View source for Unity (Northern Ireland)

{{Short description|Electoral pacts in Northern Ireland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}

"'''Unity'''" was the political label for a series of electoral pacts by [[Nationalists (Ireland)|Irish nationalist]], [[Irish republicanism|Irish republican]] and [[socialist]] candidates in [[Northern Ireland]] elections in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It also contested elections as a party in its own right, electing six councillors in the [[1973 Northern Ireland local elections|1973 local council elections]] in the Fermanagh and Dungannon areas,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Local Government Elections 1973 |url=https://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/flg73.htm |access-date=2024-02-03 |website=www.ark.ac.uk}}</ref> although this was reduced to two members of Fermanagh council in the [[1977 Northern Ireland local elections|next election in 1977]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Local Government Elections 1973 - 1981: Fermanagh |url=https://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/73-81lgfermanagh.htm |access-date=2024-02-03 |website=www.ark.ac.uk}}</ref>

The first victory came in 1969 in the [[1969 Mid Ulster by-election|Mid Ulster by-election]] which was won by 21-year old student [[Bernadette Devlin McAliskey|Bernadette Devlin]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bernadette Devlin Wins Election |url=https://www.rte.ie/archives/exhibitions/1042-northern-ireland-1969/1044-bernadette-devlin/320211-bernadette-wins-election/ |access-date=2024-02-03 |website=[[RTÉ]] Archives |language=en}}</ref> She held her seat in the [[1970 United Kingdom general election|1970 general election]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=1970 Westminster Elections |url=https://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/fw70.htm |access-date=2024-02-03 |website=www.ark.ac.uk}}</ref> when [[Fermanagh and South Tyrone (UK Parliament constituency)|Fermanagh and South Tyrone]] was won by her colleague [[Frank McManus (Irish politician)|Frank McManus]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fermanagh and South Tyrone 1950-1970 |url=https://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/dfst.htm |access-date=2024-02-03 |website=www.ark.ac.uk}}</ref> Both lost their seats in the [[February 1974 United Kingdom general election|February 1974 general election]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=1974-03-01 |title=Hard‐Line Protestants Win 11 of the 12 Northern Ireland Seats |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/03/02/archives/hardline-protestants-win-11-of-the-12-northern-ireland-seats.html |access-date=2024-02-03 |work=The New York Times |pages=10 |language=en-US |publication-date=1974-03-02 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Bernadette would later go on to join the [[Irish Republican Socialist Party|IRSP]]. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Holland |first=Kitty |date=2016-11-22 |title=Bernadette McAliskey: ‘I am astounded I survived. I made mad decisions’ |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/bernadette-mcaliskey-i-am-astounded-i-survived-i-made-mad-decisions-1.2798293 |access-date=2024-02-03 |website=The Irish Times |language=en}}</ref>

In the [[October 1974 United Kingdom general election|October 1974 general election]] the spirit of Unity was revived, if not the name, when [[Frank Maguire (politician)|Frank Maguire]] won Fermanagh and South Tyrone as an agreed independent Republican.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fermanagh and South Tyrone 1973-1982 |url=https://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/cfst.htm |access-date=2024-02-03 |website=www.ark.ac.uk |quote=Westminster Election, 10 October 1974 (one seat). Frank Maguire (Independent) 32,795 (51.8%)}}</ref> He held the seat until his death in 1981.<ref>{{Cite news |last= |date=1981-03-06 |title=Frank Maguire, Ulster M.P., Dies; Helped Defeat Callaghan in 1979 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/06/obituaries/frank-maguire-ulster-mp-dies-helped-defeat-callaghan-in-1979.html |access-date=2024-02-03 |work=The New York Times |pages=16 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In 1978 Unity merged with the remnants of the [[Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland)|Nationalist Party]] to form the [[Irish Independence Party]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Local Government Elections 1981 |url=https://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/flg81.htm |access-date=2024-02-03 |website=www.ark.ac.uk |quote=On the Nationalist side, the Irish Independence Party emerged from the remnants of the old Nationalist Party and the Unity movement.}}</ref>

== Election Results ==

=== By-election ===
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2" |Election
!First-Preference Votes

!FPv%

|-
! colspan="2" |[[1969 Mid Ulster by-election]]
|'''33,648'''
|'''53.3%'''
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Unity (Northern Ireland)}} gain from [[Ulster Unionist Party|UUP]]
|}

=== General elections ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+Westminster
!Election
!First-Preference Votes
!FPv%
!'''±%'''
!Seats
!Seats %
!'''±%'''
|-
|[[1966 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland|1966 United Kingdom general election]]
|14,645
|2.5%
|''New''
|{{Composition bar|0|12|hex={{party color|Unity}}}}
|0.00%
|{{Steady}}
|-
|[[1970 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland|1970 United Kingdom general election]]
|140,930
|18.1%
|{{Increase}} 15.6%
|{{Composition bar|2|12|hex={{party color|Unity}}}}
|16.67%
|{{Increase}} 1
|-
|[[February 1974 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland|Feb 1974 United Kingdom General Election]]
|17,593
|2.4%
|{{Decrease}} 15.7
|{{Composition bar|0|12|hex={{party color|Unity}}}}
|0.00%
|{{Decrease}} 2
|}

=== Local elections ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Election
!First-Preference Votes
!FPv%
!'''±%'''
!Seats
!Seats %
!'''±%'''
|-
|[[1973 Northern Ireland local elections]]
|10,281
|1.5%
|''New''
|{{Composition bar|6|462|hex={{party color|Unity}}}}
|1.30%
|''New''
|-
|[[1977 Northern Ireland local elections]]
|5,528
|1.0%
|{{Decrease}} 0.5
|{{Composition bar|2|462|hex={{party color|Unity}}}}
|0.43%
|{{Decrease}} 4
|}

== References ==
<references />
{{Defunct political parties in Northern Ireland}}
{{1970 United Kingdom general election|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Defunct political parties in Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:Irish republican parties]]
[[Category:Political parties disestablished in 1978]]
[[Category:Socialist parties in Ireland]]
[[Category:1978 disestablishments in Northern Ireland]]

{{Northern-Ireland-party-stub}}