North Down

No boundary changes

Profile: North Down is an unusual seat in an unusual region, for most of the last 30 years it has been held by a political party outside of the main four Northern Ireland parties (and such is the parlous state of the UUP, even though it was held by them in 2005, their MP was still a lone representative of their party at Westminster). It has the Northern Ireland seat that is most like one in Great Britain, and it is where mainland politics have come closest to intruding, with the Conservatives being a serious force here in 1992.

It is by far the most affluent seat in Northern Ireland, the prosperious suburban southern coast of Belfast and mostly concentrated in Bangor, the third largest settlement in Northern Ireland after Belfast and Derry. There are pockets of deptivation like a the Breezemount estate, but mostly this is suburban prosperity.

It is overwhelmingly protestant, with negligle support for the SDLP and truly derisory support for Sinn Fein. From 1977 it was held by James Kilfedder, an independent unionist who had left the UUP over their support for total integration of the province into the UK. He later formed the UPUP and held the seat till his death in 1995. He was succeeded by Bob McCartney, also a former Ulster Unionist who had quit the party to former his own UK Unionist party, this time supporting full integration. In 2001 the seat fell to Sylvia Hermon, another UUP MP who in 2010 followed the example of her two predecessors and left the party to stand as an Independent, in her case in protest over the UUP’s electoral pact with the Conservatives.

Current MP: Sylvia Hermon (Independent) born 1955, Dungannon. Educated at Dungannon High School and University of Wales. Lecturer. First elected as MP for North Down in 2001. The widow of Sir Jack Hermon, the former Chief Constable of the RUC for whom she acted as a carer until his death in 2008. She has largely voted with Labour at Westminster, and opposed the UUP’s pact with the Conservative party.

Candidates:
Ian Parsley (UCUNF) Born 1977. Educated at Merchant Taylor School, Northwood and Newcastle University. North Down councillor since 2005. Contested Northern Ireland 2009 European elections for the Alliance, before defecting to the Conservative party later that year.
Steven Agnew (Green) Research officer for Brian Wilson MLA. Contested East Belfast 2007 NI elections, Northern Ireland in 2009 European elections.
Stephen Farry (Alliance) Born 1971, Newtownards. Educated at Queens University Belfast. North Down councillor. Assembly member for North Down.
Sylvia Hermon (Independent) born 1955, Dungannon. Educated at Dungannon High School and University of Wales. Lecturer. First elected as MP for North Down in 2001 for the UUP. The widow of Sir Jack Hermon, the former Chief Constable of the RUC for whom she acted as a carer until his death in 2008. Resigned from the UUP in 2010 in protest at the UUP’s pact with the Conservative party.