List of political parties in Northern Ireland
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Template:Politics of Northern Ireland Political parties in Northern Ireland lists political parties in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland has a multi-party system, with numerous parties in which no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must work with each other to form coalition governments. Parties are generally based on religious background.
Although Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom in recent years it has a quite distinct political scene from the rest of the state as two of the major British political parties do not contest elections there, whilst the third, the Conservative Party, has received little 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", "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 overwhelmingly a social democratic party first and foremost. Several parties strive to be avowedly non-sectarian and would not consider themselves to be either Unionist or Nationalist, despite their position on the "Border Question". 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".
There are some who see the terms "Unionist" 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, whilst there is polling evidence that many people who vote for the nationalist parties, particularly the SDLP, are in favour of the United Kingdom - indeed critics assert the SDLP has an ambiguous position on the question of a United Ireland - and that it is religion rather than the constitutional question that determines their vote in the first instance.
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Unionist parties
- Ulster Unionist Party
- Democratic Unionist Party
- UK Unionist Party
- Progressive Unionist Party
- Northern Ireland Unionist Party
- United Unionist Coalition
Republican/nationalist parties
Pro complete independence
Other
- Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
- Northern Ireland Women's Coalition
- The Workers' Party
- Conservative Party (Although the Conservative Party, and in particular its Northern Ireland branch, have the full title "Conservative and Unionist", in the Northern Ireland Assembly Election, 2003 they pledged not to designate as "Unionists")
- Green Party
- Labour - Federation of Labour Groups aka "Labour", but unrelated to either the Irish Labour Party or the British Labour Party (This may change now that the British Labour Party has voted to allow NI residents to join it)
- Newtownabbey Ratepayers Association
- Socialist Environmental Alliance
- Vote for Yourself Party
Other UK parties registered to stand in Northern Ireland
Many other parties have formally registered to contest elections in Northern Ireland but have no serious record of standing in elections there at the time of writing. The following parties on the official register do, however, have a record of standing in other parts of the United Kingdom and may stand in Northern Ireland in the near future:
- National Front
- Official Monster Raving Loony Party
- RESPECT The Unity Coalition
- United Kingdom Independence Party
- Veritas
N.B 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. The Liberal Democrats have an organisation in the province.
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 however declined to allow organisation in the province. The SDLP MPs take the Labour whip.
Defunct parties
- Ulster Liberal Party The Northern Ireland branch of the Liberal Party. It still exists as part of the Liberal Democrats, who still contest elections in Britain.
- Irish Labour Party (still contests elections in the Republic)
- Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party
- Unionist Party of Northern Ireland
- United Ulster Unionist Party
- Protestant Unionist Party (evolved into the DUP)
- Ulster Democratic Party
- Ulster Loyalist Democratic Party
- Volunteer Political Party
- Ulster Popular Unionist Party
- Labour Unionist Party
- Nationalist Party
- Official Sinn Féin (later Republican Clubs, now The Workers' Party)
- Unity
- Anti H-Block
- Republican Labour Party
- Socialist Republican 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 1981-1990
See also
- Index of political parties to browse parties by name
- List of political parties to browse parties by country
- List of political parties by ideology to browse parties by name
- Membership of internationals to browse parties by membership of international