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> United Kingdom > Northern Ireland > Northern Ireland
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| Established | February 23, 1950 |
| Disbanded | Still Active |
| Contributor | RP |
| Last Modified | RBH October 17, 2021 10:18pm |
| Description |
The constituency stretches from the outskirts of Belfast and the western border of the South Antrim constituency to Lough Neagh and the River Bann in the west. It takes in Randalstown, Glengormley and Ballyclare - as well as the town of Antrim itself - which are the urban and industrial parts of the seat. The area has suffered from the considerable decline in the synthetic fibre industry since the early 1970s. However, in recent years, it has attracted investment from Korean manufacturing and electronics firms. Nevertheless, the seat is predominantly rural, and agriculture is quite important here. Lough Neagh is the UK's largest freshwater lake and an important tourist attraction. This has been a staunchly unionist seat, with barely two in 10 electors identified as Catholics. The Ulster Unionists have held it for some time and in 1997 it was the safest seat for any party in Northern Ireland, with the UUP taking 57.5% of the vote. However, it became the site of a keenly contested by-election in 2000, in the wake of the death of Ulster Unionist Clifford Forsythe. The DUP put up the Reverend Willie McCrea - a high profile figure fighting on a strong anti-Agreement ticket. He beat the UUP's David Burnside by 822 votes. In 2001, Mr Burnside had his revenge and took the seat back, but the 2003 Assembly elections saw both main unionist parties neck and neck.
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