Parliament of Northern Ireland

The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature of Northern Ireland. It was created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920 and began meeting on June 7, 1921. It stopped working on March 30, 1972, because it could not bring peace during a difficult time called the Troubles. After this, the UK government took control of Northern Ireland directly, and the Parliament was later officially ended by law in 1973.

The Parliament had two parts. One was called the House of Commons and had 52 members who were elected. The other part was the Senate with 26 members who were chosen in a special way. The Sovereign was represented by a special leader called the governor, who approved laws made by the Parliament. However, the real power to lead was held by the prime minister, who was the leader of the party with the most seats in the House of Commons.

House of Commons

Main article: House of Commons of Northern Ireland

The House of Commons had 52 members. Most of these members were chosen from different areas. Four seats were for students from Queen's University, Belfast, until 1969. After that, these seats were replaced by four more seats from areas around Belfast.

Elections to the House of Commons used a voting system called single transferable vote (STV). In 1929, the system was changed to first-past-the-post for most seats, but STV was kept for the university seats. This change happened because some people wanted Northern Ireland to use the same voting system as the rest of the UK. In 1968, the university seats were removed, and new seats were created in areas around Belfast. This change helped the Unionist party, as they won all the new seats.

Senate

Main article: Senate of Northern Ireland

The Senate was added to the Parliament of Northern Ireland at the last minute. It was not in the original plan.

Twenty-four senators were chosen by members of the House of Commons using a special voting system. These elections happened after each big election for the House. Twelve senators stayed for two terms each time. The other two seats were held by important city leaders: the Lord Mayor of Belfast and the mayor of Derry. The Senate usually had the same mix of political groups as the House of Commons. Because it depended on the House for its members, it did not have much influence on decisions.

The Crown

The British monarch was represented in Northern Ireland by a special leader called the Governor of Northern Ireland. This started on December 12, 1922, when the role of Lord Lieutenant was no longer used.

Location

The Parliament of Northern Ireland first met in Belfast's City Hall. Then it moved to a college run by the Presbyterian Church from 1921 to 1932, called the Union Theological College. During this time, the House of Commons met in a library, and the Senate met in a chapel. In 1932, the Parliament moved into a new building designed just for it at Stormont, on the eastern edge of Belfast. The word "Stormont" became a way to refer to both the Parliament and the government of Northern Ireland. The building was designed by the architect Sir Arnold Thornely. The word “Stormont” is an example of synecdoche, which means using the name of one part to represent the whole.

Parliament Buildings

Legislation

Further information: List of acts of the Parliament of Northern Ireland

The Parliament of Northern Ireland could make laws for most things in Northern Ireland. Some topics were not under its control, such as the country's leadership, the military, and some taxes. The parliament worked under the rules set by the Government of Ireland Act 1920. It only needed approval from the United Kingdom one time before making a law. There were rules to prevent unfair laws based on religion, but many different laws were still made.

Brief history

The 1921 general election was about whether people wanted a government in Northern Ireland. After that, the Prime Minister decided when elections would happen. In 1921, the Nationalist Party chose not to take their seats because they did not support the idea of Northern Ireland.

Elections often happened when there were big discussions about the borders of Northern Ireland. This usually ensured that Protestant voters supported the Unionist Party. In 1925, there was an election about possibly changing the border, but the border stayed the same.

In 1965, a big change happened when Nationalist members joined the government. This was because of efforts to treat everyone fairly. However, in 1969, some groups left the government. The government of Northern Ireland stopped operating in March 1972.

The group known as the Orange Order had a lot of influence in Northern Ireland's government. Many important leaders were part of this group.