Robert McCartney (politician)
Encyclopedia
Robert Law McCartney QC
(born 24 April 1936) is a Northern Ireland
barrister and former leader of the UK Unionist Party
.
He was initially a member of the Ulster Unionist Party
but was expelled in June 1987 when he refused to withdraw from the general election of that year
. He stood against the incumbent Popular Unionist Party MP Sir James Kilfedder
in North Down as a "Real Unionist" but failed to win the seat.
In the 1995 by-election
in North Down
after the death of Kilfedder he was elected as a "UK Unionist" defeating the Ulster Unionist Party candidate. He subsequently established the United Kingdom Unionist Party to contest elections to the Northern Ireland Forum and the related talks which started
in 1996. The other party representatives to the Forum were Dr Conor Cruise O'Brien
and Cedric Wilson, a former low-level DUP member in the 1980s. Bob retained his Westminster seat in the 1997 election
.
He opposed the subsequent Belfast Agreement
in the May 1998 referendum and his party won five seats in the Assembly elections later that year (Robert McCartney in North Down, Cedric Wilson in Strangford, Patrick Roche in Lagan Valley, Norman Boyd in South Antrim and Roger Hutchinson
East Antrim).
However, Wilson, Roche, Boyd and Hutchinson parted company with McCartney in December 1998 because of their leader's so-called 'exit strategy' from the Northern Ireland Assembly in the event of Sinn Féin being allowed seats in the new Northern Ireland Government. McCartney denounced them, saying all four 'were famous in their own living rooms' and that their supporters 'could fit into a telephone box.' In 2008 both Wilson and Boyd attended meetings of Jim Allister's
Traditional Unionist Voice
.
In 1999, Robert McCartney ran for the party in elections to the European Parliament
, winning 2.9% of the first preference vote. He lost his Westminster seat in the 2001 election
to the UUP candidate Lady Hermon
.
He was committed to a policy of integration for Northern Ireland
, whereby legislative devolution for Northern Ireland would no longer be Westminster's abiding policy, there would be no Stormont legislative assembly and the province would be a fully participating part of the United Kingdom
; at the same time the three main British political parties would fully organise in Northern Ireland. He was the main spokesman for the Campaign for Equal Citizenship
in 1986, and led it in its four years of prominence after the 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement.
These integrationist policies, once popular in some sections of Unionism, receded with the introduction of devolution to Scotland
and Wales
, and the creation of a functioning Northern Ireland Assembly. However it is the case that other parts of the United Kingdom
with devolved assemblies are fully covered by the three main British political parties, but not in Northern Ireland.
McCartney also strongly opposed the St Andrews Agreement
. He stood in six different constituencies in the 2007 Northern Ireland Assembly elections on an anti-agreement ticket but was elected to none of them. He claims to have retired from politics following the loss of his assembly seat in North Down
in the 2007 Assembly Election
to Brian Wilson
of the Green Party
.
In October 2009, Robert McCartney was guest speaker at the Traditional Unionist Voice party conference in Belfast, where he spoke on the situation surrounding the primary school transfer test, brought about by a Sinn Féin Education Minister.
Although retired from the political scene he occasionally makes media appearances and writes newspaper articles.
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
(born 24 April 1936) is a 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...
barrister and former leader of the UK Unionist Party
UK Unionist Party
The UK Unionist Party was a small unionist political party operating in Northern Ireland from 1995 to 2008. It was nominally formed by Robert McCartney, formerly of the Ulster Unionist Party, to contest a by-election the North Down by-election, 1995 and then further constituted to contest the 1996...
.
He was initially a member of the Ulster Unionist Party
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
but was expelled in June 1987 when he refused to withdraw from the general election of that year
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
. He stood against the incumbent Popular Unionist Party MP Sir James Kilfedder
James Kilfedder
Sir James Alexander Kilfedder was a Northern Ireland unionist politician.-Early life:...
in North Down as a "Real Unionist" but failed to win the seat.
In the 1995 by-election
North Down by-election, 1995
The North Down by-election, in the North Down constituency, was held on 15 June 1995, following the death of James Kilfedder, who had represented the constituency since the 1970 general election...
in North Down
North Down (UK Parliament constituency)
North Down is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. The current MP is Sylvia Hermon, elected as an Independent in the 2010 General Election. -Boundaries:The county constituency was first created in 1885 from the northern part of Down...
after the death of Kilfedder he was elected as a "UK Unionist" defeating the Ulster Unionist Party candidate. He subsequently established the United Kingdom Unionist Party to contest elections to the Northern Ireland Forum and the related talks which started
in 1996. The other party representatives to the Forum were Dr Conor Cruise O'Brien
Conor Cruise O'Brien
Conor Cruise O'Brien often nicknamed "The Cruiser", was an Irish politician, writer, historian and academic. Although his opinion on the role of Britain in Northern Ireland changed over the course of the 1970s and 1980s, he always acknowledge values of, as he saw, the two irreconcilable traditions...
and Cedric Wilson, a former low-level DUP member in the 1980s. Bob retained his Westminster seat in the 1997 election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
.
He opposed the subsequent Belfast Agreement
Belfast Agreement
The Good Friday Agreement or Belfast Agreement , sometimes called the Stormont Agreement, was a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process...
in the May 1998 referendum and his party won five seats in the Assembly elections later that year (Robert McCartney in North Down, Cedric Wilson in Strangford, Patrick Roche in Lagan Valley, Norman Boyd in South Antrim and Roger Hutchinson
Roger Hutchinson
Roger Hutchinson is a former politician in Northern Ireland.After attending Larne Technical College, Hutchinson became a religious minister. He also joined the Orange Order. He moved into business in 1990....
East Antrim).
However, Wilson, Roche, Boyd and Hutchinson parted company with McCartney in December 1998 because of their leader's so-called 'exit strategy' from the Northern Ireland Assembly in the event of Sinn Féin being allowed seats in the new Northern Ireland Government. McCartney denounced them, saying all four 'were famous in their own living rooms' and that their supporters 'could fit into a telephone box.' In 2008 both Wilson and Boyd attended meetings of Jim Allister's
Jim Allister
James Hugh "Jim" Allister, QC is a Northern Ireland Unionist politician and senior barrister. He is the leader of the Traditional Unionist Voice political party, serving as MLA in the Northern Ireland Assembly, where he represents Antrim North.He was formerly a member of the Democratic Unionist...
Traditional Unionist Voice
Traditional Unionist Voice
Traditional Unionist Voice is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland founded on 7 December 2007, as an anti-St Andrews Agreement splinter group from the Democratic Unionist Party . Its first and current leader is Jim Allister who, until 2009, sat as an independent Member of the European...
.
In 1999, Robert McCartney ran for the party in elections to the European Parliament
European Parliament election, 1999 (UK)
The European Parliament Election, 1999 was the UK part of the European Parliament election 1999. It was held on 10 June. It was the first European election to be held in the United Kingdom using a system of proportional representation. The European Parliamentary Elections Act 1999 introduced the...
, winning 2.9% of the first preference vote. He lost his Westminster seat in the 2001 election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
to the UUP candidate Lady Hermon
Sylvia Hermon
Sylvia Eileen Hermon, Lady Hermon is a Northern Irish politician. Since 2001, she has been the Member of Parliament for the constituency of North Down, first elected for the Ulster Unionist Party , but now an independent...
.
He was committed to a policy of integration for 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...
, whereby legislative devolution for Northern Ireland would no longer be Westminster's abiding policy, there would be no Stormont legislative assembly and the province would be a fully participating part of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
; at the same time the three main British political parties would fully organise in Northern Ireland. He was the main spokesman for the Campaign for Equal Citizenship
Campaign for Equal Citizenship
The Campaign for Equal Citizenship was a political advocacy group that supported the integration of Northern Ireland into the United Kingdom and called for the full participation of mainland political parties in Northern Irish politics....
in 1986, and led it in its four years of prominence after the 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement.
These integrationist policies, once popular in some sections of Unionism, receded with the introduction of devolution to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, and the creation of a functioning Northern Ireland Assembly. However it is the case that other parts of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
with devolved assemblies are fully covered by the three main British political parties, but not in Northern Ireland.
McCartney also strongly opposed the St Andrews Agreement
St Andrews Agreement
The St Andrews Agreement was an agreement between the British and Irish Governments and the political parties in relation to the devolution of power to Northern Ireland...
. He stood in six different constituencies in the 2007 Northern Ireland Assembly elections on an anti-agreement ticket but was elected to none of them. He claims to have retired from politics following the loss of his assembly seat in North Down
North Down (Assembly constituency)
North Down is a constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly.The seat was first used for a Northern Ireland-only election for the Northern Ireland Assembly, 1973...
in the 2007 Assembly Election
Northern Ireland Assembly election, 2007
The third elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly were held on 7 March 2007 when 108 new members were elected. The election saw endorsement of the St Andrews Agreement and the two largest parties, the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin, along with the Alliance Party, increase their...
to Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson (Northern Ireland politician)
Brian Wilson MLA is an Independent politician in Northern Ireland. He was the first member of the Green Party to be elected as member of the Northern Ireland Assembly....
of the Green Party
Green Party in Northern Ireland
The Green Party in Northern Ireland is the Northern Ireland subdivision of the Irish Green Party, based on the principles of Green politics. It works in co-operation with Green parties across Europe, and was formerly a party in its own right...
.
In October 2009, Robert McCartney was guest speaker at the Traditional Unionist Voice party conference in Belfast, where he spoke on the situation surrounding the primary school transfer test, brought about by a Sinn Féin Education Minister.
Although retired from the political scene he occasionally makes media appearances and writes newspaper articles.