THE main unionist parties appear to have lost ground to the fringe loyalist parties since the May elections in the North, according to the second part of an Irish News opinion poll published yesterday.
Both the UUP and the DUP are down sharply in voter support; the UUP securing only 20 per cent, compared with 24.7 per cent in "May and the DUP 16 per cent, compared with 18.8 per cent.
The poll result showed the PUP at 6 per cent support and the UDP at 5 per cent, compared with their election showing of 3.5 per cent and 2.2 per cent respectively.
The SDLP's share, at 22 per cent, is an increase of 0.6 per cent on the May election. Sinn Fein is down 2.5 per cent at 13 per cent.
The SDLP leader, Mr John Hume, emerges with the highest approval rating of all the party leaders, with 55 per cent of all respondents approving of his performance since May. He is two points ahead of the PUP's Mr David Ervine, with the UDP's Gary McMichael receiving a 44 per cent approval rate.
The Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, polled the lowest with a 21 per cent approval rating. A total of 60 per cent of respondents described his performance as either poor or very poor.
While 50 per cent of those questioned were unhappy at the Irish Government's track record since the 1994 ceasefires, 52 per cent were dissatisfied with Britain's handling of Northern Ireland politics during the same period.
The poll was taken throughout Northern Ireland last week.