Seamus Close
Encyclopedia
Seamus Close OBE
(born 12 August 1947) is a Northern Ireland
politician, former member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
for Lagan Valley
and a former deputy leader of the Alliance Party
.
In August 1981 he was the Alliance candidate for the second Fermanagh and South Tyrone by-election. The following year under the redistribution and expansion of Northern Ireland's constituencies his local political base became part of the new Lagan Valley
constituency which he has contested in the Alliance interest in all elections since 1983
apart from the 1986 by-election called in protest against the Anglo-Irish Agreement
when the local Alliance branch declined to contest the seat as they believed the by-election was a political stunt.
Close also held several positions in the Alliance, including serving as Chair between 1981 and 1982 and as Deputy Leader from 1991 until 2001. He was often a member of the key Alliance delegations in successive talks about the future of the province, culminating in the Belfast Agreement
of 1998.
In the 1996 elections for the Northern Ireland Forum
Close stood at the head of the Alliance's list for Lagan Valley
but the party failed to secure enough votes to win one of the local seats. Close was also included on the province-wide list and as the most senior Alliance member to not be elected locally he won one of Alliance's two seats. In the 1998 election
for the new Northern Ireland Assembly
he topped the poll in Lagan Valley and gained a further personal triumph in the 2001 general election
when he had the highest vote share of any Alliance candidate.
In June 2001 he resigned as Deputy Leader of the party, citing differences with the leadership of Séan Neeson
. Close has remained a member of the Assembly and successfully held his seat in the 2003 Assembly election
.
In July 2005, Mr Close proposed that the Lisburn Council deny gay couples access to the council's designated wedding facility if they were seeking a civil partnership under the Civil Partnership Act 2004
. The council adopted his recommendation to the great annoyance of many liberal campaigners. This ran against Alliance policy, which had been strongly supportive of the introduction of civil partnership laws, and he was publicly criticised by other senior party members.
In November 2006, Close announced that he was retiring from politics In the 2007 election
he was succeeded as Alliance Party Lagan Valley Assembly representative by current Mayor of Lisburn, Councillor Trevor Lunn
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 12 August 1947) is a 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...
politician, former member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland Assembly
The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive...
for Lagan Valley
Lagan Valley (UK Parliament constituency)
Lagan Valley is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons.- Boundaries :The seat was created in 1983, as part of an expansion of Northern Ireland's constituencies from 12 to 17, and was predominantly made up from parts of South Antrim and North Down. In their original...
and a former deputy leader of the Alliance Party
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland is a liberal and nonsectarian political party in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's fifth-largest party overall, with eight seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly and one in the House of Commons....
.
In August 1981 he was the Alliance candidate for the second Fermanagh and South Tyrone by-election. The following year under the redistribution and expansion of Northern Ireland's constituencies his local political base became part of the new Lagan Valley
Lagan Valley (UK Parliament constituency)
Lagan Valley is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons.- Boundaries :The seat was created in 1983, as part of an expansion of Northern Ireland's constituencies from 12 to 17, and was predominantly made up from parts of South Antrim and North Down. In their original...
constituency which he has contested in the Alliance interest in all elections since 1983
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
apart from the 1986 by-election called in protest against the Anglo-Irish Agreement
Anglo-Irish Agreement
The Anglo-Irish Agreement was an agreement between the United Kingdom and Ireland which aimed to help bring an end to the Troubles in Northern Ireland...
when the local Alliance branch declined to contest the seat as they believed the by-election was a political stunt.
Close also held several positions in the Alliance, including serving as Chair between 1981 and 1982 and as Deputy Leader from 1991 until 2001. He was often a member of the key Alliance delegations in successive talks about the future of the province, culminating in the Belfast Agreement
Belfast Agreement
The Good Friday Agreement or Belfast Agreement , sometimes called the Stormont Agreement, was a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process...
of 1998.
In the 1996 elections for the Northern Ireland Forum
Northern Ireland Forum
The Northern Ireland Forum was a body set up in 1996 as part of a process of negotiations that eventually led to the Belfast Agreement in 1998....
Close stood at the head of the Alliance's list for Lagan Valley
Lagan Valley (Assembly constituency)
Lagan Valley is a constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly.The seat was first used for a Northern Ireland-only election for the Northern Ireland Forum in 1996. Since 1998, it has elected members to the current Assembly....
but the party failed to secure enough votes to win one of the local seats. Close was also included on the province-wide list and as the most senior Alliance member to not be elected locally he won one of Alliance's two seats. In the 1998 election
Northern Ireland Assembly election, 1998
-Seats summary:-Details:Although the SDLP won the most first preference votes, the Ulster Unionists won the most seats in the Assembly. This has been attributed to several reasons, including:...
for the new Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland Assembly
The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive...
he topped the poll in Lagan Valley and gained a further personal triumph in the 2001 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
when he had the highest vote share of any Alliance candidate.
In June 2001 he resigned as Deputy Leader of the party, citing differences with the leadership of Séan Neeson
Séan Neeson
Seán Neeson is a politician in Northern Ireland who served as leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland between 1998 and 2001.- Education and early life :...
. Close has remained a member of the Assembly and successfully held his seat in the 2003 Assembly election
Northern Ireland Assembly election, 2003
The second elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly, which at the time of the elections had been suspended for just over a year, were held on Wednesday 26 November 2003. Six members were elected by Single Transferable Vote from each of Northern Ireland's eighteen Westminster Parliamentary...
.
In July 2005, Mr Close proposed that the Lisburn Council deny gay couples access to the council's designated wedding facility if they were seeking a civil partnership under the Civil Partnership Act 2004
Civil Partnership Act 2004
The Civil Partnership Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Bill for this Act was introduced by the Labour government and supported by the Conservative and Liberal Democrat opposition. The Act grants civil partnerships in the United Kingdom with rights and...
. The council adopted his recommendation to the great annoyance of many liberal campaigners. This ran against Alliance policy, which had been strongly supportive of the introduction of civil partnership laws, and he was publicly criticised by other senior party members.
In November 2006, Close announced that he was retiring from politics In the 2007 election
Northern Ireland Assembly election, 2007
The third elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly were held on 7 March 2007 when 108 new members were elected. The election saw endorsement of the St Andrews Agreement and the two largest parties, the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin, along with the Alliance Party, increase their...
he was succeeded as Alliance Party Lagan Valley Assembly representative by current Mayor of Lisburn, Councillor Trevor Lunn
Trevor Lunn
Trevor Lunn is an Alliance Party politician in Northern Ireland.He was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly for Lagan Valley in the 2007 assembly election. Mr. Lunn took over the Alliance candidacy for Lagan Valley from Seamus Close, the long time representative for the area...
.