Abstensionism is the policy of seeking election to a body while refusing to take up the seats or even sitting in an alternative assembly.

In the United Kingdom and Ireland this has been an oft used tactic of republicans and nationalists. Irish Republicanism is the nationalist belief that all of Ireland should be a united independent republic. ... An Irish nationalist is generally one who seeks (greater) independence of Ireland from Great Britain, including since 1921 the goal of a United Ireland. ...

In 1918 Sinn Féin MPs nominally elected to the Parliament of the United Kingdom refused to sit in that body and instead constituted themselves as Dáil Éireann and claimed to be the legitimate parliament of Ireland. 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The name Sinn Féin (pronounced in English, in Irish), which means ourselves or we ourselves (not as sometimes incorrectly translated, ourselves alone or we alone) has been applied to a series of political movements since 1905 in Ireland, each of which claim or claimed sole descent from the original... MP or mp can mean any of the following: Member of Parliament Military Police Modus ponens Madhya Pradesh - a state in India Mathematical Physics Microprocessor Molecular Pathology Multi-port Multi-platform Mission Possible - a Christian based childrens ministry. ... The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative institution in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories (it alone has parliamentary sovereignty). ... Dáil Éireann[1] is the lower house of the Oireachtas (parliament) of the Republic of Ireland. ... The debating chamber or hemicycle of the European Parliament in Brussels. ...

In Northern Ireland nationalists generally refused to sit in the Stormont parliament. This policy was at first rejected by the SDLP but has been followed by that party on occassion since. Northern Ireland is one of four constituent parts of the United Kingdom. ... The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which existed from June 7, 1921 to March 30, 1972, when it was suspended. ... The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP — Irish: Páirtí Sóisialta Daonlathach an Lucht Oibre) is the smaller of the two major nationalist parties in Northern Ireland. ...

SDLP MPs do sit in the Westminster parliament, however, in contrast to Sinn Féin MPs who refuse to take the oath of allegiance. Westminster is the area located immediately to the west of the ancient City of London, in the centre of the wider conurbation of London. ... An oath of allegiance is an oath whereby a subject or citizen acknowledges his duty of allegiance and swears loyalty to his Sovereign or country. ...

Both Sinn Féin and the SDLP have taken their seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Northern Ireland Assembly is a 108-member legislative body for Northern Ireland that sits at Stormont with powers devolved to it from the Westminster parliament. ...