Belfast West (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)
{{For|other constituencies of the same name|Belfast West (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{coord|54.595|-5.964|display=title|region:GB_scale:50000}}
{{Infobox constituency
| name = Belfast West
| type = Borough
| parl_name = Parliament of Northern Ireland
| image = 200px
| caption = Belfast West shown within Northern Ireland
| year = 1921
| abolished = 1929
| blank1_name = Election method
| blank1_info = Single transferable vote
}}
Belfast West was a borough constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland from 1921 to 1929. It returned four MPs, using proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.
Boundaries
Belfast West was created by the Government of Ireland Act 1920 and contained the Court, Falls, St Anne's, St George's, Smithfield and Woodvale wards of the County Borough of Belfast. The House of Commons (Method of Voting and Redistribution of Seats) Act (Northern Ireland) 1929 divided the constituency into four constituencies elected under first past the post: Belfast Central, Belfast Falls, Belfast St Anne's and Belfast Woodvale.{{Cite web |url=http://www.election.demon.co.uk/stormont/boundaries.html |title=Northern Ireland Parliamentary Election results: Constituency Boundaries |access-date=13 March 2007 |archive-date=25 December 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051225172212/http://www.election.demon.co.uk/stormont/boundaries.html |url-status=dead }}
Second Dáil
In May 1921, Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the self-declared Irish Republic run by Sinn Féin, passed a resolution declaring that elections to the House of Commons of Northern Ireland and the House of Commons of Southern Ireland would be used as the election for the Second Dáil.{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1921-05-10/26/|title=Dáil Éireann debate - Tuesday, 10 May 1921 - PRESIDENT'S STATEMENT. - ELECTIONS.|website=Houses of the Oireachtas|access-date=20 February 2019}} All those elected were on the roll of the Second Dáil, but as no Sinn Féin MP was elected for Belfast West, it was not represented there.{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1922-01-10/25/|title=APPENDIX 19 DÁIL ÉIREANN|website=Houses of the Oireachtas |date=16 August 1921|access-date=20 February 2019}}
Politics
{{Politics of Northern Ireland 1921-72}}
Belfast West was a predominantly Unionist area with some pockets of Nationalist strength, electing three Unionists and one Nationalist in 1921 and one Unionist, one Independent Unionist, one Nationalist and one Labour Party member in 1925.
Members of Parliament
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! Election ! scope="col" width="150" colspan = "2" | MP ! scope="col" width="150" colspan = "2" | MP ! scope="col" width="150" colspan = "2" | MP ! scope="col" width="150" colspan = "2" | MP |
| 1921
! style="background-color: {{party color|Ulster Unionist Party}}" rowspan=1| |rowspan="1"|William J. Twaddell ! style="background-color: {{party color|Ulster Unionist Party}}" rowspan=3| |rowspan="3"|Robert John Lynn ! style="background-color: {{party color|Ulster Unionist Party}}" rowspan=2| |rowspan="2"|Thomas Henry Burn ! style="background-color: {{party color|Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland)}}" rowspan=3| |rowspan="3"|Joseph Devlin |
|---|
| 1923 by
! style="background-color: {{party color|Independent Unionist}}" rowspan=2| |rowspan="2"|Philip James Woods |
| 1925
! style="background-color: {{party color|Northern Ireland Labour Party}}" rowspan=1| |rowspan="1"|Billy McMullen |
Election results
{{Politics of Northern Ireland 1921-72}}
{{STV Election box begin2
|title = 24 May 1921 General Election: Belfast West (4 seats)
|numcounts = 4
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2
|candidate = Thomas Henry Burn
|party = Ulster Unionist Party
|percentage = 24.88
|count1 = 13,298
|count2 =
|count3 =
|count4 =
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2
|candidate = Joseph Devlin
|party = Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland)
|percentage = 19.87
|count1 = 10,621
|count2 = 10,628
|count3 = 10,629
|count4 = 10,632
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2
|candidate =William Twaddell
|party = Ulster Unionist Party
|percentage = 19.30
|count1 = 10,316
|count2 = 10,558
|count3 = 11,509
|count4 =
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2
|candidate = Robert John Lynn
|party = Ulster Unionist Party
|percentage = 17.43
|count1 = 9,315
|count2 = 11,646
|count3 =
|count4 =
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2
|candidate = Denis McCullough
|party = Sinn Féin
|percentage = 11.73
|count1 = 6,270
|count2 = 6,272
|count3 = 6,274
|count4 = 6,274
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2
|candidate = Seán MacEntee
|party = Sinn Féin
|percentage = 5.53
|count1 = 2,954
|count2 = 2,954
|count3 = 2,955
|count4 = 2,955
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2
|candidate = John Hanna
|party = Belfast Labour Party
|percentage = 0.69
|count1 = 367
|count2 = 380
|count3 = 380
|count4 = 383
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2
|candidate = Richard Byrne
|party = Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland)
|percentage = 0.58
|count1 = 311
|count2 = 323
|count3 = 323
|count4 = 323
}}
{{STV Election box end2
|numcounts = 4
|electorate = 57,914
|valid = 53,452
|spoilt =
|quota = 10,691
|turnout = 92.3%
}}
Devlin did not take his seat.
Twaddell was assassinated on 22 May 1922:
{{Election box begin | title=1923 Belfast West by-election}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Independent Unionist
|candidate = Philip James Woods
|votes = 25,761
|percentage = 55.3
|change = New
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Ulster Unionist Party
|candidate = Joseph Davison
|votes = 19,360
|percentage = 41.6
|change = -20.0
}}
{{Election box majority|
|votes = 7,859
|percentage = 13.7
|change = N/A
}}
{{Election box turnout|
|votes = 46,597
|percentage = 69.3
|change = -23.0
}}
{{Election box gain with party link|
|winner = Independent Unionist
|loser = Ulster Unionist Party
|swing =
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{STV Election box begin2
|title = 1925 General Election: Belfast West (4 seats)
|numcounts = 6
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2
|candidate = Joseph Devlin
|party = Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland)
|percentage = 35.48
|count1 = 17,558
|count2 =
|count3 =
|count4 =
|count5 =
|count6 =
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2
|candidate = Philip James Woods
|party = Independent Unionist
|percentage = 19.40
|count1 = 9,599
|count2 = 11,071
|count3 =
|count4 =
|count5 =
|count6 =
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2
|candidate = Robert John Lynn
|party = Ulster Unionist Party
|percentage = 16.92
|count1 = 8,371
|count2 = 8,507
|count3 = 8,599
|count4 = 10,437
|count5 =
|count6 =
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2
|candidate = Thomas Henry Burn
|party = Ulster Unionist Party
|percentage = 9.80
|count1 = 4,808
|count2 = 4,878
|count3 = 4,921
|count4 = 5,989
|count5 = 6,509
|count6 = 6,515
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2
|candidate = J. McConville
|party = Republican (Ireland, 1923)
|percentage = 6.78
|count1 = 3,146
|count2 = 4,456
|count3 = 4,511
|count4 = 4,545
|count5 = 4,552
|count6 =
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2
|candidate = R. Dickson
|party = Ulster Unionist Party
|percentage = 6.33
|count1 = 3,133
|count2 = 3,438
|count3 = 3,623
|count4 =
|count5 =
|count6 =
}}
{{STV Election box candidate2
|candidate = Billy McMullen
|party = Northern Ireland Labour Party
|percentage = 5.80
|count1 = 2,869
|count2 = 7,237
|count3 = 7,795
|count4 = 8,002
|count5 = 8,015
|count6 = 10,345
}}
{{STV Election box end2
|numcounts = 6
|electorate = 65,550
|valid = 49,484
|spoilt =
|quota = 9,897
|turnout = 75.5%
}}
Devlin did not take his seat.
References
{{reflist}}
{{Parliament of Northern Ireland}}
{{County Antrim constituencies}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Northern Ireland Parliament constituencies established in 1921
Category:Northern Ireland Parliament constituencies disestablished in 1929
Category:Constituencies of the Northern Ireland Parliament
Category:Constituencies of the Northern Ireland Parliament in Belfast