Young Unionists Rejecting Political Unionism: How Can it Better Attract Them?

By Claire Dickson

At the Assembly election in May 2022 Northern Ireland’s largest unionist party, the Democratic Unionist Party lost more than 40,000 votes. According to Professor Jon Tongue of the University of Liverpool, unionism’s divisions helped ease Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill to the position of First Minister.

The highest voter turnout rates were recorded in the predominantly nationalist constituencies of Mid Ulster, Fermanagh and South Tyrone and Newry and Armagh. I spoke to young people and students who identify as unionist but don’t align themselves with any political party about the issues unionism currently faces and how they might be persuaded to vote along unionist lines.

Michael Palmer is a gay, atheist unionist from Newtownards who is also an LGBT rights activist. For Palmer, it is a question of diversity which has caused problems for elected unionism.

‘Our main difficulty is translating support for the union into party-political support. Unionism is seen as traditional but in reality, unionism is as diverse as republicanism if not more so. I believe perceptions of unionism can be changed if it better reflects the support it represents. For example, LGBT unionists are under-represented in elected unionist politics and this is something that needs to change. Once it does, it will broaden support for the union.’

With regards to turnout at elections on the part of unionists Palmer maintains that they don’t tend to see voting as a necessity.

‘I think turnout is lower in unionist communities as many believe the union is secure. If a border poll ever happens, I believe many non-voters will express their view on such an important constitutional issue.’

Tristan Nichols is a unionist student from North Belfast. For him, unionism is constantly defending itself rather than taking steps forward ‘unionist parties don’t reach out and aren’t currently securing the union through gridlock.’

Growing up in a working-class community, Nichols maintains that ‘charities and centres are more connected with loyalist communities than their local MLA.’ It is this gap in his view which could contribute towards generally lower turnouts in largely Protestant areas.

As an evangelical Christian himself he believes unionism may be more attractive to young people if ‘religion wasn’t a block on social issues.’

The next student who spoke to me is a unionist from the Kingdom of Mourne, a place with strong ties to Ulster Scots culture and conservative Protestant religiosity.

This particular student finds it hard to be a unionist whilst also holding socially liberal views and feels this sector of unionism is ill-represented within the political landscape. ‘The UUP has grown bland and faceless, lacking the conviction of its ideals in an attempt not to lose its old guard support, but still haemorrhaging support to both the left and the right. It must embrace a more practical unionism which while perhaps remaining centre-right economically, actively pursues liberal social policies.’

For him, unionism’s way forward rests in its ability to represent a broader spectrum of unionist opinion. ‘I think the DUP and TUV do represent a certain class of unionist. People do resonate with their ideas but an equal amount do not at all and the lack of representation at the governmental level for this class of unionist has caused a great deal of disenchantment. There is an audience for a progressive unionist party, it needs only to be tapped into with conviction.’

The final perspective comes from a unionist student based in Leitrim, a largely nationalist area outside Castlewellan in County Down.

For her, unionist parties struggle for an identity of their own as they are defined by a sense of panic with regards to a United Ireland. ‘Unionist parties get in through fear that nationalists will win, not for having any good policies which will represent the unionist community well.’

She reemphasised political unionism’s stance on social issues as being non-conductive to progress. ‘They do not represent the younger generation’s beliefs or ideas. In fact the nationalist parties represent the younger generation more. Unionist parties don’t reach out to young people, women or the LGBT community.’

In summary, these four perspectives flagged up further progressiveness on social issues, reduction of the fear factor and further engagement with voter base in certain communities as measures unionist parties should bear in mind when appealing to the electorate. After further success on the part of Sinn Fein in council elections earlier this year, former DUP leader Edwin Poots commented that ‘for unionism, it’s perhaps a wake up and smell the coffee moment.’

Claire Dickson is Head of the Scoop and is a 3rd year politics student at QUB.