1929 Northern Ireland general election
{{Short description|none}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 1929 Northern Ireland general election
| country = Northern Ireland
| type = parliamentary
| ongoing = no
| previous_election = 1925 Northern Ireland general election
| previous_year = 1925
| previous_mps = List of members of the 2nd House of Commons of Northern Ireland
| elected_members = MPs elected
| next_election = 1933 Northern Ireland general election
| next_year = 1933
| seats_for_election = All 52 seats to the House of Commons of Northern Ireland
27 seats were needed for a majority
| election_date = 22 May 1929
| image1 = James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon.jpg
| leader1 = James Craig
| leader_since1 = 7 June 1921
| party1 = Ulster Unionist Party
| leaders_seat1 = North Down
| last_election1 = 32 seat, 55.0%
| seats1 = 37{{efn|name=UUP|Includes 16 members elected unopposed.}}
| seat_change1 = {{increase}}5
| popular_vote1 = 148,579{{efn|name=Contest|Voting only took place in 30 of 52 seats.
The other 22 MPs were unopposed.}}
| percentage1 = 50.8%
| swing1 = {{decrease}}4.2%
| image2 = Joe Devlin.JPG
| leader2 = Joe Devlin
| leader_since2 = 1918
| party2 = Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland)
| leaders_seat2 = Belfast Central
| last_election2 = 10 seats, 23.8%
| seats2 = 11{{efn|name=Nat|Includes 6 members elected unopposed.}}
| seat_change2 = {{increase}}1
| popular_vote2 = 34,069{{Efn|name=Contest}}
| percentage2 = 11.7%
| swing2 = {{decrease}}9.5%
| image3 = {{eppt|Northern Ireland Labour Party}}
| leader3 = {{nowrap|Samuel Kyle}}
| leader_since3 = 1925
| party3 = Northern Ireland Labour Party
| leaders_seat3 = Belfast Oldpark
(defeated)
| last_election3 = 3 seats, 4.7%
| seats3 = 1
| seat_change3 = {{decrease}}2
| popular_vote3 = 23,334{{Efn|name=Contest}}
| percentage3 = 8.0%
| swing3 = {{increase}}3.3%
|map_image = 1929UlsterParliament.svg
|map_size = 400px
|map_caption = Election results by constituency
| title = Prime Minister
| posttitle = Prime Minister after election
| before_election = James Craig
| before_party = Ulster Unionist Party
| after_election = James Craig
| after_party = Ulster Unionist Party
}}
{{Politics of Northern Ireland 1921-72}}
The 1929 Northern Ireland general election was held on 22 May 1929. Like all previous elections to the Parliament of Northern Ireland, it produced a large majority for the Ulster Unionist Party. It was the first held after the abolition of proportional representation and the redrawing of electoral boundaries to create single-seat constituencies. Though it had been argued this was done with the intent of gerrymandering, this has been considered unlikely as the Unionists already had a solid majority at the parliamentary level.{{cite journal |last1=Pringle |first1=Dennis G. |title=Electoral Systems and Political Manipulation: A Case Study of Northern Ireland in the 1920s |journal=Economic and Social Review |date=1980 |volume=11 |issue=3 |pages=188 |accessdate=2025-04-30 |url=http://www.tara.tcd.ie/bitstream/handle/2262/68674/v11n31980_3.pdf}} However, the opposite was more accurate at local level.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/hnihoc.htm|title=Northern Ireland House of Commons, 1921-1972|website=www.ark.ac.uk|accessdate=30 April 2025}} As with the rest of the United Kingdom, this has made it more difficult for independent and minor party candidates like the Northern Ireland Labour Party to win seats, as was the intent of the abolition of proportional representation was for the UUP to control the Unionist vote.
22 MPs (42%), mostly Ulster Unionists, were elected unopposed without any votes being cast. This began a trend which would continue for decades - until 1969, at least 20 MPs in every Northern Ireland general election would be elected unopposed.
Results
| style="width:50%; text-align:center;"
|+ ↓ |
| style="color:white;"
| style="background:{{party color|Ulster Unionist Party}}; width:71.2%;" | 37 | style="background:{{party color|Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland)}}; width:21.2%;" | 11 | style="background:{{party color|Independent Unionist}}; width:5.8%;" | 3 | style="background:{{party color|Northern Ireland Labour Party}}; width:1.9%;" | 1 |
| UUP
| Nationalist | IU | NILP |
{{Election summary begin with candidates| title = 1929 Northern Ireland general election|image=File:Northern Irish general election 1929.svg}}
{{Election summary party with candidates|
|party = Ulster Unionist Party
|government = yes
|candidates = 43
|seats = 37{{Efn|name=UUP}}
|gain = N/A
|loss = N/A
|net = +5
|votes = 148,579
|votes % = 50.8
|seats % = 71.2
|plus/minus = -4.2
}}
{{Election summary party with candidates|
|party = Independent Unionist
|candidates = 10
|seats = 3
|gain = N/A
|loss = N/A
|net = -1
|votes = 41,778
|votes % = 14.3
|seats % = 5.8
|plus/minus = +5.3
}}
{{Election summary party with candidates|
|party = Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland)
|candidates = 11
|seats = 11{{Efn|name=Nat}}
|gain = N/A
|loss = N/A
|net = +1
|votes = 34,069
|votes % = 11.7
|seats % = 21.2
|plus/minus = -9.5
}}
{{Election summary party with candidates|
|party = Northern Ireland Labour Party
|candidates = 5
|seats = 1
|gain = N/A
|loss = N/A
|net = -2
|votes = 23,334
|votes % = 8.0
|seats % = 1.9
|plus/minus = +3.3
}}
{{Election summary party with candidates|
|party = Ulster Liberal Party
|candidates = 5
|seats = 0
|gain = N/A
|loss = N/A
|net = -1
|votes = 18,208
|votes % = 6.2
|seats % = —
|plus/minus = +4.9
}}
{{Election summary party with candidates|
|party = Local Option
|candidates = 3
|seats = 0
|gain = N/A
|loss = N/A
|net = 0
|votes = 9,776
|votes % = 3.3
|seats % = —
|plus/minus = N/A
}}
{{Election summary with candidates|
|party = Town Tenants' Association
|candidates = 2
|seats = 0
|gain = N/A
|loss = N/A
|net = 0
|votes = 6,901
|votes % = 2.4
|seats % = —
|plus/minus = +1.5
}}
{{Election summary party with candidates|
|party = Independent Nationalist
|candidates = 1
|seats = 0
|gain = N/A
|loss = N/A
|net = 0
|votes = 3,694
|votes % = 1.3
|seats % = —
|plus/minus = N/A
}}
{{Election summary party with candidates|
|party = Independent (politician)
|candidates = 1
|seats = 0
|gain = N/A
|loss = N/A
|net = 0
|votes = 3,437
|votes % = 1.2
|seats % = —
|plus/minus = N/A
}}
{{Election summary party with candidates|
|party = Independent Labour
|candidates = 2
|seats = 0
|gain = N/A
|loss = N/A
|net = 0
|votes = 2,442
|votes % = 0.8
|seats % = —
|plus/minus = N/A
}}
|}
Electorate: 775,307 (432,439 in contested seats); Turnout: 67.6% (292,218). Ulster Liberal Party result is compared to Unbought Tenants' Association in 1925.
=Votes summary=
{{bar box
|title=Popular vote
|titlebar=#ddd
|width=500px
|barwidth=290px
|bars=
{{bar percent|Ulster Unionist|{{party color|Ulster Unionist Party}}|50.85}}
{{bar percent|Independent Unionist|{{party color|Independent Unionist}}|14.30}}
{{bar percent|Nationalist Party|{{party color|Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland)}}|11.66}}
{{bar percent|Labour|{{party color|Northern Ireland Labour Party}}|7.99}}
{{bar percent|Ulster Liberal|{{party color|Ulster Liberal Party}}|6.23}}
{{bar percent|Independent|{{party color|Independent (politician)}}|3.28}}
{{bar percent|Other|#777777|5.71}}
}}
=Seats summary=
{{bar box
|title=Parliamentary seats
|titlebar=#ddd
|width=500px
|barwidth=290px
|bars=
{{bar percent|Ulster Unionist|{{party color|Ulster Unionist Party}}|71.15}}
{{bar percent|Nationalist Party|{{party color|Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland)}}|21.15}}
{{bar percent|Independent Unionist|{{party color|Independent Unionist}}|5.77}}
{{bar percent|Labour|{{party color|Northern Ireland Labour Party}}|1.92}}
}}
=Contested seats=
Only 30 of the 52 seats (58%) were actually contested.
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%" |
| colspan="16" style="background-color:#f2f2f2" |1929 Northern Ireland general election (contested seats) |
|---|
| style="vertical-align:center;"
! style="width:150px;" "vertical-align:center;" rowspan="2" colspan="2"| Party ! colspan="2" style="width: 30px"|Popular vote ! colspan="3" style="width: 30px"|Candidates |
| style="width:65px;"| Votes
! style="width:45px;"|% ! Stood ! Elected ! style="width:45px;"|% |
| {{party color cell|Ulster Unionist Party}}
| align="center" | 148,579 | align="center" | 50.8 | align="center" | 27 | align="center" | 21 | align="center" | 70.0 |
| {{party color cell|Independent Unionist}}
| align="center" | 41,778 | align="center" | 14.3 | align="center" | 10 | align="center" | 3 | align="center" | 10.0 |
| {{party color cell|Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland)}}
| align="center" | 34,069 | align="center" | 11.7 | align="center" | 5 | align="center" | 5 | align="center" | 16.7 |
| {{party color cell|Northern Ireland Labour Party}}
| Labour | align="center" | 23,334 | align="center" | 8.0 | align="center" | 5 | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 3.3 |
| {{party color cell|Ulster Liberal Party}}
| Liberal | align="center" | 18,208 | align="center" | 6.2 | align="center" | 5 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | — |
| {{party color cell|Local Option}}
| align="center" | 9,776 | align="center" | 3.3 | align="center" | 3 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | — |
| {{party color cell|Town Tenants' Association }}
| Town Tenants | align="center" | 6,901 | align="center" | 2.4 | align="center" | 2 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | — |
| {{party color cell|Independent Nationalist}}
| align="center" | 3,694 | align="center" | 1.3 | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | — |
| {{party color cell|Independent (politician)}}
| align="center" | 3,437 | align="center" | 1.2 | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | — |
| {{party color cell|Independent Labour}}
| align="center" | 2,442 | align="center" | 0.8 | align="center" | 2 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | — |
| style="width:150px;" "vertical-align:center;" colspan="2"| Total
! align="center" | 292,218 ! align="center" | 67.6% ! align="center" | 61 ! align="center" | 30 ! align="center" | — |
=Uncontested seats=
In 22 of the 52 seats (42%), only one candidate stood and they were elected unopposed without any votes cast. The vast majority of the MPs elected without a contest were Ulster Unionists.
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%" |
| colspan="16" style="background-color:#f2f2f2" |1929 Northern Ireland general election (uncontested seats) |
|---|
| style="vertical-align:center;"
! style="width:150px;" "vertical-align:center;" rowspan="2" colspan="2"| Party ! colspan="2" style="width: 30px"|Popular vote ! colspan="3" style="width: 30px"|Candidates |
| style="width:65px;"| Votes
! style="width:45px;"|% ! Stood ! Elected ! style="width:45px;"|% |
| {{party color cell|Ulster Unionist Party}}
| align="center" colspan="2" | Unopposed | align="center" | 16 | align="center" | 16 | align="center" | 72.7 |
| {{party color cell|Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland)}}
| align="center" colspan="2" | Unopposed | align="center" | 6 | align="center" | 6 | align="center" | 27.3 |
| style="width:150px;" "vertical-align:center;" colspan="2"| Total
! align="center" colspan="2" | ! align="center" | 22 ! align="center" | 22 ! align="center" | 100 |
Old Map
Northern Ireland general election 1929.png
Footnotes
{{reflist|group=fn}}
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
{{reflist}}
- [http://www.election.demon.co.uk/stormont/totals.html Northern Ireland Parliamentary Election Results] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116175039/http://www.election.demon.co.uk/stormont/totals.html |date=16 November 2017 }}
{{clear}}
{{Northern Ireland elections}}
Northern Ireland general election