University constituency explained

A university constituency is a constituency, used in elections to a legislature, that represents the members of one or more universities rather than residents of a geographical area. These may or may not involve plural voting, in which voters are eligible to vote in or as part of this entity and their home area's geographical constituency.

When James VI inherited the English throne in 1603, the system was adopted by the Parliament of England. The system was continued in the Parliament of Great Britain (from 1707 to 1800) and the United Kingdom Parliament, until 1950. It was also used in the Parliament of Ireland, in the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1613 to 1800, and in the Irish Free State from 1922 to 1936.

Such constituencies have also existed in Japan and in some countries of the British Empire such as India.

At present there are four instances in two countries of university constituencies: two in the Seanad Éireann (the upper—and in general less powerful—house of the legislature of the Republic of Ireland) and two in the Senate of Rwanda.

Summary

ConstituencyParliamentYearsNo. of
representatives
Cambridge UniversityEngland1603–17072
Great Britain1707–18002
United Kingdom1801–19502
Oxford UniversityEngland1603–17072
Great Britain1707–18002
United Kingdom1801–19502
Dublin UniversityIreland1613–18002
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland1801–19221 (1801–1832)
2 (1832–1922)
Irish Republic1918–19222 (1918–1921)
4 (1921–1922)
Southern Ireland (UK)1921–19224
Irish Free State1922–19373
Republic of Ireland (Seanad Éireann)1938–present3
Edinburgh and St Andrews UniversitiesUnited Kingdom1868–19181 between
Glasgow and Aberdeen UniversitiesUnited Kingdom1868–19181 between
London UniversityUnited Kingdom1868–19501
Combined English UniversitiesUnited Kingdom1918–19502 between
Combined Scottish UniversitiesUnited Kingdom1918–19503 between
National University of IrelandUnited Kingdom1918–19221
Irish Republic1918–19221 (1918–1921)
4 (1921–1922)
Southern Ireland (UK)1921–19224
Irish Free State1922–19373
Republic of Ireland (Seanad Éireann)1938–present3
Queen's University of BelfastUnited Kingdom1918–19501
Irish Republic1918–19211
University of WalesUnited Kingdom1918–19501
Queen's University of Belfast (NI)Northern Ireland (UK)1921–19694
Irish Republic1921–19224
As shown, at Westminster (in the English then successor British parliaments) 4 seats were incepted in 1603 and the final total, 12, were abolished in 1950.

The Northern Irish body was the last in the UK to abolish such seats: it abolished its four for Queens, Belfast in 1969.

Six such seats continue in Seanad Éireann, the upper chamber of the Oireachtas (legislature of the Republic of Ireland). They are the sole directly elected members of the Seanad, with the remainder of the seats being elected by a combination of members of Oireachtas, incoming TDs and outgoing Senators, and local councillors, along with 11 members appointed by the Taoiseach.[1]

Historical representation by party (UK)

A cell marked → has a different colour background to the preceding cell and denotes an incumbent who defected or won a re-election for another party.

1885 to 1918

Constituency188518868788909118921895959699001900031906Jan 1910Dec 19101112141617
Cambridge UniversityRaikesJebbButcherLarmor
HopeStokesGorstRawlinson
London UniversityLubbockFosterMagnus
Oxford UniversityTalbotCecil
MowbrayAnsonProthero
MacdonaldDarlingPearsonPriestleyTukeFinlayJohnstonCheyne
CampbellCraik
Dublin UniversityHolmesMaddenCarson
PlunketLeckyCampbellSamuels

1918 to 1950

Some of these seats were filled through STV.[2]

Constituency (UK)1918191922192324192426271929193134351935363738404345194546
Cambridge UniversityRawlinsonWithersHillHarris
LarmorJ. ButlerG. ButlerWilsonPickthorn
Combined English UniversitiesFisherHopkinsonRathboneStrauss
ConwayCraddockHarveyLindsay
Oxford UniversityCecilSalter
ProtheroOmanHerbert
London UniversityMagnusRussell-WellsGraham-Little
University of WalesJ. LewisT. LewisDaviesEvansGruffydd
Combined Scottish UniversitiesCheyneBerrySkeltonMacDonaldAnderson
CowanMorrisonBoyd-OrrElliot
CraikBuchanKerr
Queen's University of BelfastWhitlaSinclairSavory
Dublin UniversityWoodsSee Ireland section below
SamuelsJellettSee Ireland section below
National University of IrelandMacNeillSee Ireland section below

Historical representation by party (Ireland)

A cell marked → has a different colour background to the preceding cell and denotes an incumbent who defected or won a re-election for another party.

Dáil Éireann

Constituency19181919211922192323Jun 1927Sep 1927193219333336
Queen's University of Belfast <--- In Irish constitutional theory, the members elected to the UK House of Commons in 1918, and to the Northern Irish Parliament in 1921, are considered TDs of the First and Second Dáils respectively--->WhitlaCampbellNot represented in Irish Free State Dáils
RobbNot represented in Irish Free State Dáils
JohnstoneNot represented in Irish Free State Dáils
MorrisonNot represented in Irish Free State Dáils
Dublin UniversityWoodsAlton
SamuelsJellettCraigRowlette
Thrift
Fitzgibbon
National University of IrelandMacNeillMcGilligan
EnglishMagennisCleryTierneyMaguire
HayesConcannon
Stockley

Seanad Éireann

Constituency1938194319444719481951525319541957601961196519697019731977791981198219831987198919931997200220070920112016182020
Dublin UniversityAltonKingsmill MooreBiggerBuddJessopSheehy-SkeffingtonJ. RossSheehy-SkeffingtonWestS. RossBarrettRuane
RowletteJohnstonStanfordRobinsonHedermanHenryBacik
JohnstonFearonJessopBrowneC. C. O'BrienMcGuinnessWestMcGuinnessNorris
National University of IrelandBarnivilleÓ ConalláinHorganHusseyDoogeO'TooleCrownMcDowell
TierneyM.J. RyanG. O'BrienAltonMartinL. RyanB. RyanLeeB. RyanMullen
ConcannonCunninghamMcHughQuinlanMurphyM. D. HigginsMurphyQuinnA. M. Higgins

United Kingdom

King James VI of Scotland, on ascending the English throne, brought to the English Parliament a practice which endured in the Scottish Parliament of allowing the universities to elect members. The king believed that the universities were often affected by the decisions of Parliament, and ought therefore to have representation in it. James gave the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford two seats each from 1603. On the formal Union (1707), Scottish universities lost their representatives as none were appointed to the Parliament of Great Britain (at Westminster). The voters were the graduates of the university, whether they were resident or not;[3] they could vote for the university seats in addition to any other vote that they might have.

After the Act of Union 1800 with Ireland, the University of Dublin (Trinity College), which had elected two MPs to the Parliament of Ireland since 1613, was allowed one member from 1801 and two from 1832.

In 1868, three new one-member seats were created: University of London; Glasgow and Aberdeen universities combined; and St Andrews and Edinburgh universities combined.

In 1918, the Queen's University of Belfast and the National University of Ireland each received seats. Both these, as well as the University of Dublin, also received four seats in the devolved Stormont parliament and the Southern Ireland parliament respectively that were established in 1920 and first used in elections in 1921. Also in 1918, the Scottish universities switched to all electing three members jointly (see Combined Scottish Universities).

In 1918, all the other English universities (i.e. except for Cambridge, Oxford and London) were enfranchised as a single constituency with two seats, as Combined English Universities. They were Birmingham, Bristol, Durham, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, and Sheffield. Reading was added in August 1928. The University of Wales also received one seat in 1918.

1918 also saw the introduction of the Single Transferable Vote for university constituencies.

Abolition

The Labour government in 1930 attempted to abolish the university constituencies but was defeated in the House of Commons. Although the members for the university constituencies were usually Conservatives, in the later years independent candidates began to win many of the seats. The Labour government finally abolished the university constituencies via the Representation of the People Act 1948, with effect from the dissolution of Parliament in 1950, along with all other examples of plural voting.[4]

The Queen's University, Belfast constituency survived in the Parliament of Northern Ireland until it was abolished in 1968 (with effect from the dissolution of Parliament in 1969) by the Electoral Law Act (Northern Ireland) 1968 (c. 20 (N.I.)).[5] This was one of several measures by the then Northern Ireland Prime Minister Terence O'Neill to reform elements of the election franchise and deal with many long-standing civil rights grievances.

Notable members for these constituencies

The members for the university constituencies include many notable statesmen: William Pitt the Younger and Lord Palmerston both served as MPs for Cambridge University, and Robert Peel and William Ewart Gladstone each served as MP for Oxford University for portions of their careers. In his last years Ramsay MacDonald was MP for Combined Scottish Universities after losing his previous seat in the 1935 general election. Many criticised this, as he had previously sought to abolish the seats whilst Labour prime minister and many now felt the seats were being used to provide a failed politician with a seat he could not find elsewhere.

The humorist and law reform activist A. P. Herbert sat as an independent member for Oxford University from 1935 to 1950. He described the counting of the votes at the 1935 election in a chapter entitled P.R.': Or, Standing for Oxford in his 1936 book Mild and Bitter.[6]

India

India had university constituencies before independence, but these were abolished with the adoption of the modern Constitution of India. Nevertheless, today the President of India has the authority to appoint not more than twelve scientists, artists, or other persons who have special knowledge in similar fields, to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house in the Parliament of India. Currently, the upper houses of the state legislatures in the six states that have them have graduates' constituencies, that elect one-twelfth of their members. Each graduates' constituency is defined geographically rather than by university; graduates of any approved Indian university may choose to register in the graduates' constituency of their place of residence instead of registering in the ordinary constituency.

Ireland

There are two university constituencies in Seanad Éireann, with graduates of the Dublin University and National University of Ireland entitled to elect three Senators each. Only graduates who are Irish citizens are entitled to vote in these elections. There is no residency requirement so those qualifying who are resident outside the State may vote. Elections are conducted under the single transferable vote and by postal ballot.[7]

The Parliament of Ireland that existed until 1801 included the university constituency of Dublin University. This was continued in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, and in 1918, the National University of Ireland was also given representation there.

When the Irish Free State seceded from the UK in 1922, its new lower house of parliament, the Free State Dáil, had three seats each for the two university constituencies. However, under the Electoral Act 1923 voters registered in a university constituency were not permitted to also vote in a geographical one. Both university constituencies were ultimately abolished by the Constitution (Amendment No. 23) Act 1936 and the Electoral (University Constituencies) Act 1936, which took effect on the dissolution of the Dáil in 1937. These two constituencies were recreated in Seanad Éireann under the Constitution of Ireland adopted in 1937, with the first Seanad election in 1938.[8]

In 1979, the Seventh Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland permitted a redistribution of the six university seats between graduates of these named universities and any other institutes of higher education in the state. This was in anticipation of a possible dissolution of the National University of Ireland, but this did not in fact occur, and no change was made to the electorate of these constituencies.

Some politicians have called for university representation to be abolished, on the ground that it is unacceptable that possession of a degree should confer greater electoral rights than those available to other voters. An example of this view can be found in the Green Party submission on Seanad reform in 2004.[9] The Socialist Party also stands for the abolition of these constituencies.

Other countries

The College of William & Mary held a seat in the House of Burgesses of the Virginia Colony in 1693, and was supported by taxes on tobacco and furs. This seat was revoked after the House of Burgesses became the House of Delegates of the Commonwealth of Virginia within the newly independent United States of America.[10]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Seanad. Citizens Information.
  2. Web site: The history of university representation . Wonkhe . 7 August 2021 . 28 January 2015.
  3. Web site: Ratcliffe . Mike . The history of university representation . Wonkhe . Wonkhe Ltd. . 7 August 2021.
  4. Book: Registrar General. The Registrar General's Statistical Review of England and Wales For the Five Years 1946-1950. Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. 1954. London. 175.
  5. Web site: Electoral Law Act (Northern Ireland) 1968 . legislation.gov.uk . 19 January 2018 . 28 November 1968.
  6. Book: Herbert, A. P. . Mild and Bitter . XV: 'PR': Or, Standing for Oxford . https://books.google.com/books?id=tX6vDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA71 . A. P. Herbert . 1936 . . London . 9780755151578. 559753655.
  7. Seanad Electoral (University Members) Act 1937 . 1937. 30. 22 . Method of voting . 2023-01-07 . 19 November 1937.
  8. Web site: 2022-02-18 . Seanad100 Members of the First Seanad . Houses of the Oireachtas . 2022-09-16 . en-ie.
  9. Web site: Seanad Reform . https://web.archive.org/web/20060111195316/http://www.greenparty.ie/en/library/discussion_documents/seanad_reform . 2006-01-11 . Green Party . 11 January 2006.
  10. Book: Adams, Herbert B. . The College of William and Mary, with Suggestions for the National Promotion of Higher Education . Government Printing Office . 1887 . Washington, D.C. . 15, 28 . Herbert Baxter Adams.