Ulster Progressive Unionist Association
Encyclopedia
The Ulster Progressive Unionist Association was a political group which was founded in 1938 and was active in Northern Ireland
for a few years thereafter.
The founder of the group was William John Stewart
, the Ulster Unionist Party
United Kingdom
Member of Parliament
for Belfast South
between 1929 and 1945. He continued to take the Conservative and Unionist whip at Westminster, even though Progressive Unionist candidates opposed Ulster Unionist ones in the Northern Ireland general election, 1938
and a by-election for the United Kingdom Parliament in 1943.
The Association provided the main opposition in the 1938 general election, as the Nationalist Party
decided to boycott in some areas, and the Northern Ireland Labour Party
was only able to contest five seats. It represented a former section of the Ulster Unionist Party which opposed the official economic policy; in particular, the lack of urgency in dealing with unemployment and housing shortages. It proposed the maintenance of the union with Britain, the equalisation of taxation with the rest of the UK (which would have increased government revenues), and the use of this to tackle unemployment and provide housing with cheap rents. It also proposed to adopt the programme of the Ulster Farmers Union
.
While it soon became apparent that the Association would not win a significant number of seats, it was widely believed that Stewart would either win or come very close in Belfast Cromac, against the young official candidate Maynard Sinclair
. However, Sinclair won comparatively easily, with a majority of 29% of the total of votes cast. The closest contest came in East Down, where W. J. Price came within 1,000 votes of taking a seat, but even there, where the Nationalists were not contesting, the UPUA was unable to attract tactical votes from nationalists.
United Kingdom by-election 11 February 1943
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...
for a few years thereafter.
The founder of the group was William John Stewart
William Stewart (Unionist politician)
William John Stewart was a Unionist politician in Northern Ireland.He was elected as Ulster Unionist Party Member of Parliament for Belfast South at the 1929 general election. Stewart was re-elected unopposed in 1931 and 1935, and in 1938 he founded the Ulster Progressive Unionist Association...
, 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...
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...
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 South
Belfast South (UK Parliament constituency)
Belfast South is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons.-Boundaries:The seat was created 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...
between 1929 and 1945. He continued to take the Conservative and Unionist whip at Westminster, even though Progressive Unionist candidates opposed Ulster Unionist ones in the Northern Ireland general election, 1938
Northern Ireland general election, 1938
-References:*...
and a by-election for the United Kingdom Parliament in 1943.
The Association provided the main opposition in the 1938 general election, as the Nationalist Party
Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland)
The Nationalist Party† - was the continuation of the Irish Parliamentary Party, and was formed after partition, by the Northern Ireland-based members of the IPP....
decided to boycott in some areas, and 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...
was only able to contest five seats. It represented a former section of the Ulster Unionist Party which opposed the official economic policy; in particular, the lack of urgency in dealing with unemployment and housing shortages. It proposed the maintenance of the union with Britain, the equalisation of taxation with the rest of the UK (which would have increased government revenues), and the use of this to tackle unemployment and provide housing with cheap rents. It also proposed to adopt the programme of the Ulster Farmers Union
Ulster Farmers Union
The Ulster Farmers Union is a member organisation/industry association for farmers in Northern Ireland. The UFU was formed in 1918 and currently claims over 12,500 members.-Presidency:...
.
While it soon became apparent that the Association would not win a significant number of seats, it was widely believed that Stewart would either win or come very close in Belfast Cromac, against the young official candidate Maynard Sinclair
Maynard Sinclair
Major The Rt Hon. John Maynard Sinclair was a unionist politician in Northern Ireland. Born in Belfast, in 1896, son of John Sinclair DL and Alice Montgomery, he was educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution, and in Switzerland. He served in the British Army during World War I...
. However, Sinclair won comparatively easily, with a majority of 29% of the total of votes cast. The closest contest came in East Down, where W. J. Price came within 1,000 votes of taking a seat, but even there, where the Nationalists were not contesting, the UPUA was unable to attract tactical votes from nationalists.
Progressive Unionist candidates
Northern Ireland general election, 1938Northern Ireland general election, 1938
-References:*...
- Mrs P. Moody Belfast BloomfieldBelfast Bloomfield (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)Belfast Bloomfield was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.-Boundaries:Belfast Bloomfield was a borough constituency comprising part of eastern Belfast...
3,988 (29.7%) - W. J. Stewart Belfast CromacBelfast Cromac (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)Belfast Cromac was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.-Boundaries:Belfast Cromac was a borough constituency comprising part of southern Belfast...
4,337 (35.5%) - R. Bradford Belfast OldparkBelfast Oldpark (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)Belfast Oldpark was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.-Boundaries:Belfast Oldpark was a borough constituency comprising part of northern Belfast...
1,253 (8.6%) - J. D. Wallace Belfast St Anne'sBelfast St Anne's (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)Belfast St Anne's was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.-Boundaries:Belfast St Anne's was a borough constituency comprising part of south-western Belfast...
5,172 (31.6%) - J. McMaster Belfast VictoriaBelfast Victoria (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)Belfast Victoria was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.-Boundaries:Belfast Victoria was a borough constituency comprising part of eastern Belfast...
3,434 (24.5%) - R. H. Press Belfast WindsorBelfast Windsor (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)Belfast Windsor was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.-Boundaries:Belfast Windsor was a borough constituency comprising part of southern Belfast...
4,429 (33.0%) - J. Graham Antrim, AntrimAntrim Borough (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)Antrim, sometimes known as Antrim Borough to distinguish it from the former constituency of the same name, was a single-member county constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.-Boundaries and boundary changes:...
5,374 (39.8%) - A. Beggs Antrim Mid 4,514 (32.5%)
- R. N. Boyd Antrim North 4,477 (35.3%)
- W. J. Price Down EastEast Down (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)East Down was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.-Boundaries:East Down was a county constituency comprising the towns of Ardglass, Ballynahinch, Crossgar, Downpatrick, Dunmore, Killinchy, Killyleagh, Kilmore, Saintfield and Strangford, all in the current Down District Council...
4,050 (44.8%)
- Total: 42,425 votes (12.9% of the Northern Ireland vote in the 31 contested seats) - finished second in terms of votes but won no seats
United Kingdom by-election 11 February 1943
- R. H. Press AntrimAntrim (UK Parliament constituency)Antrim is former UK Parliament constituency in Ireland. It was a two member constituency and existed in two periods, 1801–1885 and 1922-1950.-Boundaries:...
1,432 (2.3%)