Bill calling for a full discussion on the governance of Northern Ireland. In 1946, Sean O'Gallagher was appointed as full-time organiser for the League, and by the end of the year, forty local Anti-Partition clubs linked to the League had been established. In July, Gerry Lennon, McAteer and McSparran spoke at a rally in Birmingham in July to launch a British section of the League. The League held its first annual convention at Dungannon on 11 April 1947 - 146 delegates attended, nominated by 63 branches, and McAteer was elected vice chairman. The following year, it opened an office in Belfast. It faced its first electoral test at the 1948 Armagh by-election, nominating James O'Reilly. O'Reilly failed to gain the Unionist-held seat, but took 40.3% of the vote. Relationship with the Republic of Ireland The League organised a rally in Dublin on 25 January 1948, challenging Éamon de Valera to push the British Government on the question of partition. He was soon out of office, and embarked on a world tour speaking in favour of a united Ireland, which the League claimed as a success. The APL welcomed the passing of the Republic of Ireland Act 1948, and McSparran also welcomed the British response, the Ireland Act 1949, claiming that it proved all British parties were equally hostile to Ireland. Debates over abstentionism A general election in Northern Ireland was called for 1949, and the League organised selection conventions for each constituency where there was a chance of an anti-partitionist victory. The selections were marked by fierce debate over whether the candidates should pledge to attend the Parliament, or to boycott it. The election was only moderately successful for the League. All the seats held by Nationalist MPs immediately before the election were again won by them. Frustrated with the hostility of much of the British Labour Party, the League's British section stood four candidates against Labour MPs in the 1950 general election, in Bootle, Coatbridge and Airdrie, Greenock and Glasgow Gorbals, all areas with large Irish populations. Despite the intervention, Labour held all four seats. In May 1950, the APL conference voted down a motion calling for abstentionism. Conlon died soon afterwards, creating a by-election in his seat of South Armagh. The Irish Labour Party nominated Seamus McKearney. The League asked him to withdraw, but his agent, Harry Diamond, was an old opponent of the organisation and rejected the