Related Research Articles
The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded as the Ulster Unionist Council in 1905,emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson,it led unionist opposition to the Irish Home Rule movement. Following the partition of Ireland,it was the governing party of Northern Ireland between 1921 and 1972. It was supported by most unionist voters throughout the conflict known as the Troubles,during which time it was often referred to as the Official Unionist Party (OUP).
The Northern Ireland Assembly,often referred to by the metonym Stormont,is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom,and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive. It sits at Parliament Buildings at Stormont in Belfast.
The Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) is a minor unionist political party in Northern Ireland. It was formed from the Independent Unionist Group operating in the Shankill area of Belfast,becoming the PUP in 1979. Linked to the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and Red Hand Commando (RHC),for a time it described itself as "the only left of centre unionist party" in Northern Ireland,with its main support base in the loyalist working class communities of Belfast.
John Robert Beggs,commonly known as Roy Beggs,is a Northern Irish unionist politician and former teacher. Formerly a member of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP),he defected to the rival Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) in 1981. He served as Member of Parliament (MP) for East Antrim from 1983 to 2005,and was a Larne Borough Councillor from 1973 to 2014,representing the district of Larne Area B and its successor,Larne Lough.
The Protestant Unionist Party (PUP) was a unionist political party operating in Northern Ireland from 1966 to 1971. It was the forerunner of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and emerged from the Ulster Protestant Action (UPA) movement. It was founded and led by Ian Paisley,who also founded and led the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster.
North Down is a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. The current MP is Alex Easton,elected at the 2024 United Kingdom general election.
Reginald Norman Morgan Empey,Baron Empey,,best known as Reg Empey,is a Northern Irish politician who served as the acting First Minister of Northern Ireland in 2001. He was the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) from 2005 to 2010 and served as chairman of the party from 2012 to 2019. Empey was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for East Belfast from 1998 to 2011.
Billy "Hutchie" Hutchinson is a Northern Irish Ulster Loyalist politician and activist who served as leader of the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) from 2011 to 2023,now serving as party president. He was a Belfast City Councillor,representing Oldpark from 1997 to 2005,and then Court from 2014 to 2023. Hutchinson was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Belfast North from 1998 to 2003. Before this,he had been a member of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and was a founder of their youth wing,the Young Citizen Volunteers (YCV).
Hugh Smyth OBE was a Northern Irish Ulster Loyalist and politician who was leader of the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) from 1979 to 2002,as well as during an interim period in 2011. He was Lord Mayor of Belfast from 1994 to 1995,as well as a Belfast City Councillor for the Court DEA from 1972 to January 2014,making him one of the longest-serving members on the Council. Smyth was awarded the Order of the British Empire in the 1996 New Year's Honours list.
David McNarry is a former Northern Irish unionist politician and Ulster Loyalist representative who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Strangford from 2003 to 2016.
David McClarty was a Northern Irish unionist politician who served as an Ulster Unionist Party (UUP),later an Independent Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for East Londonderry from 1998,until his death in 2014.
John McCallister is a Northern Irish Unionist politician. In 2007,he was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly as an Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) member for South Down. On 14 February 2013,McCallister announced that he had resigned from the UUP due to its decision to engage in an electoral pact with the Democratic Unionist Party. He was a co-founder of the NI21 party with fellow ex-UUP member Basil McCrea but resigned the following year following disputes with McCrea. He re-contested his seat as an Independent at the 2016 election but lost his seat,receiving just 2.8% of the vote.
The Northern Ireland Conservatives is a section of the United Kingdom's Conservative Party that operates in Northern Ireland. The Conservatives are the only major British party to field candidates within Northern Ireland and typically contests only a fraction of seats in elections. The party won 0.03% of the vote in the 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election and 0.1% of the vote in the 2024 United Kingdom General election in Northern Ireland.
Basil McCrea is a former Northern Irish politician. He was the party leader of NI21 from 2013 until it disbanded in 2016. He was also a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Lagan Valley from 2007 to 2016.
The 2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election took place on Thursday,5 May,following the dissolution of the Northern Ireland Assembly at midnight on 24 March 2011. It was the fourth election to take place since the devolved assembly was established in 1998.
John Kyle is a Northern Irish unionist politician and General practitioner who was High Sheriff of Belfast from 2023 to 2024,and was a Belfast City Councillor for the Titanic DEA from 2007 to 2023. Additionally,he served as interim leader of the centre-left loyalist Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) in 2010,then as deputy leader from 2012 to 2021.
Charles Boucher "Charlie" Poots was a Northern Irish unionist politician and farmer,known for being one of the founding members of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
A by-election for the UK House of Commons constituency of Mid Ulster in Northern Ireland was held on 7 March 2013. The election was triggered by the resignation of Martin McGuinness,who had been elected to the seat in 1997 as the Sinn Féin candidate. The election was won by Francie Molloy,also of Sinn Féin.
NI21 was a short-lived political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 2013 by former Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) MLAs,Basil McCrea and John McCallister. Although it explicitly supported Northern Ireland staying part of the United Kingdom,it planned to designate as "other" rather than "unionist" in future Stormont elections. It presented itself as a "cross-community party" and promoted a Northern Irish national identity for the 21st century. The party had two MLAs in the Northern Ireland Assembly and a single councillor on Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council.
Local elections were held in Northern Ireland on Thursday 2 May 2019. The last elections were held in 2014. 819 candidates contested 462 seats across Northern Ireland's 11 local government districts. 1,305,384 people aged 18 and over were eligible to vote,and 52.7% of the electorate turned out.
References
- ↑ "North Down Borough Council Elections 1993-2011",Northern Ireland Elections
- ↑ "North Down",Northern Ireland Elections
- ↑ "Leading PUP member,David Rose,quits party", BBC News ,28 August 2010
- 1 2 Sam McBride,"VIDEO:John McCallister discusses new NI21 party ahead of launch Archived 9 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine ", News Letter ,6 June 2013
- 1 2 3 Liam Clarke,"NI21 AGM:Less grey hair,more women among the elected", Belfast Telegraph ,18 November 2013