Sir, – I wonder what led Eugene Tannam (March 7th) to conclude that there were "more votes for the intransigent parties, and fewer for the moderates" in the recent Stormont elections?
In reality, most parties got more votes than last time in absolute terms, as the turnout was greatly increased. The only party that saw its first preference vote drop significantly was the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV), a party at the more intransigent end of the unionist spectrum. The Alliance Party, surely the most moderate party of all, increased its number of first-preference votes by a very impressive 50 per cent.
It should also be noted that the SDLP, the Alliance Party and the Greens all retained the same number of seats, despite the total number of seats being cut by 18, whereas Sinn Féin lost one seat and the DUP lost 10. Consequently, I would say the new Assembly has significantly fewer intransigent members than the outgoing one. Unfortunately, I suspect this point has been missed amid the hype surrounding Sinn Féin’s strong performance relative to the DUP. – Yours, etc,
JACK NORTHWOOD,
Murrumbeena,
Victoria,
Australia.
Sir, – While James Robinson’s horror at the disinterest of the British media in the outcome of the Northern Irish elections may be somewhat justified (March 7th), it is hardly surprising that the contest attracts little attention among our neighbours’ compatriots.
Northern Ireland represents approximately 2.7 per cent of the population of the UK, a size which earns them 18 seats of the 650 in the House of Commons. These MPs are hardly an influential voting bloc in the context of such a large country and the media attention they gather there is at least broadly proportionate to their actual political influence in that country. In the same way that the Irish national media does not all too rigorously follow developments in the local politics of Wicklow County Council, which administers a comparable proportion of the Irish population, we should not expect the UK to hold its breath as it awaits the outcome of the present negotiations to form a government in Stormont. – Yours, etc,
CHRISTOPHER
McMAHON,
Castleknock,
Dublin 15.
Sir, – The people of Northern Ireland have been accused of walking backwards into the future, it appears that this is in fact an all-Ireland problem, albeit on different issues. We are spending so much time and money on reviews, committees, investigations and inquiries of past wrongs that cannot be undone that we are not addressing the current issues affecting those in real need.
A sceptic would say that it is easier for politicians to analyse the failings of the past than to cure the problems of the present. – Yours, etc,
JOSEPH E MASON,
Cork.