GetWiki

{{Short description|none}}{{EngvarB|date=September 2017}}{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}

factoids

|popular_vote1 = 269,501|percentage1 = 48.2%|swing1 = {{decrease}}10.9%95x50px|Blank)|leader2 = Eddie McAteer|leader_since2 = 2 June 1964|party2 = Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland)Foyle (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)>Foyle (Lost)|last_election2 = 9 seats, 8.2%|seats2 = 6|seat_change2 = {{decrease}}3|popular_vote2 = 42,315|percentage2 = 7.6%|swing2 = {{decrease}}0.6%95x50px|Blank)Tom Boyd (Northern Ireland politician)>Tom Boyd|leader_since4 = 1958|party4 = Northern Ireland Labour PartyBelfast Pottinger (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)>Belfast Pottinger (Lost)|last_election4 = 2 seats, 20.4%|seats4 = 2|seat_change4 = {{steady}}|popular_vote4 = 45,113|percentage4 = 8.1%|swing4 = {{decrease}}12.3%95x50px|Blank)|leader5 = Gerry Fitt|leader_since5 = 1964|party5 = Republican Labour PartyBelfast Dock (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)>Belfast Dock|last_election5 = 2 seat, 1.0%|seats5 = 2|seat_change5 = {{steady}}|popular_vote5 = 13,115 |percentage5 = 2.4%|swing5 = {{increase}}1.4%|map_size = 350px|map_image = File:Northern Ireland general election 1969.png|map_caption = Election results by constituency|title = Prime Minister|posttitle = Prime Minister after election|before_election = Terence O’Neill|before_party = Ulster Unionist Party|after_election = Terence O’Neill|after_party = Ulster Unionist Party}}{{Politics of Northern Ireland 1921–1972}}The 1969 Northern Ireland general election was held on Monday 24 February 1969. It was the last election to the Parliament of Northern Ireland before its abolition by the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973.This was the first (and only) election since the 1929 general election to see changes to the constituencies. The Queen’s University of Belfast seat was abolished and four new constituencies were created in the suburbs of Belfast to compensate for population growth there.

Overview

Unlike previous elections that produced a large unambiguous majority for the Ulster Unionist Party, this one gave more complex results. The Ulster Unionists were divided over a variety of reforms introduced by Prime Minister Terence O’Neill and this division spilled over into the election with official Ulster Unionist candidates standing either in support of or opposition to O’Neill and a number of Unofficial Unionists, who were independent pro O’Neill candidates standing against unsupportive Official Unionist candidates. The results left O’Neill without a clear majority for his reforms and he resigned not long afterwards.

Nationalist Realignment

The Nationalist Party that had for a long time represented the bulk of the Catholic minority faced strong challenges and two of its leading figures were defeated. The leader Eddie McAteer list Foyleto the independent John HumeJOURNAL, Mullan, Kevin, John Hume in February 1969: A 36 year political career is launched, Derry Journal, 3 August 2020,www.derryjournal.com/news/people/john-hume-february-1969-36-year-political-career-launched-2931967, and Paddy Gormley lost Mid Londonderry to the independent Ivan Cooper. Both Hume and Cooper would go on to form the Social Democratic and Labour Party which would take over the Nationalist mantle.

Protestant Unionist Party

Ian Paisley’s Protestant Unionist Party that was broadly opposed to O’Neill’s agenda on civil rights, put up a number of candidates. Although none of them were returned O’Neill was almost defeated by Paisley in Bannside a seat that had not been contested since 1949. Paisley gained the seat at a 1970 by-election.

Unofficial Unionists

Due to the local selection rules a number of anti-O’Neill candidates managed to get reselected or selected for seats. Many of them were opposed by 17 unofficial Unionist candidates supporting O’Neillwww.irishtimes.com/opinion/history-repeating-as-the-union-itself-stands-at-the-crossroads-1.3803845 often backed by the New Ulster Movement. They won three seatcain.ulster.ac.uk/issues/politics/election/rs1969.htm - Belfast Clifton (where the sitting Unionist MP for was forbidden by a court order from referring to himself as the official Unionist candidate because of a violation of the rules at his selection meeting); Bangor and Belfast Willowfield.

Results{| style@width:50%; text-align:center;“|+ ↓

style="color:white;” 13Independent Unionist}}; width:5.77%;” | 3Northern Ireland Labour Party}}; width:3.85%;” | 2(File:Northern Irish general election 1969.svg360px) bgcolor=“#E9E9E9” align=“center” ! rowspan=“2” colspan=“2” width=“484“| Party ! colspan=“3“| Popular vote! colspan=“2“| Seats bgcolor=“#E9E9E9” align=“center” ! width=“70“| Votes! width=“40“| %! width=“40“| ±pp! width=“30“| Won! width=“30“| +/−{| class=“wikitable collapsible” style="text-align:right; font-size:95%; border:0px; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom:0;”! style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; background:#F9F9F9” colspan=“2” width=“472“| Ulster Unionist Party (Total) 269,501 width=“40”48.2 > -10.9 36 width=“29“| ±0 style="background:#EFEFEF;”Ulster Unionist Party}}“| Ulster Unionist Party (Pro-O’Neill)| N/A| N/A style="background:#EFEFEF;” Ulster Unionist Party (Anti-O’Neill)| N/A| N/A{| class=“wikitable” style="text-align:right; font-size:95%; border:0px; margin-top:-1px; margin-bottom:0;” Independent Pro-O’Neill Unionist 86,052 width=“40” N/A 3 width=“29“| N/A{| class=“wikitable” style="text-align:right; font-size:95%; border:0px; margin-top:-1px; margin-bottom:0;”Northern Ireland Labour Party}}“| NI Labour 45,113 width=“40” –12.3 2 width=“29“| ±0Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland)}}“| Nationalist Party| -0.6| -3National Democratic Party (Northern Ireland)}}“| National Democratic Party| -0.1| -1People’s Democracy (Ireland)}}“| People’s Democracy| N/A| N/AIndependent (politician)}}“| Independent| +3.9| +2Protestant Unionist Party}}“| Protestant Unionist Party| N/A| N/ARepublican Labour Party}}“| Republican Labour Party| +1.4| ±0Ulster Liberal Party}}“| Ulster Liberal Party| -2.6| -1 People’s Progressive| N/A| N/A Votes cast / turnout 559,047 >71.9% >||52 |Electorate: 912,087 (778,031 in contested seats); Turnout: 71.9% (559,087).

Votes summary

{{bar box|title=Popular vote|titlebar=#ddd|width=500px|barwidth=290px|bars={{bar percent|UUP (Pro-O’Neill)|#48A5EE|44.1}}{{bar percent|UUP (Anti-O’Neill)|darkblue|17.1}}{{bar percent|Labour|#cd5c5c|8.07}}{{bar percent|Nationalist|#32cd32|7.57}}{{bar percent|National Democratic|#DDFFDD|4.65}}{{bar percent|Independent|{{party color|Independent}}|3.84}}{{bar percent|Peoples’ Democracy|red|4.23}}{{bar percent|Protestant Unionist|#D46A4C|3.75}}{{bar percent|Independent Unionist|#0077ff|2.49}}{{bar percent|Republican Labour|#85de59|2.35}}{{bar percent|Ulster Liberal|#DAA520|1.31}}{{bar percent|People’s Progressive|skyblue|0.54}}}}

Seats summary

{{bar box|title=Parliamentary seats|titlebar=#ddd|width=500px|barwidth=290px|bars={{bar percent|UUP (Pro-O’Neill)|#48A5EE|44.23}}{{bar percent|UUP (Anti-O’Neill)|darkblue|25.00}}{{bar percent|Nationalist|#32cd32|11.54}}{{bar percent|Ind. Pro-O’Neill Unionist|#0077dd|5.77}}{{bar percent|Independent|#dddddd|5.77}}{{bar percent|Labour|#cd5c5c|3.85}}{{bar percent|Republican Labour|#85de59|3.85}}}}

See also

• List of members of the 12th House of Commons of Northern Ireland

Footnotes

References

{{Reflist}}

• Northern Ireland Parliamentary Election Results {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116175039www.election.demon.co.uk/stormont/totals.html |date=16 November 2017 }}

{{Northern Ireland elections}}