Irish Election Literature

… what you maybe meant to keep…

“Boycott The Poll” Poster – Official Republican Movement – 1973 Northern Ireland Border Poll November 7, 2011

Filed under: Border Poll 1973,Official Sinn Fein,ulster,Workers Party — irishelectionliterature @ 1:14 pm
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From the 1973 Border Poll (also known as the Northern Ireland Sovereignty Referendum) a poster from the Official Republican Movement urging a Boycott of the poll. The figure in the poster I think is that of the then Northern Ireland Secretary, William Whitelaw.
There were two choices and 591,280 people voted to stay part of the UK whilst , due to the boycott, just 6,463 voted in favour of a United Ireland.
I’ve a Ballot,Envelope, Polling card etc from the poll posted Here .

Many thanks to the sender.

 

March 1973- Northern Ireland- ‘Border Poll’- Ballot,Envelope, Polling card etc December 24, 2009

Filed under: Border Poll 1973 — irishelectionliterature @ 1:39 pm
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What a Christmas present to be sent by a kind reader…..
March the 9th 1973 a poll took place on the future of Northern Ireland.
The Ballot below shows the choices.
591,280 people voted to stay part of the UK.
6,463 voted in favour of a United Ireland….
The donor writes…
Nationalists were encouraged to boycott the poll, I can remember the graffiti for years after, ‘NO VOTE’ painted everywhere from derelict houses to trees…..
The images include the voting slip itself, the return envelope and declaration of identity which was a farcical document in the days of ‘vote early and vote often’.
The Nationalist Eddie McAteer once commented on the number of deceased Catholics who had managed to vote because their names were still on the election register;
‘The fools, the fools, they have left us our Fenian dead!’

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