Republican_Labour_Party

Republican Labour Party

Republican Labour Party

Northern Irish centre-left republican party active 1964–1973


The Republican Labour Party (RLP) was a political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1964, with two MPs at Stormont, Harry Diamond and Gerry Fitt.[1] They had previously been the sole Northern Ireland representatives of the Socialist Republican Party and the Irish Labour Party respectively, so a common joke was that "two one-man parties had become one two-man party".[citation needed] Fitt won the West Belfast seat in the UK general election of 1966, and held it in the 1970 election.

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In August 1970, Fitt founded the Social Democratic and Labour Party, and he and Senator Paddy Wilson were expelled from the RLP by a vote of 52 to 1.[2] Paddy Kennedy was elected as the new party leader. He formally withdrew from Parliament in 1971, and adopted a more strongly Irish republican stance, agreeing to attend a conference organised by William Whitelaw only if he could bring Irish Republican Army members as part of his delegation.[3]

The party was wiped out in both the 1973 elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly and the 1973 local elections and as a result was disbanded.

Electoral Results

Northern Ireland General Elections

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Westminster Elections

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Local Elections

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References

  1. David Boothroyd, Politico's guide to the history of British political parties, p. 138
  2. Michael A. Murphy, Gerry Fitt: A Political Chameleon, p.162



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