and continued his career.<ref name=1977strikesummary/> The RUC later reported that three people had been killed by loyalists during the strike, 41 RUC officers had been injured, there had been thousands of reports of intimidation, and 115 people had been charged with offences.<ref name=1977strikechronology/>