Teaching Comparative Government and Politics

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Devolution in Northern Ireland

The votes in Northern Ireland are in. Whether devolution goes ahead now depends upon the actions of the leaders of the four major parties.

On Friday, the BBC reported partial election results:

Time 'critical' for NI devolution

"Secretary of State Peter Hain has warned he needs an answer from Northern Ireland parties by 25 March if 26 March deadline for devolution is to be met...

"The DUP and Sinn Fein have taken more than half the first preference votes between them in the assembly election.

"Mr Hain warned the assembly would close if the parties did not sign up to power sharing in the next two weeks...

"The Northern Ireland Assembly has been suspended since October 2002, amid allegations of an IRA spy ring at Stormont. A subsequent court case collapsed. Direct rule has been in place since that date."

On Saturday, the final results were in. Could your students understand the results well enough to explain the voting process? What did it mean that there were 250 candidates running in 18 constituencies for 108 seats in the assembly? And what explains the "first preferences" reference?

DUP top in NI assembly election

"Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party has emerged as the largest party in Northern Ireland's Assembly election.

"His party secured 36 of the 108 seats, with Sinn Fein taking 28. The Ulster Unionist Party won 18 seats, the SDLP 16, and the Alliance Party seven seats...

"The DUP got 30.1% of first preferences - up 4.4% from 2003 - while Sinn Fein got 26.2%, up 2.6%.

"Almost 250 candidates were standing in 18 constituencies in the proportional representation election...

"In third place in first preferences, the SDLP received 15.2% of first preferences, the Ulster Unionists 14.9% and Alliance 5.2%..."