Strangford

Boundary Changes: Loses Dundonald and its surroundings (Ballyhanwood, Carrowreagh, Dundonald, Enler and Graham’s Bridge wards) to Belfast East and Carryduff (East and West wards) to Belfast South, gains Ballymaglave, Ballynahinch East and Kilmore from South Down.

Profile: South-eastern hinterland of Belfast and the mainland and Ards peninsula that surround Strangford Lough. Strangford Lough is a haven for birdlife, a tourist destination, a fishing centre and since 2007 the site of the first commercial tidal power station.

The Ards peninsula is largely rural and, at its southern end, contains the only majority catholic parts of this overwhelmingly protestant seat: the area around Portaferry at the south of the peninsula, where there is a ferry to Strangford (not actually in the seat that bears its name) and the Northern Ireland Aquarium. To the north of the peninsula is Newtownards, the largest town in the constituency.

The rest of the seat is becoming more suburban – while boundary changes remove the parts of the seats that really were Belfast suburbs, traditional market towns like Comber are now also moving from being farming towns (this is the heart of potato farming country) to being Belfast commuter towns.

Strangford is a solidly unionist seat with a derisory vote for nationalist parties, although the Alliance and – in 1992 – the Conservative party have polled comparatively well here in the past. It was held by the Ulster Unionist’s Deputy Leader John Taylor, now Lord Kilclooney, until his retirement in 2001 when the DUP won the battle to succeed him. Returns 4 DUP, 1 UUP and 1 Alliance to the Assembly.

Current MP: Vacant. Iris Robinson (DUP) resigned on the 13th January 2010, having already announced her intention to retire for mental health reasons. This was later revealed to be connected to a suicide attempt following the revelation that she had an affair.

Candidates:
Deborah Girvan (Alliance) Born Comber. Marketing director and former PE teacher.