Declan O'Loan
Encyclopedia
Declan O'Loan is a former member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
in the North Antrim constituency
, and a serving member of Ballymena Borough Council. He is a member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party
(SDLP), but the party whip
was withdrawn on 25 May 2010.
O'Loan was elected for the SDLP in the 2007 Assembly Elections
. He was suspended by the SDLP after advocating a merger between the SDLP and Sinn Féin
to form a single nationalist
party. The SDLP had refused to make an electoral pact with Sinn Féin in the 2010 Westminster election. In the May 2011 election, O'Loan ran as an SDLP candidate for re-election to the Assembly from North Antrim, but was eliminated in the last round of ballot-counting.
Declan O'Loan is married to Nuala O'Loan
, a former Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland. He is also the Honorary Consul of Romania
in Northern Ireland. O'Loan studied at Imperial College London
and Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
Northern Ireland Assembly
The Northern Ireland Assembly 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...
in the North Antrim constituency
North Antrim (Assembly constituency)
North Antrim is a constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly.The seat was first used for a Northern Ireland-only election for the Northern Ireland Assembly, 1973...
, and a serving member of Ballymena Borough Council. He is a member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party
Social Democratic and Labour Party
The Social Democratic and Labour Party is a social-democratic, Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. Its basic party platform advocates Irish reunification, and the further devolution of powers while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom...
(SDLP), but the party whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
was withdrawn on 25 May 2010.
O'Loan was elected for the SDLP in the 2007 Assembly Elections
Northern Ireland Assembly election, 2007
The third elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly were held on 7 March 2007 when 108 new members were elected. The election saw endorsement of the St Andrews Agreement and the two largest parties, the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin, along with the Alliance Party, increase their...
. He was suspended by the SDLP after advocating a merger between the SDLP and Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
to form a single nationalist
Irish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
party. The SDLP had refused to make an electoral pact with Sinn Féin in the 2010 Westminster election. In the May 2011 election, O'Loan ran as an SDLP candidate for re-election to the Assembly from North Antrim, but was eliminated in the last round of ballot-counting.
Declan O'Loan is married to Nuala O'Loan
Nuala O'Loan
Nuala Patricia O'Loan, Baroness O'Loan, DBE is a noted public figure in Northern Ireland. She was the first Police Ombudsman in between 1999 and 2007. In July 2009, it was announced that she was to be appointed to the House of Lords. Consequently, she was raised to the peerage as Baroness O'Loan,...
, a former Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland. He is also the Honorary Consul of Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
in Northern Ireland. O'Loan studied at Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
and Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
Fitzwilliam College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge in England.The college traces its origins back to 1869 and the foundation of the Non-Collegiate Students Board, a venture intended to offer students from less financially privileged backgrounds a chance to study...
Organisational membership
- Secretary of the Association of SDLP Councillors
- Chair of Ballymena District Policing Partnership
- Chair of Ballymena Community Safety Partnership
- Member of the Board of Ballymena Citizens Advice Bureau
- Member of the Board of Ballymena Community Forum
- Member of the Ballymena Local Strategy Partnership
- Member of the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council