Editorial: Mike Nesbitt makes plausible points about how to approach unionist unity

​Mike Nesbitt yesterday outlined some of his thinking around unionists working together politically.

The new Ulster Unionist Party leader said that unionist unity was a “bit of a unicorn” but that he was open to co-operation between the parties and would “be up for a chat” with the DUP leader Gavin Robinson.

Mr Nesbitt also told BBC Radio Ulster that unionists are already united in their support for the UK. These three plausible arguments can be looked at in turn.

First, the concept of unionist unity in terms of a single party was popular 10 or 20 years ago, but not now. We have learned since then that many voters will back parties that have only a light unionist branding. They are uninterested in things such as flags, the loyal orders or traditional Christianity, but they are not fixed Alliance voters either. Thousands of such voters did return to unionist candidates in the general election. A single unionist party would see the combined unionist vote drop below 40%, which unionism can’t afford. A choice of unionists in July saw the combined unionist vote pull 3% ahead of nationalism.

Crucially, Mr Nesbitt has left the door open to co-operation, his second point. We hope the UUP stays with that. It is sensible to field moderate candidates against Alliance MPs, and an agreed ones palatable to all strands of unionism against Sinn Fein MPs. Had the UUP taken a more collaborative approach in July, then that outstanding contender for MP Colonel Tim Collins, who would have been a fine ambassador for unionism in Westminster, could have emerged as such an agreed candidate.

And Mr Nesbitt’s third point about the unity in support for the UK could be a threshold for unionism: that while it is a broad church, all unionists should be seen to endorse key principles. Not just backing UK, but opposition to the subtle campaign of attrition to undermine the Union in multiple ways.