Jim Speers

James Speers, known as Jim Speers, is a Unionist politician in Northern Ireland.

Speers works as a businessman and part-time farmer. He was elected to Armagh City and District Council in 1977 for the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)." [http://archive.nics.gov.uk/eti/030902c-eti.htm RE-APPOINTMENT TO THE NORTHERN IRELAND TOURIST BOARD] ", Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, 2 September 2003]

Seamus Mallon, a Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) member of the Northern Ireland Assembly, 1982 was disqualified because he had been a member of the Irish Seanad at the time of his election. A by-election was held in April 1983 for Mallon's seat in Armagh. The SDLP called on voters to boycott the election, which Speers contested as the UUP candidate. He easily beat the only other candidate, Tom French of the Workers Party, and served on the Assembly until it was abolished in 1986. [ [http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch83.htm A Chronology of the Conflict - 1983] , CAIN Web Service]

Speers contested Newry and Armagh at the United Kingdom general election, 1992, and took second place, with 36% of the vote. [ [http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/bnanda.htm Newry and Armagh, 1983-1992] , Northern Ireland Elections] In 1996, he was elected to the Northern Ireland Forum, as a UUP representative for Newry and Armagh. However, he failed to take a seat at the Northern Ireland Assembly election, 1998. [ [http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/ananda.htm Newry and Armagh] , Northern Ireland Elections]

Speers later served on the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, and as of 2007 is the Chairperson of the UUP's Newry & Armagh Constituency Association, [ [http://www.newryandarmaghuup.org/aboutus%20.htm About us] , Newry and Armagh Ulster Unionist Constituency Association] while continuing to sit on Armagh Council.

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