In May 2019, the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland made history following the election of their first ever MEP to the European Parliament. The party's leader Naomi Long took the second of Northern Ireland's three seats in an electoral contest which had historically been dominated by Northern Ireland's two political traditions: unionism and nationalism. It was a stunning victory for the middle ground and greeted as such by the Alliance Party's new MEP (quoted in Clark 2019): “An amazing result for the Alliance Party and a watershed moment for [Northern Ireland] politics. So grateful to everyone who voted to make the Alliance surge a tsunami! This can be the beginning of a new politics and a new future for all of us”. The impressive result signified not just a recent pattern of growing support for cross-community parties (see Tonge 2020b; Haughey & Pow 2020), it also confirmed opposition to Brexit among a majority of Northern Ireland voters (two of the three successful candidates – Long and also Sinn Féin's Martina Anderson – were anti-Brexit).

Historically, Northern Ireland has been shaped by a battle between unionism and nationalism which has squeezed the so-called middle ground. In this unique political and electoral setting, the middle ground represents a space which is neither unionist nor nationalist. It relates to those parties and voters who designate as “Other”, as set out in the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement; and rather than being an indication of where a party lies on the left–right political spectrum, in Northern Ireland the label “middle ground” or “centre party” implies – first and foremost – neutrality on the constitutional question.