Mid-Ulster by-election

[Gary J]

There are or were a small number of Catholic Unionists. One historic example was the first Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, Sir Denis Henry, who was elected Unionist MP for South Londonderry in 1916.

I presume most of the modern non-nationalist Catholics ended up in the Alliance Party. In any event they would be an insignificant factor in the electoral politics of Mid Ulster, based on the past behaviour of the constituency.

Constituency contests, in the parts of Northern Ireland where numbers of Catholics and Protestants are fairly even, can be determined by which community presents the more united front. If one side has only one significant candidate and the other two, this may ensure victory for the more united group.

[Gary J]

The Liberal Democrats have members in Northern Ireland. In theory they could organise themselves into a local party to nominate candidates in elections. Liberal Democrat local parties are usually based on a single Parliamentary constituencies, but larger areas are possible.

If there was more than one local party in Northern Ireland, again in theory, they could organise as a "state" party. The state parties of Scotland and Wales as well as the rather shadowy Party in England (which has almost no powers compared to the English regional parties) are the components of the federal party (the one led by Nick Clegg).

In practice, Liberal Democrats in Northern Ireland tend to have dual membership in the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland. Not all Alliance Party members would be Liberal Democrats as well.