AlthoughNorthern Ireland is a part of theUnited Kingdom, it has a quite distinct party system from the rest of the country, as theLabour Party andLiberal Democrats do not contest elections there (though the Liberal Democrats have links with theAlliance Party), and theConservative Party has received only limited support in recent elections. Party affiliation is generally based on religious and ethnic background.
Some parties, such asSinn Féin and theWorkers' Party, are organised on an all-Ireland basis. Others such as theConservative 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/loyalist", "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 formerRepublican Labour Party/Social Democratic and Labour PartyMPGerry Fitt's career suggests he was first and foremost asocialist rather than a nationalist and he eventually left the SDLP claiming it had drifted from its founding intentions. Similarly theWorkers' Party has its roots in the republicanOfficial IRA but nowadays is considered to be a non-violentsocialist and nationalist party. Several parties strive to be avowedly non-sectarian and would not consider themselves to be either unionist or nationalist. TheNorthern Ireland Assembly requiresMLAs to designate themselves either "Unionist", "Nationalist" or "Other". This is a designation that is particularly resented by those who designate as "Other", as they have no input on who becomes First or Deputy First Minister.
There are some who see the terms "Unionist"/"Loyalist" 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.
Political parties with elected representation at a local, national, or UK level
Candidates for unregistered parties may choose either to be listed as "Non-Party", or to leave the section blank on the ballot paper, in the same manner as independent candidates.
^Margaret Ritchie, leader of the SDLP from 2010–11, has sat in the Lords since 2019 as aLabour peer, resigning from the SDLP to do so.
^In the Northern Ireland Assembly, the party'sMLAs sign the register as "socialist" when asked if they are "unionist" or "nationalist", resulting in an official designation of "Other". However, People Before Profit is in favour of Irish reunification.
^Since 2007, Fianna Fáil has been officially registered in Northern Ireland, but has not formally fielded any election candidates as of yet, despite members passing motions to at successiveárdfheiseanna.[36]Ógra Fianna Fáil launchedcumainn (branches) atQUB andUU in the same year. From 2019 to 2022, it was in partnership with the SDLP.[37]
^Nordsieck, Wolfram (2017)."Northern Ireland/UK".Parties and Elections in Europe.Archived from the original on 7 November 2016. Retrieved28 September 2018.
^abcdefNordsieck, Wolfram (2017)."Northern Ireland/UK".Parties and Elections in Europe.Archived from the original on 7 November 2016. Retrieved28 September 2018.
Hearne, Rory (May 2015)."The Irish water war"(PDF).Interface: A Journal for and About Social Movements.7 (1):309–321. Retrieved9 April 2022.Right2Water involves a number of small trade unions (Unite, Mandate, the Communications Worker's Union, the CPSU and OPATSI), as well as the Left parties of Sinn Fein and the united front organisations of two Trotskyist parties (People Before Profit and the Anti Austerity Alliance), and the Workers' Party........The 'Campaign against the Household and Water Taxes' involved socialists from the far left Trotskyist parties
Browne, Harry (13 February 2020)."Irish voters reject the Right: a new opportunity for the Left?". Retrieved7 April 2022.a loose historically-trotskyist alliance called "Solidarity – People Before Profit" (S-PBP), some affiliated to the Committee for a Workers International's successor International Socialist Alternative, and others to the Cliffite International Socialist Tendency
Browne, Harry (13 February 2020)."Irish voters reject the Right: a new opportunity for the Left?". Retrieved7 April 2022.a loose historically-trotskyist alliance called "Solidarity – People Before Profit" (S-PBP), some affiliated to the Committee for a Workers International's successor International Socialist Alternative, and others to the Cliffite International Socialist Tendency
^Edwards, Aaron (2007). "Democratic Socialism and Sectarianism: The Northern Ireland Labour Party and Progressive Unionist Party Compared".Politics.27 (1):24–31.doi:10.1111/j.1467-9256.2007.00275.x.S2CID145393084.
^George Taylor; Brendan Flynn (2008)."The Irish Greens". In E. Gene Frankland; Paul Lucardie; Benoît Rihoux (eds.).Green Parties in Transition: The End of Grass-roots Democracy?. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 97.ISBN978-0-7546-7429-0.Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved22 October 2016.
^John Barlow; David Farnham; Sylvia Horton; F.F. Ridley (2016)."Comparing Public Managers". In David Farnham; Annie Hondeghem; Sylvia Horton; John Barlow (eds.).New Public Managers in Europe: Public Servants in Transition. Springer. p. 19.ISBN978-1-349-13947-7.Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved22 October 2016.
^Trumbore; Owsiak (2019). "Brexit, the Border, and Political Conflict Narratives in Northern Ireland".Irish Studies in International Affairs.30: 195.doi:10.3318/isia.2019.30.12.S2CID214476378.
^Routledge Handbook of European Elections. Edited by Donatella M.Viola. Published byRoutledge. First published in 2016, in Oxon, United Kingdom. Accessed viaGoogle Books.
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