Unionist Party of Northern Ireland
Encyclopedia
The Unionist Party of Northern Ireland was a political party founded by Brian Faulkner
in September 1974.
in 1973 and 1974 over the British government's white paper
Northern Ireland Constitutional Proposals, the Northern Ireland assembly elections, 1973, and the Sunningdale Agreement
. Faulkner had led the majority of the UUP into a power-sharing coalition but in January 1974 he was deposed as leader as the anti-Sunningdale faction of the party won control. In the February 1974 general election
a number of Faulkner's followers (including several sitting MPs) stood as Pro Assembly Unionists against a coalition of the Ulster Unionist Party
, the Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party
and the Democratic Unionist Party
. They failed to win a single seat at Westminster, and this defeat contributed to the downfall of the power sharing Executive established by Sunningdale. However they remained active and in September constituted themselves as the Unionist Party of Northern Ireland, committed to a return to powersharing as a settlement for Northern Ireland.
they again failed to make much ground. The weakness of Faulkner's position within Unionism was reflected in the fact that only about a dozen of the 250 odd local councillors elected for the UUP in 1973 chose to join the new party. The 1975 elections to the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention
were another blow to the party. Of 13 UPNI candidates elected as UUP members in 1973, only 5 succeeded in holding their seats, compared to 47 seats won by other Unionist candidates. The 5 UPNI members included Faulkner who suffered a personal setback in his South Down constituency. He finished in 7th place with 6000 first preference votes in an area where he had topped the poll with 16,000 votes just 2 years earlier. Consequently the influence of both the UPNI and Faulkner waned. In 1977
they won just 6 local council seats. The 1979 Westminster election proved to be a further disappointment, as the main consequence of the UPNI standing seemed to be to split the centre vote. In North Belfast their 4000 votes were greater than the DUP majority of 1000 over the UUP. Similarly in East Belfast the DUP finished 64 votes ahead of the UUP and 900 ahead of the Alliance party with a UPNI candidate taking 2000 votes.
In 1976 Faulkner had stepped down as leader of the party (and withdrew from active politics) and was succeeded by Anne Dickson
, the first woman to lead a political party in Northern Ireland. However the party continued to make little ground. In 1981 the party admitted the weakness of its own position during the local government election campaign admitting that power sharing on the 1973 model was no longer a viable option. The party fought the 1981
local elections in an electoral pact with the Ulster Popular Unionist Party
but only won 2 seats. As a result in Autumn 1981 the UPNI was formally dissolved. William Bailie, their last remaining councillor, joined the Alliance Party
and was re-elected as an Alliance councillor in North Down.
Brian Faulkner
Arthur Brian Deane Faulkner, Baron Faulkner of Downpatrick, PC was the sixth and last Prime Minister of Northern Ireland from March 1971 until his resignation in March 1972...
in September 1974.
Formation
The party emerged following splits in the Ulster Unionist PartyUlster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
in 1973 and 1974 over the British government's white paper
White paper
A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that helps solve a problem. White papers are used to educate readers and help people make decisions, and are often requested and used in politics, policy, business, and technical fields. In commercial use, the term has also come to refer to...
Northern Ireland Constitutional Proposals, the Northern Ireland assembly elections, 1973, and the Sunningdale Agreement
Sunningdale Agreement
The Sunningdale Agreement was an attempt to establish a power-sharing Northern Ireland Executive and a cross-border Council of Ireland. The Agreement was signed at the Civil Service College in Sunningdale Park located in Sunningdale, Berkshire, on 9 December 1973.Unionist opposition, violence and...
. Faulkner had led the majority of the UUP into a power-sharing coalition but in January 1974 he was deposed as leader as the anti-Sunningdale faction of the party won control. In the February 1974 general election
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
a number of Faulkner's followers (including several sitting MPs) stood as Pro Assembly Unionists against a coalition of the Ulster Unionist Party
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
, the Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party
Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party
The Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party , informally known as Ulster Vanguard, was a unionist political party which existed in Northern Ireland between 1973 and 1978...
and the Democratic Unionist Party
Democratic Unionist Party
The Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson, it is currently the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the...
. They failed to win a single seat at Westminster, and this defeat contributed to the downfall of the power sharing Executive established by Sunningdale. However they remained active and in September constituted themselves as the Unionist Party of Northern Ireland, committed to a return to powersharing as a settlement for Northern Ireland.
Electoral history
The party did not prosper. In the October 1974 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, October 1974
The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. It was the second general election of that year and resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson, winning by a tiny majority of 3 seats.The election of...
they again failed to make much ground. The weakness of Faulkner's position within Unionism was reflected in the fact that only about a dozen of the 250 odd local councillors elected for the UUP in 1973 chose to join the new party. The 1975 elections to the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention
Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention
The Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention was an elected body set up in 1975 by the UK Labour government of Harold Wilson as an attempt to deal with constitutional issues surrounding the status of Northern Ireland....
were another blow to the party. Of 13 UPNI candidates elected as UUP members in 1973, only 5 succeeded in holding their seats, compared to 47 seats won by other Unionist candidates. The 5 UPNI members included Faulkner who suffered a personal setback in his South Down constituency. He finished in 7th place with 6000 first preference votes in an area where he had topped the poll with 16,000 votes just 2 years earlier. Consequently the influence of both the UPNI and Faulkner waned. In 1977
Northern Ireland local elections, 1977
Elections for local government were held in Northern Ireland in May 1977.The elections saw good performances by the four largest parties: the Ulster Unionist Party , Social Democratic and Labour Party , Alliance Party of Northern Ireland and Democratic Unionist Party , while smaller parties failed...
they won just 6 local council seats. The 1979 Westminster election proved to be a further disappointment, as the main consequence of the UPNI standing seemed to be to split the centre vote. In North Belfast their 4000 votes were greater than the DUP majority of 1000 over the UUP. Similarly in East Belfast the DUP finished 64 votes ahead of the UUP and 900 ahead of the Alliance party with a UPNI candidate taking 2000 votes.
In 1976 Faulkner had stepped down as leader of the party (and withdrew from active politics) and was succeeded by Anne Dickson
Anne Dickson
Anne Letitia Dickson is a former Northern Ireland Unionist politician.Born in London, she moved with her family to Northern Ireland at an early age and was educated at Holywood and Richmond Lodge School. After service as the Chair of the Northern Ireland Advisory Board of the Salvation Army she...
, the first woman to lead a political party in Northern Ireland. However the party continued to make little ground. In 1981 the party admitted the weakness of its own position during the local government election campaign admitting that power sharing on the 1973 model was no longer a viable option. The party fought the 1981
Northern Ireland local elections, 1981
Elections for local government were held in Northern Ireland in 1981.-Overall:-Belfast:...
local elections in an electoral pact with the Ulster Popular Unionist Party
Ulster Popular Unionist Party
The Ulster Popular Unionist Party was a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1980 by James Kilfedder, independent Unionist Member of Parliament for North Down, who led the party until his death in 1995....
but only won 2 seats. As a result in Autumn 1981 the UPNI was formally dissolved. William Bailie, their last remaining councillor, joined the Alliance Party
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland is a liberal and nonsectarian political party in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's fifth-largest party overall, with eight seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly and one in the House of Commons....
and was re-elected as an Alliance councillor in North Down.