Traditional Unionist Voice facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Traditional Unionist Voice
Abbreviation	TUV
Leader	Jim Allister
Chairman	Keith Ratcliffe
President	William Ross
Deputy Leader	Ron McDowell
Founded	7 December 2007
Split from	Democratic Unionist Party
Headquarters	38 Henry Street, Ballymena, Northern Ireland
Ideology	British unionism Ulster loyalism National conservatism Social conservatism Anti-Good Friday Agreement Hard Euroscepticism
Political position	Right-wing
National affiliation	Reform UK
Colours	Blue (primarily), red and white
House of Commons (NI Seats)	0 / 18
NI Assembly	1 / 90
Local government in Northern Ireland	10 / 462
Politics of Northern Ireland Political parties

The Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. A unionist party wants Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom. The TUV believes that "nothing which is morally wrong can be politically right."

The TUV was started in December 2007 by Jim Allister. He and others had left the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) earlier that year. At the time, Jim Allister was an important DUP member. He was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP). He was elected to the European Parliament in 2004.

The party split happened because the DUP leader, Ian Paisley, agreed to the St Andrews Agreement in March 2007. He was willing to become First Minister of Northern Ireland. This would mean working with a deputy First Minister from Sinn Féin, an Irish Republican party.

Before this, the DUP had been against parts of the Good Friday Agreement. For example, they did not like that prisoners were released early. They also opposed Sinn Féin being in the government without their weapons being fully given up. The TUV has always been against Sinn Féin being part of the Northern Ireland government.

After leaving the DUP, Jim Allister stayed an Independent MEP. He was not re-elected in 2009.

The Traditional Unionist Voice is the third largest unionist party in Northern Ireland. It is smaller than the Democratic Unionist Party and the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). Experts often see it as a small party. They also see it as having a stronger stance than other unionist parties.

Since 2011, the TUV has held one seat in the Northern Ireland Assembly. The party also has a few seats on local councils. Jim Allister is their most well-known member. His area, North Antrim, is where the party has most of its support.

Since 2008, the party's President has been William Ross. He used to be a Member of Parliament for East Londonderry.

In March 2024, the TUV teamed up with Reform UK. They agreed to support each other's candidates in the next UK General Election.

What the TUV Believes (Ideology)

The Traditional Unionist Voice started in 2007. It was first a protest group, not a political party. They said they wanted to "occupy the traditional unionist ground." They felt the DUP had left this ground. This happened when the DUP signed the St Andrews Agreement. They also agreed to form a government with Sinn Féin.

In 2008, the TUV began to run in elections. Their goal was to create a democratic opposition. They called the government a "DUP/Sinn Fein regime." The TUV believes parts of the Good Friday Agreement are not good for unionists in Northern Ireland. They do not think people with serious past convictions should be government ministers.

Jim Allister has been the party's only MLA since 2011. You can find his voting record and speeches online.

The TUV mostly focuses on issues between unionists and nationalists. These issues have been important in Northern Ireland since 1921. Their other policies are generally right-wing and socially conservative. They strongly support "traditional family values."

Most of their policies have been in their election plans since 2009.

Economic Policy

The TUV wants an economy with low taxes. They believe in giving individuals and small businesses as much freedom as possible. They think the government should spend only what it earns. They often criticize what they call "Stormont Squander" of tax money.

Climate Change

The TUV believes that fossil fuels should still be part of how we get energy. But they also support developing new, clean energy sources. They think local recycling places are needed. They see farmers as "custodians of the land." This means farmers help protect nature for the future.

Marriage and Family

In 2015, the TUV stated they were against changing the definition of marriage. They said they "defend traditional family values." They believe these values are the base for a successful society.

Immigration

The TUV supports a controlled approach to immigration. They want strong border checks. They prefer a "points-style" system for people applying to move here. This system would give preference to immigrants who have skills needed in Northern Ireland.

Education

The TUV believes that academic selection should remain an option. This means (grammar schools) should still be available for children who learn best that way. However, they also think all types of secondary schools should get equal funding.

Health

The TUV was against closing care homes run by the NHS. They supported having both public and private care homes. They believe that any review of the COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland response should check if care homes were protected. The TUV was against mandatory vaccine passports. They also thought the Northern Ireland government was too slow to ease lockdown rules. They believed schools should have reopened sooner.

Brexit

The TUV strongly supported Brexit, which means the UK leaving the European Union. They did this because they were against money going from the UK to the EU. They also didn't like that EU laws were more important than local laws. The TUV is the only party in the Northern Ireland Assembly that wants to cancel the Northern Ireland Protocol. They have supported Reform UK candidates because they both oppose this Protocol.

Local Decisions: Council Rates

In 2023, the TUV suggested that local councils should ask voters for approval. This would happen if a council wanted to raise local taxes (rates) by more than 5%. Voters would get to vote yes or no in a local referendum. The party said this would help councils "deliver value for money."

Sharing Power in Government

A big difference between the TUV and other unionist parties is how they view government in Northern Ireland. The TUV has always been against the way governments are formed. This way was set up by the Good Friday Agreement and the St Andrews Agreement.

Northern Ireland's governments are formed by 'mandatory coalition'. This means parties must share power. Government ministers are led by two first ministers. One first minister is usually from a unionist party. The other is from an Irish nationalist party. Also, government jobs are given out based on how many seats each party has.

The TUV argues this system is not good for Northern Ireland. They say that parties with opposite goals will always be in government together. This means they can't agree on a common plan. The TUV would prefer a 'voluntary coalition'. This is how most democratic countries form governments. In this system, any group of parties can form a government if they agree on a plan and have enough support. If no voluntary coalition could be formed, the TUV would prefer that Northern Ireland be governed from London. The Northern Ireland Assembly and its committees would still exist.

Election History

The TUV has taken part in many elections since it was formed.

Early Elections

The party's first election was a local council by-election in Dromore in 2008. Their candidate received 19.5% of the votes. In 2010, another TUV candidate got 19.3% of votes in a local by-election in Lurgan.

European Parliament Elections

In the 2009 European Parliament election, Jim Allister ran for the TUV. He was against the DUP/Sinn Féin government. He received 66,000 votes, but was not elected.

In the 2014 European Parliament election, Jim Allister ran again. He received 75,806 votes, which was 12.1% of the total. This was more votes than in 2009, but he was still not elected.

UK General Elections

In the 2010 UK general election, the TUV ran candidates in 10 areas. They received 26,300 votes in total. None of their candidates were elected.

In the 2015 UK general election, the party ran in seven areas. Jim Allister came second in North Antrim. Other candidates did not place in the top four. In 2017, the party ran only one candidate, who came fourth in North Antrim. The TUV did not run any candidates in the 2019 general election.

Northern Ireland Assembly Elections

In the 2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election, the TUV ran 12 candidates. They received 2.5% of all votes. Only one candidate was elected: Jim Allister in North Antrim. He became the party's first MLA.

In the 2016 Assembly election, the TUV ran 15 candidates. They received 3.4% of the votes. Jim Allister kept his seat in North Antrim, but no other TUV members were elected.

Jim Allister kept his North Antrim seat again in the 2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election. He received 16% of the first choice votes.

In the 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election, the TUV focused on opposing the Northern Ireland Protocol. They ran a candidate in all 18 areas for the first time. TUV candidates received 65,788 first choice votes. This was more than three times their votes in 2017. It was 7.6% of the total votes. However, only one of the 90 members elected was a TUV candidate: Jim Allister in North Antrim. This shows that the way votes are counted in Northern Ireland can mean a party gets many votes but few seats.

Local Council Elections

In the 2011 local council elections, the TUV had 41 candidates. They received 2% of the total vote. Six TUV candidates were elected across different councils.

In the 2014 local council elections, the TUV candidates received 4.5% of the votes. Thirteen of their candidates were successful. They won the most councillors in Mid and East Antrim, with five seats.

In the 2023 Northern Ireland local council elections, the TUV had 46 candidates. They received 3.9% of all votes. Nine of their candidates were elected. Five were in Mid and East Antrim, two in Causeway Coast and Glens, one in Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon, and one in Belfast City Council.

In March 2024, a councillor named David Clarke joined the TUV. He had left the DUP.

Leader

Leader			Born	Term start	Term end
1	Jim Allister		1953	7 December 2007	Incumbent

Images for kids

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  Logo of the Traditional Unionist Voice

See also

In Spanish: Voz Unionista Tradicional para niños