Peter's Guide To Politics in Northern Ireland

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Non Aligned Parties

ALLIANCE PARTY

The Alliance Party was established in 1970 to give people an alternative to the traditional Nationalist-Unionist divide. The Alliance Party is the largest non-aligned party in Northern Ireland and the only party to get a relatively even spread of votes from both sides of the political divide. The Alliance has 40 councillors and 6 members of the Northern Ireland assembly and their former leader Dr. John Alderdice sits in the House of Lords and is the Presiding Office of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Under new leader, David Ford, the Alliance Party have seen themselves being thrusted towards the centre stage in the Assembly. When David Trimble failed to get the neccessary Unionist support to get re-elected as Northern Ireland's First Minister, the Alliance Party re-designated some of its members temporarily as Unionist in order to get the neccessary cross community support. However the Alliance only did this on condition that there would be a review of voting procedures in the Assembly. That review looks like bringing no changes in voting practices in the Assembly, so did new leader David Ford fail in his first political battle. In my view quite clearly so. It was up to him to secure cast iron assurances from the UUP and SDLP that changes would be made but he failed to do so and agreed to a "review", but I'd say this is not the last time the main Pro-Agreement parties will rely on the Alliance Party.

The Alliance Party have done a good job in maintaining their neutrality and in appealing to both sides of the community. However with sectarian tensions remaining high in the North the Alliance could get squeezed out as the support flows out to the more hardline sides (Sinn Fein and the DUP). The Alliance could suffer the same fate being felt by the SDLP, what I call "middle ground syndrome". Those in the "middle ground" will find it difficult to attract new young voters as they don't appear to have the energy and radicalism that the harder elements have. In saying that the recent media attention will bring benefits to the Alliance's cause and holding the balance of power may become a frequent occurance for them.

WOMEN'S COALITION

This non-aigned coalition of women from all backgrounds, religious, ethnic and cultural is probably the second best known Non-Aligned party in Northern Ireland. It currently has two Assembly members, Jane Maurice and Monica McWilliams. Formed in 1996 The Coalition has also courted controversy throughout its brief history. During the General Elections they were criticised by the DUP and UK Unionist Party for not fielding a candidate in North Down, won by Lady Sylvia Herman. They also re-designated one member as Unionist and one as Nationalist during the mini-crisis caused by the failure to re-elect David Trimble as First Minister.

The Women's Coalition is a small, young party with only two Assembly Members but their profile is on the up and should definetly return more MLA's to the Stormont Assembly when the elections take place probably May 2003 but they're alienating half the population by their name alone!