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Prime Ministers of Northern Ireland
1940-1945: J. M. Andrews (Ulster Unionist Party) [1]
1945-1946: Paddy Agnew (Northern Ireland Labour Party-Nationalist Party-Commonwealth Labour Party-Socialist Republican-Independent Labour-Independent Nationalist coalition) [2]
1945 def: J. M. Andrews (Ulster Unionist Party), Thomas Joseph Campbell (Nationalist Party), Harry Midgley (Commonwealth Labour Party), William McCullough (Communist Party), Harry Diamond (Socialist Republican)
1946-1947: Paddy Agnew (Northern Ireland Labour Party-Nationalist Party-Communist Party-Independent Labour-Independent Nationalist-Independent coalition) [3]
1947-1948: Harry Midgley (Ulster Unionist Party-Commonwealth Labour Party-Independent Unionist-Independent coalition) [4]
1948-1948: Harry Midgley (Ulster Unionist Party-Independent Unionist-Independent coalition)
1948-1949: Paddy Agnew (Northern Ireland Labour Party-Nationalist Party-Continuity Commonwealth Labour Party-Communist Party-Independent Labour-Independent Nationalist-Independent coalition) [5]
1949-0000: Maynard Sinclair (Ulster Unionist Party) [6]
1949 def: James McSparran (Nationalist Party), Paddy Agnew/Albert McElroy/William McCullough (Popular Front), Harry Diamond (Socialist Republican)
[1] - Andrews was not very popular with his party, and internal divisions led to an unconvincing showing at the 1945 general election in Northern Ireland - the Ulster Unionists remained the largest party in the 52-seat House of Commons, but fell to just 18 seats, losing most of Belfast to an array of left-wing parties. Andrews attempted to put together a coalition with some Independents and the Commonwealth Labour Party, which was strongly Unionist, but its leader Harry Midgley had been promised the Finance portfolio by Labour leader Paddy Agnew.
[2] - Agnew's party was the only really cross-community party in Northern Ireland (the split with the CLP had revolved around the NILP's refusal to commit to unabashed Unionism) and, seeing that it could lead a left-wing coalition with support from the moribund Nationalists, decided to put together an appropriate coalition - this coalition had 27 seats, only just enough for a majority, and excluded both the Unionists and the Communists, who had won three seats. The new Government began to put through civil rights measures for Catholics as well as more socialist measures, like the expansion of the welfare state, but it was barred on every side by the Senate, which was still majority-UUP. But this was not the most major impasse facing the Agnew Government, for before the year was out, Midgley had led his 5 CLP Members of Parliament into Opposition, leaving Agnew without a majority.
[3] - Over a particularly fraught night, Agnew fought to save his perilous alliance, and was forced to do so by giving some pork barrel funding to the two Independent MPs elected by the Queen's University of Belfast, as well as treating with the Communists. They demanded the nationalisation of Harland and Wolff and many other significant industries, and Agnew could not do anything other than give them what they wanted, even though his Nationalist allies were uneasy. Before the next meeting of Stormont, Harry Diamond (the only MP from the Socialist Republican Party) had crossed the floor in protest at the deal with the Communists.
[4] - Less than a year later, the recriminations between the rural Nationalists and the radically internationalist Communists had made good governance impossible, while the Senate still refused to pass Commons bills. To make matters worse, Midgley's CLP and the University Independents had now reached terms with the Ulster Unionists, now led by Basil Brooke. Those terms were that Midgley was to become Prime Minister, despite being a junior partner in the coalition. This, of course, provoked many scenes of chaos in Stormont on the day of the motion of no confidence, ultimately climaxing in a full-on brawl between Midgley and Independent Labour MP Jack Beattie. Midgley's government proceeded to reverse all of the pro-Catholic reforms that the Agnew government had managed to implement, including re-segregating schools and barring Catholics from voting in local elections.
[5] - Soon afterwards, Midgley merged his Commonwealth Labour Party into the UUP, remaining Prime Minister and becoming the Party's Leader. But he did not take all of his MPs with him - two, led by Albert McElroy, valued Labour values above those of Ulster, and formed the 'Continuity' CLP just eight days later. This caused Midgley to lose his majority, and with the help of one of the University Independents, Irene Calvert, who herself had Nationalist and welfarist inclinations, Agnew was once again on the magic margin of 27 MPs. But by now, the Parliament was becoming fractious and occasionally violent, and this violence was beginning to be mirrored on the streets of Belfast. By common agreement, a new election was held a few months later, in early 1949, in order to retain some sort of stability.
[6] - Naturally, the UUP won.
Prime Ministers of Northern Ireland
1940-1945: J. M. Andrews (Ulster Unionist Party) [1]
1945-1946: Paddy Agnew (Northern Ireland Labour Party-Nationalist Party-Commonwealth Labour Party-Socialist Republican-Independent Labour-Independent Nationalist coalition) [2]
1945 def: J. M. Andrews (Ulster Unionist Party), Thomas Joseph Campbell (Nationalist Party), Harry Midgley (Commonwealth Labour Party), William McCullough (Communist Party), Harry Diamond (Socialist Republican)
1946-1947: Paddy Agnew (Northern Ireland Labour Party-Nationalist Party-Communist Party-Independent Labour-Independent Nationalist-Independent coalition) [3]
1947-1948: Harry Midgley (Ulster Unionist Party-Commonwealth Labour Party-Independent Unionist-Independent coalition) [4]
1948-1948: Harry Midgley (Ulster Unionist Party-Independent Unionist-Independent coalition)
1948-1949: Paddy Agnew (Northern Ireland Labour Party-Nationalist Party-Continuity Commonwealth Labour Party-Communist Party-Independent Labour-Independent Nationalist-Independent coalition) [5]
1949-0000: Maynard Sinclair (Ulster Unionist Party) [6]
1949 def: James McSparran (Nationalist Party), Paddy Agnew/Albert McElroy/William McCullough (Popular Front), Harry Diamond (Socialist Republican)
[1] - Andrews was not very popular with his party, and internal divisions led to an unconvincing showing at the 1945 general election in Northern Ireland - the Ulster Unionists remained the largest party in the 52-seat House of Commons, but fell to just 18 seats, losing most of Belfast to an array of left-wing parties. Andrews attempted to put together a coalition with some Independents and the Commonwealth Labour Party, which was strongly Unionist, but its leader Harry Midgley had been promised the Finance portfolio by Labour leader Paddy Agnew.
[2] - Agnew's party was the only really cross-community party in Northern Ireland (the split with the CLP had revolved around the NILP's refusal to commit to unabashed Unionism) and, seeing that it could lead a left-wing coalition with support from the moribund Nationalists, decided to put together an appropriate coalition - this coalition had 27 seats, only just enough for a majority, and excluded both the Unionists and the Communists, who had won three seats. The new Government began to put through civil rights measures for Catholics as well as more socialist measures, like the expansion of the welfare state, but it was barred on every side by the Senate, which was still majority-UUP. But this was not the most major impasse facing the Agnew Government, for before the year was out, Midgley had led his 5 CLP Members of Parliament into Opposition, leaving Agnew without a majority.
[3] - Over a particularly fraught night, Agnew fought to save his perilous alliance, and was forced to do so by giving some pork barrel funding to the two Independent MPs elected by the Queen's University of Belfast, as well as treating with the Communists. They demanded the nationalisation of Harland and Wolff and many other significant industries, and Agnew could not do anything other than give them what they wanted, even though his Nationalist allies were uneasy. Before the next meeting of Stormont, Harry Diamond (the only MP from the Socialist Republican Party) had crossed the floor in protest at the deal with the Communists.
[4] - Less than a year later, the recriminations between the rural Nationalists and the radically internationalist Communists had made good governance impossible, while the Senate still refused to pass Commons bills. To make matters worse, Midgley's CLP and the University Independents had now reached terms with the Ulster Unionists, now led by Basil Brooke. Those terms were that Midgley was to become Prime Minister, despite being a junior partner in the coalition. This, of course, provoked many scenes of chaos in Stormont on the day of the motion of no confidence, ultimately climaxing in a full-on brawl between Midgley and Independent Labour MP Jack Beattie. Midgley's government proceeded to reverse all of the pro-Catholic reforms that the Agnew government had managed to implement, including re-segregating schools and barring Catholics from voting in local elections.
[5] - Soon afterwards, Midgley merged his Commonwealth Labour Party into the UUP, remaining Prime Minister and becoming the Party's Leader. But he did not take all of his MPs with him - two, led by Albert McElroy, valued Labour values above those of Ulster, and formed the 'Continuity' CLP just eight days later. This caused Midgley to lose his majority, and with the help of one of the University Independents, Irene Calvert, who herself had Nationalist and welfarist inclinations, Agnew was once again on the magic margin of 27 MPs. But by now, the Parliament was becoming fractious and occasionally violent, and this violence was beginning to be mirrored on the streets of Belfast. By common agreement, a new election was held a few months later, in early 1949, in order to retain some sort of stability.
[6] - Naturally, the UUP won.
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