Sir, – In "Tory-hating is the last bastion of Anglophobia" (Opinion & Analysis, April 14th), Newton Emerson claims that the UUP "consistently polled about 70 per cent" of the vote in elections up until 1972.
There were 12 elections to the old Northern Ireland parliament during that time-frame and the highest vote achieved by that party was 66.7 per cent. That occurred at its first election. Afterwards that total was never again equalled, let alone surpassed.
Indeed on at least four subsequent occasions that party’s vote fell well below 50 per cent. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL DONNELLY,
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School of Political
Science and Sociology,
National University
of Ireland Galway.