Allister hails 'phenomenal' result
JIM Allister says that it was "phenomenal" for the TUV to capture almost a third of the unionist vote in the first Province-wide election it has contested.
"From the first few days of knocking doors, I was convinced that we were going to do very well," he says.
Rather than see the potential damage of three unionist parties, unionism should welcome the fact that his presence in the field increased the percentage of unionist voters in a low-turnout election, he argues.
"If there wasn't a TUV there would be a lot more stay at home voters; people who, in their tens-of-thousands will not vote DUP or Ulster Unionist."
The DUP repeatedly accused Mr Allister of splitting the unionist vote and, for almost all of the election campaign, refused to even name their nemesis, steadfastly describing him as "a maverick splitter".
But the former MEP says that far from splitting the unionist vote so that one of the two unionist seats was lost, his transfers actually saw Jim Nicholson and then Diane Dodds elected.
And, in a warning to his former party that many of those who voted for him may not return to vote DUP – even if they do not back him in future elections – he says that most of his voters transferred to the Conservatives and Unionists ahead of the DUP.
"I think there was some significance in the fallout of the transfers – 38,000, if I remember right, went to Mr Nicholson and 24,000 to Mrs Dodds, which is a fairly decisive balance.
"I think that has to be a worry, in addition, for the DUP. If those were ex-DUP voters, they are definitely not going back to them."
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Weather for Belfast
Tuesday 14 February 2012
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Temperature: 6 C to 9 C
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