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, called territorial seats. Four seats were for students who graduated from Queen's University, Belfast, until 1969. After that, these university seats were replaced by four more territorial seats.

Elections to the House of Commons were originally held using a voting system called single transferable vote (STV). However, in 1929, the system was changed to first-past-the-post for most seats, although STV was kept for the university seats. This change was made because some people felt that Northern Ireland should use the same voting system as the rest of the UK. The boundary changes for the 1929 election were made by the government and were later accused of unfairness, although the effects on election results are debated by historians. In 1968, the university seats were abolished, and new seats were created in areas around Belfast where more people lived. 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 part of the original plan, which had been changed by the time the Parliament was created.

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, with 12 senators staying 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, but 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 began on December 12, 1922, after the role of Lord Lieutenant was no longer needed.

Location

The Parliament of Northern Ireland first met in Belfast's City Hall, then moved to a college run by the Presbyterian Church from 1921 to 1932. 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.

City Hall Union Theological College Parliament Buildings Sir Arnold Thornely Stormont synecdoche

Legislation

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

The Parliament of Northern Ireland could make laws about almost every part of life in Northern Ireland. Only a few topics were not under its control, like the country's leadership, military matters, and some taxes. The parliament followed the rules set by the Government of Ireland Act 1920 and only once had to wait for approval from the United Kingdom before making a law. Even though there were rules against making unfair laws based on religion, these rules did not stop many different laws from being created.

Brief history

The 1921 general election was mainly about whether people supported having a government in Northern Ireland. After this, the timing of elections was up to the Prime Minister. In 1921, a group called the Nationalist Party chose not to take their seats in the government. This was because they did not want to 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 tied to a report 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, things changed again in 1969 when some groups left the government. The government of Northern Ireland stopped operating in March 1972. During its time, only one law was passed by a Nationalist member.

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.