Map by Conal Kelly

This constituency takes in the largely rural Antrim district council and parts of the more suburban Newtownabbey district council. The member of parliament is David Burnside (UUP), who defeated the DUP's William McCrea in the 2001 election; McCrea had held the seat for less than nine months, having won it in a September 2000 by-election held after the death of Clifford Forsythe (UUP), who had represented the constituency since it was revised in 1983. (See here for 1983-1992 results.)

See also results of all South Antrim elections 1993-2003.
 

			Surplus Burnside		Exclude Docherty		Exclude Cosgrove & Wilkinson		Exclude Boyd
David Burnside	UUP	7066	-1720	5346	-	5346	-	5346	-	5346
Wilson Clyde	DUP	5131	124.56	5255.56	4.24	5259.8	42.2	5302	231	5533
Paul Girvan	DUP	4820	80.4	4900.4	13.72	4914.12	62.2	4976.32	199.68	5176
Jim Wilson	UUP	3135	384.96	3519.96	35.48	3555.44	112.36	3667.8	104.68	3772.48
Thomas Burns	SDLP	2732	16.56	2748.56	3	2751.56	65	2816.56	38.92	2855.48
David Ford	Alliance	3393	63.6	3456.6	47.44	3504.04	250.6	3754.64	66.84	3821.48
Martin Meehan	SF	4295	1.2	4296.2	2	4298.2	13	4311.2	1	4312.2
Donovan McClelland	SDLP	2671	6.24	2677.24	1	2678.24	45.48	2723.72	3.24	2726.96
Adrian Cochrane-Watson	UUP	953	900.72	1853.72	35.96	1889.68	75.12	1964.8	154.68	2119.48
John Smyth	DUP	1501	29.52	1530.52	2	1532.52	67.96	1600.48	35.36	1635.84
Norman Boyd	NIUP	774	52.56	826.56	11.96	838.52	42.48	881	-881	0
Joan Cosgrove	NIWC	465	9.36	474.36	10	484.36	-484.36	0	-	-
Kenneth Wilkinson	PUP	311	12.24	323.24	4.24	327.48	-327.48	0	-	-
Jason Docherty	Cons	174	5.52	179.52	-179.52	0	-	-	-	-
			32.56	32.56	8.48	41.04	35.44	76.48	45.6	122.08

Stage 2: Of Burnside's 7066 votes, 3753 transferred to Cochrane-Watson and 1604 to Wilson, thus 5357 (75.8%) to the other UUP candidates; 519 to Clyde and 337 to Girvan, thus 977 (13.8%) to the DUP; 265 (3.8%) to Ford (Alliance); 219 (3.1%) to Boyd (NIUP); 69 to Burns and 26 to McClelland, thus 95 (1.3%) to the SDLP; 51 (0.7%) to Wilkinson (PUP); 39 (0.6%) to Cosgrove (NIWC); 23 (0.3%) to Docherty (Cons); and 5 (0.1%) to Meehan (SF) with 35 (0.5%) non-transferable.

			Exclude Smyth		Surplus Girvan		Surplus Clyde		Exclude Cochrane-Watson
David Burnside	UUP	5346	-	5346	-	5346	-	5346	-	5346
Wilson Clyde	DUP	5533	-	5533	-	5533	-187	5346	-	5346
Paul Girvan	DUP	5176	1238	6414	-1068	5346	-	5346	-	5346
Jim Wilson	UUP	3772.48	105.84	3878.32	268	4146.32	68	4214.32	1392	5606.32
Thomas Burns	SDLP	2855.48	8.72	2864.2	11	2875.2	1	2876.2	85.16	2961.36
David Ford	Alliance	3821.48	50.88	3872.36	82	3954.36	15	3969.36	519.48	4488.84
Martin Meehan	SF	4312.2	1	4313.2	1	4314.2	0	4314.2	3.72	4317.92
Donovan McClelland	SDLP	2726.96	5.24	2732.2	6	2738.2	1	2739.2	44.2	2783.4
Adrian Cochrane-Watson	UUP	2119.48	143.68	2263.16	349	2612.16	84	2696.16	-2696.16	0
John Smyth	DUP	1635.84	-1635.84	0	-	-	-	-	-	-
		122.08	82.48	204.56	351	555.56	18	573.56	651.6	1225.16

Stage 7: Of the 1238 votes transferred from Smyth to Girvan (both DUP), 349 went on to Cochrane-Watson and 268 to Wilson, thus 617 (49.8%) to the UUP; 82 (6.6%) to Ford (Alliance); 11 to Burns and 6 to McClelland, thus 17 (1.4%) to the SDLP; and 1 (0.1%) to Meehan (SF) with 521 (42.1%) non-transferable.

Stage 8: Of the 231 votes transferred from Boyd (NIUP) to Clyde (DUP), 84 went on to Cochrane-Watson and 68 to Wilson, thus 152 (65.8%) to the UUP; 15 (6.5%) went to Ford (Alliance); 1 went to Burns and also 1 to McClelland, thus 2 (0.9%) to the SDLP; and none to Meehan (SF) with 62 (26.8%) non-transferable.

			Surplus Wilson		Exclude McClelland
David Burnside	UUP	5346	-	5346	-	5346
Wilson Clyde	DUP	5346	-	5346	-	5346
Paul Girvan	DUP	5346	-	5346	-	5346
Jim Wilson	UUP	5606.32	-260.32	5346	-	5346
Thomas Burns	SDLP	2961.36	31	2992.36	1986.88	4979.24
David Ford	Alliance	4488.84	208	4696.84	269.36	4966.2
Martin Meehan	SF	4317.92	1	4318.92	466.72	4785.64
Donovan McClelland	SDLP	2783.4	19	2802.4	-2802.4	-
		1225.16	1.32	1226.48	79.44	1305.92

Stage 10: There are no less than four possible mathematical solutions for the destiny of the 1392 votes transferred from Cochrane-Watson to Wilson (both UUP) and then on from Wilson's surplus. The first is that 208 (14.9%) went to Ford (Alliance); 31 to Burns and 19 to McClelland, thus 50 (3.6%) to the SDLP; and 1 (0.1%) to Meehan (SF) with 1133 (81.4%) non-transferable. But it's also possible that 416 (29.9%) went to Ford (Alliance); 62 to Burns and 38 to McClelland, thus 100 (7.2%) to the SDLP; and 2 (0.1%) to Meehan (SF) with 874 (62.8%) non-transferable. A third possibility is that 832 (59.8%) went to Ford (Alliance); 124 to Burns and 76 to McClelland, thus 200 (14.4%) to the SDLP; and 4 (0.3%) to Meehan (SF) with 356 (25.6%) non-transferable. Or it could even have been 1040 (74.7%) to Ford (Alliance); 155 to Burns and 95 to McClelland, thus 250 (18.0%) to the SDLP; and 5 (0.4%) to Meehan (SF) with 97 (7.0%) non-transferable. [Note added March 2006: David Ford informs me by email that the first, and most likely, of these three scenarios is the case. For understandable reasons he was keeping a close eye on proceedings.]

See also: Jim Riley's analysis of votes and seats in the 1998 Assembly election | The constituencies | Single Transferable Vote | The political parties | Useful books and links

Full 2003 results for each seat: East Belfast | North Belfast | South Belfast | West Belfast | East Antrim | North Antrim | South Antrim | North Down | South Down | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | Foyle | Lagan Valley | East Londonderry | Mid Ulster | Newry and Armagh | Strangford | West Tyrone | Upper Bann

Other sites based at ARK: ORB (Online Research Bank) | CAIN (Conflict Archive on the INternet) | Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey

Your comments, please! Send an email to me at nicholas.whyte@gmail.com..3

Compiled by Nicholas Whyte, Becky Vanasek and Simon Smyth, 11 April 2004.