THE battle for the nationalist vote in Northern Ireland intensified over the weekend with an outbreak of verbal hostilities between the SDLP deputy leader, Mr Seamus Mallon, and Mr Martin McGuinness of Sinn Fein.
A claim by Mr Mallon that Sinn Fein was losing votes was dismissed by Mr McGuinness as "desperate nonsense spurred by the SDLP's growing realisation that nationalist voters, particularly in rural areas, are increasingly turning to Sinn Fein for real leadership".
In a sharp and sustained attack on Sinn Fein, Mr Mallon had told Radio Ulster's Inside Politics it was a "moment of truth election" for the nationalist community in particular. "Will they vote, above all, for real peace and real leadership or are they going to allow the republican movement, Sinn Fein and the IRA, to play with peace, because that's exactly what they have been doing in a rather cynical way."
Republicans were "putting the entire community through the wringer," he added. "Peace is a fundamental human right of each individual in the north of Ireland, not to be doled out to them by Sinn Fein as you would dole out dolly mixtures to a child." The nationalist electorate would show its distaste for the republican strategy on polling day.
Some nationalists had lent their votes to Sinn Fein "to try to copper fasten peace" during last year's Forum elections but this would not be repeated, the Newry Armagh MP said.
Mr McGuinness, the Sinn Fein candidate for Mid Ulster, said Mr Mallon's comments were misleading. "Many remember his record on the peace process and his conscious efforts to deliberately undermine the Hume/Adams initiative." He said politicians should look beyond narrow party considerations "and seek to build confidence in the possibilities offered by a new government in London and a strong nationalist vote".
The SDLP candidate in Mid Ulster, Mr Denis Haughey, described as "amazing" Sinn Fein's assertion that it would take sufficient numbers of SDLP votes to win the Mid Ulster seat.
He also said he had arranged for the chairwoman of the European Parliament's civil liberties committee, Ms Heidi d'Ancona, to visit Ms Roisin McAliskey in Holloway Prison today.