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28 April 2011

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Grassroots unionist voters agree with Sinn Féin on day-to-day issues – poll

Sinn Féin's Bairbre de Brún MEP and Alex Maskey MLA meet with Paula Bradshaw, Director of the Greater Village Regeneration Trust, to discuss their good relations strategy

GRASSROOTS UNIONIST VOTERS have discovered they share the views of Sinn Féin on day-to-day policy issues, a Belfast Telegraph poll has revealed.

The results came in the latest phase of the Telegraph’s ‘True Colours’ online survey, in which people from Belfast and Derry have been taking the test.

Participants are asked to support, oppose or remain neutral on a series of policy questions and are then told which party they are most aligned to.

In the largely working-class Protestant Village area of south Belfast, the True Colours test left some people aghast, the paper’s Noel McAdam and Brendan McDaid reported on Wednesday.

Retiree Trevor Cooke, who emerged as 65% Sinn Féin and 65% Alliance, admitted:

I’m confused – who am I meant to vote for now? I didn’t expect them to come out evenly.

It probably aligns with what I think, so I’m not incredibly surprised – I reckon the test is accurate.

They’ve [unionists] really got to work hard for my vote now.

I always thought I was left-wing so I expected Sinn Féin to come up high.

The Telegraph reported that Sharon Stewart, who came out 73% Sinn Féin, was “horrified”.

It’s not what I expected at all.

I don’t think [unionist] politicians round here do very much for the people, so what can they expect?

It’s totally appalling that unionist policies aren’t more in line with what voters want.

Anne Crowe, a domestic worker at Belfast City Hospital who came out 60% SDLP and 60% Sinn Féin, concluded:

I would consider myself a unionist so I’m horrified by the results.

It shows you what the unionists are doing for their own voters – absolutely nothing.

The Telegraph added that in the mostly Catholic, middle-class area of Culmore, four miles outside Derry, SDLP voter and community activist Mary Casey was surprised to find that her results gave her a reading of a 56% match with Sinn Féin or the DUP, while her match with her own party was lower at 46%.

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