Sinn Fein practises the art of divide and conquer

SINN FEIN was adopting the British tactic of divide and conquer and John Hume was annoyed. "The people won't fall for it," he snorted. It was a stitch up but it wouldn't work he seemed sure.

Later, up on Creggan Heights overlooking Derry City, Mitchel McLaughlin chuckled: "Well, Seamus Mallon started it with his aggressive attack on us, so we are only responding in kind. And I don't think there's any doubt that John was isolated from Seamus Mallon, Eddie McGrady and Joe Hendron during Hume Adams."

Sinn Fein is pushing, pushing, pushing, in West Belfast, Mid Ulster, West Tyrone and here in Hume's own constituency. The buck stops with Hume if Sinn Fein maintains its Forum position, or makes further inroads into the SDLP vote. Hume has to focus on the bigger picture.

The Sinn Fein line is that in key marginals nationalists are tactically plumping for Martin McGuinness and Pat Doherty, and other SDLP supporters or waverers should do the same. Shout the message loud and often enough and people will believe it and vote accordingly, is the strategy.

Still there was "Saint John" to deal with. In the light of his relationship with Gerry Adams republicans could hardly cast Hume in the same mould as Messrs Mallon, McGrady and Hendron who, according to Sinn Fein, had betrayed the nationalist position by refusing to join a pact.

Solution: separate Hume from the list of SDLP baddies and in the meantime try and dig into his Foyle vote just to boost Sinn Fein's overall position.

Back in his office in Derry Hume glowered. "People are not gullible. They know why there is no discussion of a pact because there is no IRA ceasefire. Sinn Fein is trying to divide the SDLP but the tactic is an insult to people's intelligence. It won't work."

Hume takes great pride in Derry and its development and its successes. He points to major international investments in Derry such as by Seagate and Stream which he says occurred as a direct result of his personal lobbying.

Not far from the SDLP office is the courthouse where RUC constable Alice Collins was shot and badly wounded by the IRA last week. Hume believes that in Foyle particularly and in other vital constituencies where the SDLP and Sinn Fein are competing, her condition and the continuing IRA campaign of violence will be still in the minds of nationalist voters on May 1st.

On Creggan Heights near a gable wall listing over 40 of the IRA's Derry brigade who were killed over the period of the troubles McLaughlin and an impressive team of about 25 republicans set off to canvass.

Some people have mentioned the shooting of the RUC mother of three to McLaughlin, but none on this canvass. He says he understands public concern but insists that Sinn Fein is truly committed to the peace process.

He gets a pretty good response here although many are non committal. "No, bother", "Dead on," they tell him in a cryptic manner which could mean he has or he hasn't their vote.

In this electoral area the SDLP has the edge three to two in terms of councillors. But as part of the great push Sinn Fein wants to reverse that figure in its favour in the local elections which follow three weeks after the Westminster poll.

McLaughlin has no chance - against Hume but it's still all to play for. Sinn Fein wants to lay the groundwork for its council election campaign it wants to pull more votes in Foyle so that the Sinn Fein percentage vote is strengthened throughout the North and McLaughlin would draw devious satisfaction if he could muster a stronger percentage than Martin McGuinness, the former Sinn Fein flag carrier in this constituency now running in Mid Ulster.

With Gregory Campbell moving out of the constituency to contest East Derry former mayor William Hay is running for the DUP. The Ulster Unionists are giving him a free run so he should poll well.

Ms Eileen Bell is running for Alliance and will expect to do far better than the party did in the Forum election when it could only win 790 votes. Mr Donn Brennan of the Natural Law Party also will be hoping to do better than the party's 41 votes in the Forum poll.