South Antrim (UK Parliament constituency)

UK constituency infobox alt
Name = South Antrim


Type = County
Entity = Northern Ireland
DivisionType = Districts
Division = Antrim, Newtownabbey
Year = 1885, 1950
MP = William McCrea
Party = Democratic Unionist
EP = Northern Ireland

South Antrim is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons.

Boundaries

From 1885, this constituency was one of four county divisions of the former Antrim constituency. It comprised the baronies of Massereene Upper, Massereene Lower, and Antrim Upper, and parts of the Baronies of Upper Toome and Belfast Upper, and so much of the Parliamentary Borough of Belfast as was in the County of Antrim.

It returned one Member of Parliament. In 1922, it was merged into a new Antrim constituency.

The seat was re-created in 1950 when the old Antrim two MP constituency was abolished as part of the final move to single member seats. The seat had become the largest in the entire United Kingdom by the time of the Northern Ireland Assembly elections of 1982 by which time its electorate had passed the 131,000 mark. For the 1983 Northern Ireland received new seats. Consequently, South Antrim was cut down heavily, losing a lot of territory to the new seats of East Antrim and Lagan Valley as well as minor sections to Belfast West, Belfast North and Upper Bann. In 1995 there were minor changes around the borders with North Belfast and West Belfast. The seat currently encompasses the entirety of the district of Antrim and part of the district of Newtownabbey.

Boundary changes

Following consultation of boundary changes across Northern Ireland, the altered South Antrim constituency to be fought at the next UK general election is made up as follows [ [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2008/draft/ukdsi_9780110813172_en_1 OPSI SI] ]

*Glenavy from Lisburn City government area
*Ballyclare North, Ballyclare South, Ballyduff, Ballynure, Ballyrobert, Burnthill, Carnmoney, Doagh, Hawthorne, Mallusk, and Mossley, from Newtownabbey
*The district of Antrim

History

South Antrim is an overwhelmingly unionist constituency which once had the strongest vote for the Ulster Unionist Party anywhere in the province. From 1886 to 1974 the Conservative and Unionist members of the United Kingdom House of Commons formed a single Parliamentary party, and they continuously represented South Antrim

In 1951, it was one of the last four seats to be uncontested in a UK general election. In the 1979 general election James Molyneaux had the largest majority of any MP in the entire of the United Kingdom, helped also by having one of the largest electorates.

The boundary changes in 1983 reduced the Ulster Unionist vote somewhat, with a significant portion now contained by the new Lagan Valley (which Molyneaux then contested) but the constituency still gave strong results for the party.

However on April 27 2000 the incumbent MP, Clifford Forsythe died. The ensuing by-election took place amidst a fierce political struggle between the Ulster Unionist Party and the Democratic Unionist Party over the Good Friday Agreement, an agreement that the UUP were themselves split over. The DUP had not contested the seat at the previous general election but on this occasion stood William McCrea, the former MP for Mid Ulster, who campaigned strongly on the DUP's refusal to co-operate with Sinn Féin in the absence of arms decommissioning by the IRA. The local UUP branch selected David Burnside to contest the seat who declared that he had supported the Good Friday Agreement at the time that it was signed but had since become disillusioned with its implementation. As a result many commentators predicted that whatever the outcome of the election it was a severe blow for the UUP's leader David Trimble. On a low turnout amidst a fierce contest McCrea narrowly won the seat.

Burnside was nominated again to contest the seat in the 2001 general election in which he overturned McCrea's majority, aided by tactical voting by SDLP and Alliance voters. However the DUP were eager to regain the seat and in the 2003 Assembly election they outpolled the UUP by 298 votes. In the 2005 general election McCrea defeated Burnside in their third contest, but with a noticeably lower swing than those garnered by other DUP candidates who ousted UUP MPs.

Members of Parliament

The Member of Parliament is William McCrea of the Democratic Unionist Party. He was first elected to the seat in a by-election in 2000 but in the 2001 general election he was defeated by David Burnside of the Ulster Unionist Party. In the 2005 general election McCrea reversed that defeat.

* "Constituency created" (1885)
* 1885 — 1903: William Ellison-Macartney
* 1903 — 1922: Charles Craig
* "Constituency abolished (1922 — 1950)
* 1950 — 1955: Prof. Sir Douglas Lloyd Savory Ulster Unionist
* 1955 — 1970: Sir Knox Cunningham, Ulster Unionist
* 1970 — 1983: James Molyneaux, Ulster Unionist
* 1983 — 2000: Clifford Forsythe, Ulster Unionist
* 2000 — 2001: William McCrea, Democratic Unionist
* 2001 — 2005: David Burnside, Ulster Unionist
* 2005 — "present": William McCrea Democratic Unionist

Elections

Elections in the 2000s

Election box begin
title=General Election 2005: South AntrimElection box candidate with party link
party = Democratic Unionist Party
candidate = William McCrea
votes = 14,507
percentage = 38.2
change = +3.4Election box candidate with party link
party = Ulster Unionist Party
candidate = David Burnside
votes = 11,059
percentage = 29.1
change = -8.0Election box candidate with party link
party = Social Democratic and Labour Party
candidate = Noreen McClelland
votes = 4,706
percentage = 12.4
change = +0.3Election box candidate with party link
party = Sinn Féin
candidate = Henry Cushinan
votes = 4,407
percentage = 11.6
change = +2.2Election box candidate with party link
party = Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
candidate = David Ford
votes = 3,278
percentage = 8.6
change = +4.1Election box majority
votes = 3,448
percentage = 9.1
change =Election box turnout
votes = 37,957
percentage = 56.7
change = -5.8Election box gain with party link
winner = Democratic Unionist Party
loser = Ulster Unionist Party
swing = 5.7

Election box begin
title=General Election 2001: South AntrimElection box candidate with party link
party = Ulster Unionist Party
candidate = David Burnside
votes = 16,366
percentage = 37.1
change = -20.4Election box candidate with party link
party = Democratic Unionist Party
candidate = William McCrea
votes = 15,355
percentage = 34.8
change = 0.0Election box candidate with party link
party = Social Democratic and Labour Party
candidate = Sean McKee
votes = 5,336
percentage = 12.1
change = -4.1Election box candidate with party link
party = Sinn Féin
candidate = Martin Meehan
votes = 4,160
percentage = 9.4
change = +3.9Election box candidate with party link
party = Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
candidate = David Ford
votes = 1,969
percentage = 4.5
change = -7.2Election box candidate with party link
party = Northern Ireland Unionist Party
candidate = Norman Boyd
votes = 972
percentage = 2.2
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 1,011
percentage = 2.3
change = Election box turnout
votes = 44,158
percentage = 62.5
change = +4.6Election box hold with party link
winner = Ulster Unionist Party
swing =

Election box begin
title=By-election 2000: South AntrimElection box candidate with party link
party = Democratic Unionist Party
candidate = William McCrea
votes = 11,601
percentage = 38.0
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Ulster Unionist Party
candidate = David Burnside
votes = 10,779
percentage = 35.3
change = -22.2Election box candidate with party link
party = Social Democratic and Labour Party
candidate = Donovan McClelland
votes = 3,496
percentage = 11.4
change = -4.7Election box candidate with party link
party = Sinn Féin
candidate = Martin Meehan
votes = 2,611
percentage = 8.5
change = +3.0Election box candidate with party link
party = Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
candidate = David Ford
votes = 2,031
percentage = 6.6
change = -5.0Election box candidate with party link
party = Natural Law Party
candidate = David Collins
votes = 49
percentage = 0.2
change = -0.3Election box majority
votes = 822
percentage = 2.7
change =Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 43
change = Election box gain with party link
winner = Democratic Unionist Party
loser = Ulster Unionist Party
swing = 5.7

Elections in the 1990s

Election box candidate with party link
party = Ulster Unionist Party
candidate = Clifford Forsythe
votes = 23,108
percentage = 57.5
change = -13.9Election box candidate with party link
party = Social Democratic and Labour Party
candidate = Donovan McClelland
votes = 6,497
percentage = 16.2
change = +3.4Election box candidate with party link
party = Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
candidate = David Ford
votes = 4,668
percentage = 11.6
change = +0.7Election box candidate with party link
party = Progressive Unionist Party
candidate = Hugh Smyth
votes = 3,490
percentage = 9.0
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Sinn Féin
candidate = Henry Cushinan
votes = 2,229
percentage = 5.5
change = +2.5Election box candidate with party link
party = Natural Law Party
candidate = B. A. Briggs
votes = 203
percentage = 0.5
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 16,611
percentage = 41.3
change = Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 57.8
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Ulster Unionist Party
swing =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Ulster Unionist Party
candidate = Clifford Forsythe
votes = 29,956
percentage = 70.9
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Social Democratic and Labour Party
candidate = Donovan McClelland
votes = 5,397
percentage = 12.8
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
candidate = John Blair
votes = 5,244
percentage = 12.4
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Sinn Féin
candidate = Henry Cushinan
votes = 1,220
percentage = 2.9
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Denis Dino Martin
votes = 442
percentage = 1.1
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 24,559
percentage =
change = Election box turnout
votes = 42,259
percentage = 62.9
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Ulster Unionist Party
swing =

Elections in the 1980s

Election box candidate with party link
party = Ulster Unionist Party
candidate = Clifford Forsythe
votes = 25,395
percentage = 69.8
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
candidate = Gordon Mawhinney
votes = 5,808
percentage = 16.0
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Social Democratic and Labour Party
candidate = Donovan McClelland
votes = 3,611
percentage = 9.9
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Sinn Féin
candidate = Henry Cushinan
votes = 1,592
percentage = 4.4
change = Election box majority
votes = 19,587
percentage = 53.8
change = Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 62.9
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Ulster Unionist Party
swing =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Ulster Unionist Party
candidate = Clifford Forsythe
votes = 30,087
percentage = 94.1
change = Election box candidate
party = "For the Anglo-Irish Agreement"
candidate = "Peter Barry"
votes = 1,870
percentage = 5.9
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 28,217
percentage =
change = Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 53.5
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Ulster Unionist Party
swing = "N/A"

Election box candidate with party link
party = Ulster Unionist Party
candidate = Clifford Forsythe
votes = 17,727
percentage = 45.7
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Democratic Unionist Party
candidate = Roy Thompson
votes = 10,935
percentage = 28.2
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
candidate = Gordon Mawhinney
votes = 4,612
percentage = 11.9
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Social Democratic and Labour Party
candidate = Alban Maginness
votes = 3,377
percentage = 8.7
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Sinn Féin
candidate = Sean Laverty
votes = 1,629
percentage = 4.2
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Workers Party (Ireland)
candidate = Kevin Smyth
votes = 549
percentage = 1.4
change = Election box majority
votes = 6,792
percentage = 17.5
change = Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 65.5
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Ulster Unionist Party
swing =

Elections in the 1970s

Election box candidate with party link
party = Ulster Unionist Party
candidate = James Molyneaux
votes = 50,782
percentage = 69.0
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
candidate = Charles Kinahan
votes = 11,914
percentage = 16.2
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Social Democratic and Labour Party
candidate = Patrick Rowan
votes = 7,432
percentage = 10.1
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent Labour
candidate = Bob Kidd
votes = 1,895
percentage = 2.6
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Republican Clubs
candidate = Kevin Smyth
votes = 1,615
percentage = 2.2
change = Election box majority
votes = 38,868
percentage = 52.8
change = Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 58.2
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Ulster Unionist Party
swing =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Ulster Unionist Party
candidate = James Molyneaux
votes = 48,892
percentage = 71.5
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
candidate = Charles Kinahan
votes = 10,460
percentage = 15.3
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Social Democratic and Labour Party
candidate = Patrick Rowan
votes = 9,061
percentage = 13.2
change = Election box majority
votes = 38,432
percentage = 56.2
change = Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 58.1
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Ulster Unionist Party
swing =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Ulster Unionist Party
candidate = James Molyneaux
votes = 48,203
percentage = 67.6
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
candidate = Charles Kinahan
votes = 12,559
percentage = 17.6
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Social Democratic and Labour Party
candidate = Patrick Rowan
votes = 8,769
percentage = 12.3
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Bob Kidd
votes = 1,801
percentage = 2.5
change = Election box majority
votes = 35,644
percentage = 50.0
change = Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 61.1
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Ulster Unionist Party
swing =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Ulster Unionist Party
candidate = James Molyneaux
votes = 59,589
percentage = 61.2
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Northern Ireland Labour Party
candidate = Robert Johnston
votes = 19,971
percentage = 20.5
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent Unionist
candidate = Tom Caldwell
votes = 10,938
percentage = 11.2
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = National Democratic Party (Northern Ireland)
candidate = Daniel MacAllister
votes = 6,037
percentage = 6.2
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Ulster Liberal Party
candidate = Rodney Smith
votes = 913
percentage = 0.9
change = Election box majority
votes = 39,618
percentage = 40.7
change = Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 68.0
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Ulster Unionist Party
swing =

Elections in the 1960s

Election box candidate with party link
party = Ulster Unionist Party
candidate = Knox Cunningham
votes = 40,840
percentage = 64.3
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Northern Ireland Labour Party
candidate = Sydney Stewart
votes = 22,672
percentage = 35.7
change = Election box majority
votes = 18,168
percentage = 28.6
change = Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 55.9
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Ulster Unionist Party
swing =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Ulster Unionist Party
candidate = Knox Cunningham
votes = 47,325
percentage = 69.9
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Northern Ireland Labour Party
candidate = Sydney Stewart
votes = 16,531
percentage = 24.4
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent Republican (Ireland)
candidate = Leo Wilson
votes = 3,830
percentage = 5.7
change = Election box majority
votes = 30,794
percentage = 45.5
change = Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 64.3
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Ulster Unionist Party
swing =

Elections in the 1950s

Election box candidate with party link
party = Ulster Unionist Party
candidate = Knox Cunningham
votes = 52,786
percentage = 95.1
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Sinn Féin
candidate = Michael Traynor
votes = 2,745
percentage = 4.9
change = Election box majority
votes = 50,041
percentage = 90.1
change = Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 59.3
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Ulster Unionist Party
swing =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Ulster Unionist Party
candidate = Knox Cunningham
votes = 50,347
percentage = 90.7
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Sinn Féin
candidate = Michael Traynor
votes = 5,155
percentage = 9.3
change = Election box majority
votes = 45,192
percentage = 81.4
change = Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 65.3
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Ulster Unionist Party
swing =

:In the 1951 UK general election, Douglas Lloyd Savory was elected unopposed.

Election box candidate with party link
party = Ulster Unionist Party
candidate = Douglas Lloyd Savory
votes = 41,023
percentage = 83.6
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Northern Ireland Labour Party
candidate = Edward Brown
votes = 8,068
percentage = 16.4
change = Election box majority
votes = 32,955
percentage = 67.1
change = Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 63.3
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Ulster Unionist Party
swing =

Elections in the 1910s

Election box begin
title=General Election 1918: South AntrimElection box candidate with party link
party = Irish Unionist Party
candidate = Charles Curtis Craig
votes = 13,270
percentage = 85.13
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Sinn Féin
candidate = Kevin Roantree O'Shiel
votes = 2,318
percentage = 14.87
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 10,952
percentage = 70.26
change = "N/A"Election box turnout
votes = 23,235
percentage = 67.09
change = "N/A"Election box hold with party link
winner = Irish Unionist Party
swing = "N/A"

In the United Kingdom general election, December 1910, Charles Curtis Craig was elected unopposed.

Election box begin
title=General Election January 1910: South AntrimElection box candidate with party link
party = Irish Unionist Party
candidate = Charles Curtis Craig
votes = 5,310
percentage = 69.41
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = William Moffat Clow
votes = 2,340
percentage = 30.59
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 2,970
percentage = 38.82
change = "N/A"Election box turnout
votes = 9,900
percentage = 77.27
change = "N/A"Election box hold with party link
winner = Irish Unionist Party
swing = "N/A"

Elections in the 1900s

In the United Kingdom general election, 1906, Charles Curtis Craig was elected unopposed.

Election box begin
title=South Antrim by-election, 1903Election box candidate with party link
party = Irish Unionist Party
candidate = Charles Curtis Craig
votes = 4,464
percentage = 55.25
change = +0.86Election box candidate with party link
party = Russellite Unionist
candidate = Samuel Robert Keightley
votes = 3,615
percentage = 44.75
change = +44.75Election box majority
votes = 849
percentage = 10.51
change = +1.73Election box turnout
votes = 10,236
percentage = 78.93
change = +13.86Election box hold with party link
winner = Irish Unionist Party
swing = "N/A"

Election box begin
title=General Election 1900: South AntrimElection box candidate with party link
party = Irish Unionist Party
candidate = William Grey Ellison Macartney
votes = 3,674
percentage = 54.39
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent Unionist
candidate = Samuel Lawther
votes = 3,081
percentage = 45.61
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 593
percentage = 8.78
change = "N/A"Election box turnout
votes = 10,381
percentage = 65.07
change = "N/A"Election box hold with party link
winner = Irish Unionist Party
swing = "N/A"

Elections in the 1890s

In the 1892 and 1895 UK general elections, William Grey Ellison Macartney was elected unopposed.

Elections in the 1880s

In the 1886 UK general election, William Grey Ellison Macartney was elected unopposed.

Election box begin
title=General Election 7 December 1885: South AntrimElection box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = William Grey Ellison Macartney
votes = 5,047
percentage = 57.83
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = John Doherty Barbour
votes = 3,680
percentage = 42.17
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 1,367
percentage = 15.66
change = "N/A"Election box turnout
votes = 10,824
percentage = 80.63
change = "N/A"Election box gain with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
loser = new seat
swing = "N/A"

See also

* List of Parliamentary constituencies in Northern Ireland

References