Federation of Labour (Ireland)
Encyclopedia
The Federation of Labour (Ireland) was a small nationalist political party
in Northern Ireland
.
It was founded in 1944 by much of the Belfast West
branch of the Northern Ireland Labour Party
(NILP), opposed to that group's acceptance of the partition of Ireland
and movement towards unionism.
The party was led by James Collins, and from 1945 by Jack Beattie
, the Member of Parliament
for Belfast West, who had initially been elected for the NILP, but had since become an independent
Labour representative.
The group stood in the Northern Ireland general election, 1945, but failed to see any of its candidates elected. In 1949, it merged into the newly formed Northern Section of the Irish Labour Party.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
It was founded in 1944 by much of the Belfast West
Belfast West (UK Parliament constituency)
Belfast West is a parliamentary constituency in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.-Boundaries:The seat was restored in 1922 when as part of the establishment of the devolved Stormont Parliament for Northern Ireland, the number of MPs in the Westminster Parliament was drastically cut...
branch of the Northern Ireland Labour Party
Northern Ireland Labour Party
The Northern Ireland Labour Party was an Irish political party which operated from 1924 until 1987.In 1913 the British Labour Party resolved to give the recently formed Irish Labour Party exclusive organising rights in Ireland...
(NILP), opposed to that group's acceptance of the partition of Ireland
Partition of Ireland
The partition of Ireland was the division of the island of Ireland into two distinct territories, now Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland . Partition occurred when the British Parliament passed the Government of Ireland Act 1920...
and movement towards unionism.
The party was led by James Collins, and from 1945 by Jack Beattie
Jack Beattie
Jack Beattie was a politician from Northern Ireland.He was a teacher by profession. He joined the Northern Ireland Labour Party . In 1925, he became a Member of the Northern Ireland House of Commons for Belfast East. He represented Belfast Pottinger from 1929...
, the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Belfast West, who had initially been elected for the NILP, but had since become an independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
Labour representative.
The group stood in the Northern Ireland general election, 1945, but failed to see any of its candidates elected. In 1949, it merged into the newly formed Northern Section of the Irish Labour Party.