Ireland which remain a British colony the government failed in its chief objective to substantially reduce the vote of Sinn Fein and, Adams in West Belfast. In fact Adams increased his vote. Overall Sinn Fein took 11.4 per cent of the vote in the six counties — which represents roughly 35 per cent of the nationalist vote. Since it first contested Westminster elections, during the hunger strike in 1981, Sinn Fein has succeeded in building up core support which has never fallen below 10 per cnet of the overall vote in the six counties — 35 per cent of the nationalist vote. In this election, Anglo-Irish agreement, Sinn Fein's vote was only two per cent down on 1983.
This was major achievement given Ine main goal of the Anglo-Irish Agreement undermine support for addition, Sinn Fein was the only parDANCES the which had to face constant harassment.
Adams' agent, Alex Maskey, was shot and seriously wounded at the start of the campaign.
Two further workers were shot. Canvassers, leafleters and election officials for Sinn Fein WCEC shot arrested, barassed by the sensh ar generally Regiment (UDR) and the lister Defence Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC).
Sinn Fein was the only party standing on a platform for British withdrawal and a united Thev also made specitic demands to discrimination against the nationalist minority within the counties to , uphold civil liberties. example, Sinn Fein was the only party supporting widely recognised MacBride principles' which aim to eliminate religious discrimination in employment northern In their campaign Sinn Fein explained the republican movement's goal of ending the British presence and the partition was not counterposed to winning immediate gains for the nationalist community.
They pointed out that what concessions had beer general election in the six counties of defeat Gerry despite the won from Britain by the nationalist over the last twenty years had been the result of mass struggles, campaigns and sacrifices like those of the H-block prisoners and the hunger strikers, the recent electoral successes of Sinn Fein, and the armed struggle of the IRA.
Thot the 3 tiled mapaign tionalist Social Democratic and directed to sand directed foremost against Sinn Fein and aimed above all at defeating Gerry Adams in West Belfast. ' The SDLP's claim that the Anglo-Irish Agreement had delivered gains for Tine community did not look very credible in the after math of the Loughgall massacre and continuing huge discrimination against catholics in such areas as employment. So the SDLP relied on calls to keep out the Unionists in those constituencies where the SDLP were ahead of Sinn Fein, and combined this with a poisonous campaign against Fein tself. The SDLP howeve had some difficulty in explaining their opposition to the MacBride principles areas of massive llaBeast. The West Belfast.
SDLP claim that these principles for eliminating discrimination in employment will deter investors The SDLP 0 Ol win South Down, defeating West Belfast wall mural the sitting MP Enoch Powell by a little over 700 votes. This gives it three Westminster MPs. The SDI.P increased its overal share of the vote by three ner cent to 2l be • cent of he total or roughly 65 per the nationalist vote. But the SDLP failed in its goal of marginalising Sinn Fein defeating The second major feature of the outcome of the election in the six coun ties is that the Unionist Parties cao-risen ginst Anglo-Irish Agreely weakened. The unionist turnout in the election was down eight per cent on 1983. In spite 0i an elec toral pact not to stand against each other by the Official (DUP), the Democratic