by John Coulter in Belfast
Well-placed republican sources in West Belfast say unofficial private talks are taking place between Sinn Féin and the SDLP to agree on unity candidates for the general election next year.
If a deal is done, it could shift the balance of Northern Ireland’s 18 seats in the House of Commons in favour of the nationalists.
Currently, Unionists hold the majority with 10 seats to the republicans’ eight: there are nine DUP MPs and one Ulster Unionist at Westminster; five Sinn Féin MPs and three SDLP. However, republican unity candidates could see up to four orange seats turn green.
This would give nationalists a 12-6 majority – a far cry from the 1970s when the Unionists held 11 of Northern Ireland’s 12 Commons seats.
The republican source said: “The Unionists are badly split and there is more apathy among Protestant voters than among the republican community. Given these splits, we have identified four seats which, if we have an agreed unity candidate with the SDLP, we could win.”
The deal would also involve existing nationalist MPs running unopposed. That would mean the sitting five Sinn Féin and three SDLP MPs would be certain to be re-elected.
Unity candidates would see the Westminster map in Northern Ireland change radically – with First Minister Peter Robinson’s DUP suffering most.
Out would go deputy leader and Stormont Executive minister Nigel Dodds in North Belfast; David Simpson, who toppled David Trimble in Upper Bann; tough-talking Gregory Campbell in East Derry; and Ian Paisley Junior in the DUP bastion of North Antrim where up to five pro-Union candidates are expected to contest the seat held since 1970 by Ian Paisley senior.
The republican source added: “For months, the Unionists have been talking about their supposed unity candidates in seats such as South Belfast and Fermanagh/South Tyrone. All we are doing is discussing how we can play Unionists at their own game.”
