Ian Paisley Jr and Jim Allister slug it out in a tough battle
Ian Paisley Jr canvassing in Ballymena
Jim Allister canvassing for votes in Cullybackey
No seat is more important for unionism than North Antrim, where brand Paisley is challenged by ex-DUP stalwart Jim Allister. Political Correspondent Noel McAdam joined what looks like a two-horse race
It’s just after teatime and Ian Paisley Jr is striding out with an eight-strong squad across a huge housing estate in Ballymena. A van trundling along behind blares out his ‘back me’ message.
Then the son of the Big Man is stopped momentarily in his tracks by 12-year-old Sarah Oliver, who pipes up: “See you, Mr? Are you rich?”
The DUP, however, even has a strategy for annoying youngsters, and placating stickers are handed out, proclaiming: “If I was 18, I would vote Paisley.”
Seven miles away a smaller team has been trawling the farms, lanes and villages between Dunloy and Clough for Jim Allister — just two people, including Allister himself whose equivalent blaring van is busy somewhere else.
The election contest in North Antrim is a two-horse race and few could rule out the prospect of a photo-finish.
Defending his dad’s almost 19,000 majority from 2005, the relatively young thoroughbred should canter over the line, yet the veteran warhorse could still just nose it.
In a constituency covering some 1,000 square miles the candidates also know they can’t canvass every single house. In urban Ballykeel Paisley can cover more houses in less time, but rural areas have a significantly higher turn-out rate.
Allister has another two-strong team not far away, but when we attempt to meet them in Clough they have already moved on.
The Traditional Unionist Voice leader is traversing the byways of Bellaghy near Glarryford, at about the half-way point of his travels ‘on the stump’ though at half the houses no-one is in.
When they are, however, they speak their minds. Georgina Alexander for one is taking no nonsense. “You come into the yard and say what you are going to do. How do we know you will do it?”
The schools meals worker goes on: “We are not even getting a pay rise this year, but you politicians are getting yours.”
But in the next townland, Duneany, Allister hits on his ideal voter, a former DUP supporter turned TUV.
“I have voted DUP all my day, but not now,” the man, who does not want identified, says. “I think they were wrong to go into government with the IRA and there is a fair few like me who think the same. But a whole lot of people are so scunnered they say they won’t come out at all.”
Just up the road we visit a member of the 1980s Assembly, Joe Gaston, a former part-time Ulster Defence Regiment soldier who was blown up on his tractor at the family farm, losing a leg. Like a few others we meet, he says he doesn’t really know the Ulster Unionist and Conservative candidate Irwin Armstrong.
“I think it’s a two-horse race, and that he (Allister) will pick up some tactical votes,” Mr Gaston predicts.
Arguing he can at least match his European performance Allister also believes some Ulster Unionists will vote tactically to try to defeat Paisley the younger. Mr Irwin insists few people are even mentioning Allister and there are areas like Bushmills where the Paisley name is a “disaster”.
Nearby, the small village of Clough contains people who do mention the other unionist in the mix — independent Lyle Cubitt, even more hardline than Allister. “I like Lyle, but I don’t think he can win,” one woman says.
With hundreds of houses Ballykeel could hardly be more different. The working class loyalist estate stands cheek by jowl with the more infamous Harryville — where 15 years ago Catholics faced regular protests as they attended mass. But many people Paisley stops here admit they don’t vote. Anne Wilkinson, in Orkney Drive, seems fairly typical.
“We never normally vote in our house. We haven’t decided about this time yet, but if I did I would I think vote for young Ian,” she says.
Mr Paisley has spoken to her about pensions but, afterwards, she says: “Sometimes they come and tell you all they will do and when they get in do nothing.”
Neighbour Geoff Scullion is a case in point. He has had his windows put in by local thugs in what seems to be a feud between families and says he has written to Mr Paisley but nothing happened. Ian promises to take the case up.
He believes all the issues around his relationship with developer Seymour Sweeney are behind him. “That was two years ago, I don’t think anybody in this estate would even know Seymour Sweeney,” he says.
Going into government with Sinn Fein and the deal which finally brought the transfer of policing and justice powers are rarely brought up on the doorsteps: instead it is strictly bread and butter issues.
The Paisley team includes Desmond Robinson (not part of the DUP dynasty of the same name) who has worked for the party for more than 40 years.
He says young Ian will have no problem holding onto the seat, though concedes Allister could eat into Ian Sr’s majority.
Meanwhile, Sarah and her 12-year-old mate Dana Balmer haven’t heard of Allister or Armstrong. But a few minutes ago they said they hadn’t heard of Paisley Jr, either.
