European Parliament election, 1989 (UK)
Encyclopedia
The European Parliament Election, 1989 was the third European election to be held in the United Kingdom
. It was held on 15 June. The electoral system was First Past the Post in England
, Scotland
and Wales
and Single Transferable Vote
in Northern Ireland
. The turnout was again the lowest in Europe. This election saw the best performance ever by the Green Party (UK)
(formerly the Ecology Party), collecting over 2 million votes and 15% of the vote share. It had only received 70,853 as the Ecology Party in the previous election. However because of First Past the Post system, the Green Party received 0 seats, while the Scottish National Party
received 1 seat with only 3% of the vote share. The SNP received almost double the amount of votes it received in the previous election, its vote share rose by 1%. The election also saw Labour
overtake the Conservatives
for the first time in any election since October 1974 and the first time ever in a European elections, winning 13 more seats.
Note: percentages are approximate
Total votes cast - 15,361,267.
Total votes cast - 534,811.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It was held on 15 June. The electoral system was First Past the Post in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and Single Transferable Vote
Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. The turnout was again the lowest in Europe. This election saw the best performance ever by the Green Party (UK)
Green Party (UK)
The Green Party was a Green political party in the United Kingdom. It has been succeeded by three political parties:* the Green Party of England and Wales* the Green Party in Northern Ireland* the Scottish Green Party- PEOPLE, 1973–1975 :...
(formerly the Ecology Party), collecting over 2 million votes and 15% of the vote share. It had only received 70,853 as the Ecology Party in the previous election. However because of First Past the Post system, the Green Party received 0 seats, while the Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
received 1 seat with only 3% of the vote share. The SNP received almost double the amount of votes it received in the previous election, its vote share rose by 1%. The election also saw Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
overtake the Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
for the first time in any election since October 1974 and the first time ever in a European elections, winning 13 more seats.
- Overall (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) turnoutVoter turnoutVoter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
: 36% (EU average: 59%) - Overall votes cast: 15,896,078
England, Scotland and Wales
Source: UK Office of the European ParliamentNote: percentages are approximate
| Party | Votes | Seats | Loss/Gain | Share of Vote (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6,153,640 | 45 | +13 | 37.11 | ||
| 5,331,077 | 32 | -13 | 35 | ||
| 2,292,705 | 0 | 0 | 15 | ||
| 944,861 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 406,686 | 1 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 115,062 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 | ||
| 75,886 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | ||
| 12,724 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | ||
| 6,996 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | ||
| 4,420 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | ||
| 4,263 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | ||
| 4,224 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | ||
| 2,332 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | ||
| International Communist Socialist Equality Party (UK) The Socialist Equality Party is a Trotskyist group in Britain. It is part of the International Committee of the Fourth International, which publishes the World Socialist Web Site. The party's origins lie in the Workers Revolutionary Party until the majority of that party split from the ICFI in... |
1,567 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| 1,349 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | ||
| 919 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | ||
| Corrective | 707 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| 323 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | ||
Total votes cast - 15,361,267.
Northern Ireland
Source: Northern Ireland Social and Political Archive| Party | Candidate(s) | Seats | Loss/Gain | First Preference Votes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % of vote | ||||||
| Ian Paisley Ian Paisley Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, PC is a politician and church minister in Northern Ireland. As the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party , he and Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness were elected First Minister and deputy First Minister respectively on 8 May 2007.In addition to co-founding... |
1 | 0 | 160,110 | 30 | |||
| John Hume John Hume John Hume is a former Irish politician from Derry, Northern Ireland. He was a founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, and was co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize, with David Trimble.... |
1 | 0 | 136,335 | 25 | |||
| Jim Nicholson Jim Nicholson (UK politician) James Frederick "Jim" Nicholson is a Northern Ireland Ulster Unionist Party politician, who is currently a Member of the European Parliament .-Career:... |
1 | 0 | 118,785 | 22 | |||
| Danny Morrison | 0 | 0 | 48,914 | 9 | |||
| John Alderdice | 0 | 0 | 27,905 | 5 | |||
| Myrtle Boal | 0 | 0 | 25,789 | 5 | |||
| Malcolm Samuel | 0 | 0 | 6,569 | 1 | |||
| Seamus Lynch | 0 | 0 | 5,590 | 1 | |||
| Labour Representation | Mark Langhammer Mark Langhammer Mark Langhammer is a trade unionist, employed as Director of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers and elected onto the Northern Ireland Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions in 2008, being re-elected in 2010... |
0 | 0 | 3,540 | 0 | ||
| Labour '87 | Brian Caul | 0 | 0 | 1,274 | 0 | ||
Total votes cast - 534,811.
Party Leaders in 1989
- Labour - Neil KinnockNeil KinnockNeil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
- Conservative - Margaret ThatcherMargaret ThatcherMargaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
- Green - N/A (the Green Party did not have a leader)
- Liberal Democrat - Paddy AshdownPaddy AshdownJeremy John Durham Ashdown, Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, GCMG, KBE, PC , usually known as Paddy Ashdown, is a British politician and diplomat....
- SNP - Gordon WilsonGordon Wilson (Scottish politician)Gordon Wilson is a former leader of the Scottish National Party and current leading figure in the campaign to ban same-sex marriage in Scotland...
- Plaid Cymru - Dafydd Elis Thomas
- DUP - Ian PaisleyIan PaisleyIan Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, PC is a politician and church minister in Northern Ireland. As the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party , he and Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness were elected First Minister and deputy First Minister respectively on 8 May 2007.In addition to co-founding...
- SDLP - John HumeJohn HumeJohn Hume is a former Irish politician from Derry, Northern Ireland. He was a founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, and was co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize, with David Trimble....
- UUP - James MolyneauxJames MolyneauxJames Henry Molyneaux, Baron Molyneaux of Killead, KBE, PC is a Northern Irish Unionist politician and was leader of the Ulster Unionist Party from 1979 to 1995. He was a leading member and sometime Vice-President of the Conservative Monday Club...
See also
- Elections in the United Kingdom: European elections
- MEPs for the UK 1989 - 1994