List of political parties in Northern Ireland
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Politics of Northern Ireland |
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Political parties in Northern Ireland lists political parties in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Assembly is elected by single transferable vote and the composition of the Northern Ireland Executive is by power sharing determined by the D'Hondt system, among the members elected to the Assembly. Party affiliation is generally based on religious and ethnic background.
Although Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom, it has a quite distinct party system from the rest of the country, as the Labour Party and Liberal Democrats do not contest elections there (though the Liberal Democrats have links with the Alliance Party), and the Conservative Party has received only limited support in recent elections.
Some parties, such as Sinn Féin and the Workers' Party, are organised on an all-Ireland basis. Others such as the Conservative Party are organised on an all-United Kingdom basis. There are many Northern Ireland-specific parties and these, on the whole, predominate.
The distinction between "unionist/loyalist", "nationalist/republican" and "other" is not always easy with some parties and individuals. Some have defined themselves less by their position on the "Border Question" than on other political issues.
For example, the former Republican Labour Party/Social Democratic and Labour Party MP Gerry Fitt's career suggests he was first and foremost a socialist rather than a nationalist and he eventually left the SDLP claiming it had drifted from its founding intentions. Similarly the Workers' Party has its roots in the republican Official IRA but nowadays is considered to be a non-violent socialist and nationalist party. Several parties strive to be avowedly non-sectarian and would not consider themselves to be either unionist or nationalist. The Northern Ireland Assembly requires MLAs to designate themselves either "Unionist", "Nationalist" or "Other." This is a designation that is particularly resented by those who designate as "Other", as they have no input on who becomes First or Deputy First Minister.
There are some who see the terms "Unionist"/"Loyalist" and "Nationalist"/"Republican" as being of more relevance to the community that the party seeks to represent rather than the position on the border question. Several of the "Other" parties strive to be non-sectarian but have a clear position on the border.
Political parties with elected representation at a local, national, UK or European level[]
Party details[]
| Party | Current leader | Founded | Inaugural leader | Ideology | Position | Designation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Unionist Party | Jeffrey Donaldson | 1971 | Ian Paisley | British unionism[1] British nationalism National conservatism[1] Social conservatism[1][2] Right-wing populism[3] Euroscepticism[4] |
Right-wing[5][6] | Unionist | |
| Sinn Féin | Mary Lou McDonald | 1905 / 1970[nb 1] | Arthur Griffith | Irish republicanism Democratic socialism Left-wing nationalism[1] |
Centre-left[7] to left-wing[8] | Nationalist | |
| Social Democratic and Labour Party | Colum Eastwood | 1970 | Gerry Fitt | Social democracy[1] Irish nationalism[9] |
Centre-left[10] | Nationalist | |
| Ulster Unionist Party | Doug Beattie | 1905 | Edward Saunderson | Conservatism[1] British unionism[1] |
Centre-right[7] | Unionist | |
| Alliance Party of Northern Ireland | Naomi Long | 1970 | Bob Cooper Oliver Napier |
Liberalism[1] Nonsectarianism |
Centre | Other | |
| Green Party in Northern Ireland | Clare Bailey | 1983 | none[nb 2] | Green politics[1] Nonsectarianism Pro-Europeanism |
Centre-left | Other | |
| Traditional Unionist Voice | Jim Allister | 2007 | Jim Allister | British unionism[1] Hard Euroscepticism Social conservatism[1] National conservatism[1] |
Right-wing | Unionist | |
| Northern Ireland Conservatives | Boris Johnson | 1989 | none | Conservatism British unionism Euroscepticism[11] |
Centre-right[7] | Unionist | |
| Progressive Unionist Party | Billy Hutchinson | 1979 | Hugh Smyth | British unionism Democratic socialism Social democracy |
Centre-left | Unionist | |
| People Before Profit | Collective leadership | 2005 | none | Socialism[1] Trotskyism[12] Irish reunification[13] |
Left-wing | Other | |
| Aontú | Peadar Tóibín | 2019 | Peadar Tóibín | Anti-abortion Irish republicanism Social conservatism Soft Eurosceptism |
Nationalist | ||
- ^ The current party known as Sinn Féin broke from the party then known as Sinn Féin in 1970 and was initially commonly referred to as Provisional Sinn Féin.
- ^ For the first twenty eight years of its existence, the Green Party did not have a national leader. Steven Agnew was elected as the first national leader in 2011.
Party representation[]
| Party | Representation (as of 23 November 2021)[14] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Parliament | Assembly | Local councils | |||||
| House of Commons | House of Lords | ||||||
| Democratic Unionist Party | 8 | 5 | 26 | 119 | |||
| Sinn Féin | 7 | 0 | 26 | 105 | |||
| Social Democratic and Labour Party | 2 | 0[nb 1] | 12 | 56 | |||
| Ulster Unionist Party | 0 | 2 | 10 | 73 | |||
| Alliance Party of Northern Ireland | 1 | 0[nb 2] | 7 | 53 | |||
| Green Party in Northern Ireland | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | |||
| Traditional Unionist Voice | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |||
| People Before Profit | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |||
| Northern Ireland Conservatives | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Progressive Unionist Party | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||
| Aontú | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
- ^ Margaret Ritchie, leader of the SDLP from 2010–11, has sat in the Lords since 2019, resigning from the party to do so.
- ^ Lord Alderdice, leader of the Alliance from 1987–98, has sat in the Lords since 1996, taking the Lib Dem whip.
Other registered parties[]
Unionist and loyalist[]
- Northern Ireland Conservatives
Nationalist and republican[]
- Communist Party of Ireland (CPI)
- Éirígí - Registered to contest local elections only
- Fianna Fáil (FF) - Registered, but has not contested elections, in partnership with the SDLP
- Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP) - Registered to contest local elections only
- Republican Network for Unity (RNU) - Registered
- Saoradh
- Socialist Workers Network (SWN)
- Workers' Party of Ireland - Registered, historically fielded candidates
Others[]
- Cross-Community Labour Alternative
- Labour Party in Northern Ireland - The British Labour Party have a policy not to stand in Northern Ireland. Until recently it was not possible for residents to even join the party; however this was changed on legal advice. The Labour Party has recently set up an officially recognised branch party in the region. The SDLP MPs unofficially take the Labour whip.
- Northern Ireland Liberal Democrats - The Liberal Democrats currently have a policy not to stand in Northern Ireland but to support their sister party, the Alliance, with many holding membership of both, and Alliance peers take the Liberal Democrat whip.
- Official Monster Raving Loony Party - Registered, but has not yet contested elections
- Socialist Party
Unregistered parties[]
Candidates for unregistered parties may choose either to be listed as "Non-Party", or to leave the section blank on the ballot paper, in the same manner as independent candidates.
- 32 County Sovereignty Movement - Does not contest elections, operates as a pressure group
- Republican Sinn Féin (RSF)
- Respect Party
- National Party
- Fine Gael
Inactive parties[]
Unionist and loyalist[]
- Belfast Labour Party
- British Ulster Dominion Party
- Commonwealth Labour Party
- Independent Unionist Association
- Labour Unionist Party
- NI21
- UKIP Northern Ireland
- Northern Ireland Unionist Party - deregistered 2008
- Protestant Coalition
- Protestant Unionist Party (evolved into the DUP)
- Ulster Constitution Party
- Ulster Democratic Party
- Ulster Loyalist Democratic Party
- Ulster Popular Unionist Party
- Ulster Progressive Unionist Association
- Ulster Protestant League
- Ulster Resistance
- Ulster Unionist Labour Association
- Unionist Party of Northern Ireland
- United Kingdom Unionist Party - deregistered 2008
- United Ulster Unionist Council
- United Ulster Unionist Party
- United Unionist Coalition (UUC)
- Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party
- Volunteer Political Party
Nationalist and Republican[]
- All Ireland Anti-Partition League
- Federation of Labour
- Fianna Uladh
- Irish Anti-Partition League
- Independent Socialist Party
- Irish Independence Party
- National Democratic Party
- National League of the North
- National Unity
- Nationalist Party
- Northern Council for Unity
- Official Sinn Féin (now Workers' Party of Ireland)
- People's Democracy
- Red Republican Party
- Republican Congress
- Republican Labour Party
- Saor Éire
- Socialist Republican Party
- Unity
Others[]
- Commonwealth Labour Party
- Communist Party of Ireland (Marxist-Leninist)
- Communist Party of Northern Ireland
- Irish Labour Party (contests elections in the Republic)
- Labour coalition
- Labour Party of Northern Ireland
- Northern Ireland Labour Party
- Northern Ireland Women's Coalition
- Newtownabbey Labour Party
- Newtownabbey Ratepayers Association
- Natural Law Party
- Social Democratic Party - The post-1988 rump of the party stood in a Northern Ireland by-election in 1990; the party as a whole existed and was more prominent in Great Britain from 1981 to 1988 although the post-1990 rump group still exists.
- Ulster Independence Movement
- Ulster Liberal Party
- Ulster Movement for Self-Determination
- United Labour Party (Northern Ireland)
- Ulster Third Way - deregistered 2005
- Veritas - Dissolved June 2015
- Vote for Yourself Party - disbanded April 2009, de-registered 8 June 2009
- World Socialist Party (Ireland) - Dissolved in the 1990s
Flowchart of all political parties in Northern Ireland[]
A flowchart illustrating all the political parties that have existed throughout the history of Northern Ireland and leading up to its formation.
Party leaders[]
Party leaders serving 10 years or more are
| Leader | Years | Party/Period | Constituency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ian Paisley | 42y | Protestant Unionist Party 1966–1971 Democratic Unionist Party 1971–2008 |
Bannside, North Antrim |
| Ruairí Ó Brádaigh | 36y | Sinn Féin 1970–1983 Republican Sinn Féin 1986–2009 |
|
| Gerry Adams | 35y | Sinn Féin 1983–2018 | West Belfast, Louth |
| William Norton | 28y | Irish Labour 1932–1960 | |
| Tomás Mac Giolla | 26y | Sinn Féin 1962–1970 Official Sinn Féin 1970–1977 Sinn Féin The Workers Party 1977–1982 Workers' Party 1982–1988 |
|
| Hugh Smyth | 23y | Progressive Unionist Party 1979–2002 | |
| John Hume | 22y | Social Democratic and Labour Party 1979–2001 | Foyle |
| Albert McElroy | 19y | Ulster Liberal Party 1956–1975 (?) | |
| Lord Craigavon | 19y | Ulster Unionist Party 1921–1940 | Down, North Down |
| John Redmond | 18y | Irish Parliamentary Party 1900–1918 | Waterford City |
| Lord Brookeborough | 17y | Ulster Unionist Party 1946–1963 | Lisnaskea |
| James Molyneaux | 16y | Ulster Unionist Party 1979–1995 | South Antrim, Lagan Valley |
| Joseph Devlin | 16y | Nationalist Party 1918–1934 | Belfast Falls, Fermanagh and Tyrone, Belfast Central |
| Gerry Fitt | 15y | Republican Labour Party 1964–1970 Social Democratic and Labour Party 1970–1979 |
Belfast West, Belfast Dock |
| James Kilfedder | 15y | Ulster Popular Unionist Party 1980–1995 | North Down |
| David Ford | 15y | Alliance Party 2001–2016 | South Antrim |
| Margaret Buckley | 13y | Sinn Féin 1937–1950 | |
| Robert McCartney | 13y | UK Unionist Party 1995–2008 | North Down |
| James McSparran | 13y | Nationalist Party 1945–1958 | Mourne |
| Oliver Napier | 12y | Alliance Party 1972–1984 | Belfast East |
| Thomas Joseph Campbell | 11y | Nationalist Party 1934–1945 | Belfast Central |
| Sir Edward Carson | 11y | Ulster Unionist Party 1910–1921 | Dublin University, Belfast Duncairn |
| John Alderdice | 11y | Alliance Party 1987–1998 | Belfast East |
| David Trimble | 10y | Ulster Unionist Party 1995–2005 | Upper Bann |
See also[]
- Politics of Northern Ireland
- List of political parties
- Political make-up of local councils in Northern Ireland
- List of political parties in the Republic of Ireland
References[]
- Sources
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Nordsieck, Wolfram. "Parties and Elections in Europe". www.parties-and-elections.eu. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
- ^ Marcus, Ruth. "Gender aside, the fall of Irish politician Iris Robinson is the same old sex scandal", Washington Post, 14 January 2010
- ^ Ingle, Stephen (2008). The British Party System: An Introduction. Routledge. p. 156.
- ^ Taggart, Paul; Szczerbiak, Aleks. "The Party Politics of Euroscepticism in EU Member and Candidate States" (PDF). SEI Working Paper. 51. Sussex European Institute: 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 December 2009. Cite journal requires
|journal=(help) - ^ "It will be ‘difficult’ for May to survive, says N Ireland’s DUP", By Vincent Boland & Robert Wright. Financial Times. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- ^ "Who Are The DUP? The Democratic Unionist Party Explained", LBC. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- ^ a b c Anttiroiko, Ari-Veikko; Mälkiä, Matti (2007). Encyclopedia of Digital Government. Idea Group Inc (IGI). p. 394. ISBN 978-1-59140-790-4.
- ^ Salgado, Susana (2018-12-07). Mediated Campaigns and Populism in Europe. Springer. ISBN 978-3-319-98563-3.
- ^ "The Good Friday Agreement". SDLP. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
- ^ Stephen Driver (2011). Understanding British Party Politics. Polity. p. 188. ISBN 978-0-7456-4078-5.
- ^ Nordsieck, Wolfram. "Parties and Elections in Europe". www.parties-and-elections.eu.
- ^ "The PBP/Solidarity explainer: from Campaigns to Revolution". Village Magazine. 2020-02-06. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
- ^ Duffy, Rónán. "Q+A: Here's where the parties stand on a united Ireland and holding a border poll". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
- ^ "Local Council Political Compositions". Open Council Date UK. 1 November 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
Categories:
- Northern Ireland politics-related lists
- Political parties in Northern Ireland
- Lists of political parties in Ireland
- Lists of organisations based in Northern Ireland
- Lists of political parties in the United Kingdom