Aileen Quinton: The election candidates I would support

I also deplore his first preference choice in Andy Allen, who has a recent conviction for Actual Bodily Harm against another veteran (eye injury involving a bottle) and where there has been no establishment of remorse and who has stated that his second preference vote is going to the candidate from the party led by a man still proud of murdering RCs.

However it appears that the SDLP candidate Mike Nesbitt is giving his second preference to is a decent individual. My good friend Ann Travers has commented thus “Séamas is lovely. He is young, enthusiastic and full of fresh ideas.

He supported me valiantly during the Spad Bill and beyond, standing up to SF and IRA bullies on social media on my behalf. I do know that whoever he gives his second vote to he will be remaining true to himself.”

So if I was voting in East Belfast, I would not be giving him my first preference (stance on Brexit never mind The Union) but I would certainly be giving him a higher one than Andy Allen and I would ask East Belfast voters (unionist, nationalist or not bothered) to consider doing likewise.

Similarly I will repeat what I have said many times, if I was voting in West Belfast I would transfer to Alex Atwood before I would go near the DUP candidate.

This is because of his UDA background with no establishment of repudiation.

Indeed the recent comment (thankfully deleted) about “vendetta” against “loyalist paramilitaries” on Facebook re-enforces the unsavoury nature of that candidacy.

“Themuns” should be defined in terms of attitude to criminal violence before the issue of Orange/Green.

Aileen Quinton, London