Unionist rivalries to dominate in Lagan Valley's fierce contest

On the hustings: Politics is by no means a straightforward business in the Lagan Valley constituency.

Take Jeffrey Donaldson. He may be one of David Trimble's fiercest critics and may have resigned the whip at Westminster, yet he is running as the Ulster Unionist Party's most prominent candidate in the constituency.

And then there's Ivan Davis. He may be a Trimble loyalist and chief whip of the Ulster Unionists in the Assembly, but the 66-year-old veteran has been forced to stand as an independent in the constituency.

"Many people will find it ironic," admits Mr Donaldson, as he canvasses amid the semi-detached houses in the Manor Park area of Lisburn.

"There are divisions there. I hope that after the election we can sort these things out.

"We're aiming to get the party on a more even keel, with a more coherent approach to the negotiations."

Across town, Ivan Davis is knocking on doors in the relatively affluent area of Wallace, handing out home-produced election leaflets.

He is seething with anger at how he was deselected from the Ulster Unionists' list of candidates by what he says are anti-agreement "dinosaurs" in the party.

"This is the biggest challenge of my political career," he says with grim determination.

"The sad part is that I'm in this situation because my only crime is loyalty. For all that, I'm being hounded by people who would put the clock back, as I see it."

In many respects, the battle between Mr Donaldson, his UUP colleagues and Mr Davis is a symptom of the deep divisions within the party over support for the Belfast Agreement.

The roots of this particular political storm go back to a very public row in 1998 when the leadership barred the dissident Mr Donaldson from standing in the assembly elections.

Embittered by this treatment, local UUP officials in Lagan Valley this time ditched Mr Davis to try to bring a more anti-agreement gloss to their campaign.

Elections in Lagan Valley, a solid unionist constituency just south of Belfast, are usually predictable enough affairs. However, the entry of Mr Davis, usually a good vote-winner, into the ring brings an unpredictable edge to the contest.

While it's almost certain that at least four unionist seats of varying shades will be returned in the six-seater, there will be a fierce three-way fight between Davis, his UUP colleagues and the DUP to take one of them.

"People like myself have been sidelined for the last five years. I was excluded from the assembly the last time," Mr Donaldson says.

"People like myself, David Burnside and Arlene Foster are going to be in there at the heart of where the action is politically. I think that should be regarded as a positive step."

But Mr Davis is upbeat: "I'm getting a great reception on the doorsteps. Today we have our freedom. Things have changed dramatically. We need to keep going forward together with everyone pulling the same rope."