The fact is that this was a mini-referendum on the Belfast Agreement and people voted DUP to demonstrate their opposition to it as David Burnside's Damascus Road conversion was only tactical for electoral gain. It must be acknowledged that a large number who voted were not voting along party lines but on the clear issue of the Belfast Agreement. The DUP campaign made this abundantly clear. Too many others stayed at home and did not vote. The party political advantage now being taken by the DUP, whilst not surprising leaves the wider unionist electorate and its representatives with major decisions to make in a very short space of time.
Unionism really is at the crossroads.
There are now in effect two parties within the UUP and they are left in total disarray. Therefore anti-agreement UUP members now face several choices. Jeffrey Donaldson must move immediately to replace David Trimble and bring down the Belfast Agreement or if David Trimble continues as leader they can continue to prop up their party and suffer electoral disaster. There is a third choice and that is to join with us in the Northern Ireland Unionist Party and help build a party with clearly defined principles and policies based on traditional unionism. The NIUP believes in positive unionism which will re-invigorate the unionist people of Northern Ireland and we particularly wish to involve young people in politics.