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 miniscule support in recent elections.
Some parties, such as Sinn Féin, the Green Party 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. Similiar the Workers' Party has its roots in the Official IRA but nowadays is overwhelmingly a Marxist 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 Stormont Assembley requires MLAs to designate themselves either "Unionist", "Nationalist" or "Other" - this is a designation that is particularly resented by those who designate as "Other".
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2 Republican/Nationalist Parties 3 Pro Complete Independence 4 Neutral on the Constitutional Status/Other 5 Defunct Parties |
Unionist Parties
Republican/Nationalist Parties
Pro Complete Independence
Neutral on the Constitutional Status/Other
Defunct Parties
Many other parties have formally registered to contest elections in Northern Ireland but have no serious record of standing in elections at the time of writing.
